Name Questions

[peacelovingmama]

We don't know the sex but have decided to find out (probably at my u/s on Sep. 29). But in the meantime, I have a couple of questions for you guys:

1) DH loves the name Oliver. I like it too, and especially its meaning, but I am concerned about the nickname Ollie. Do you think Olivers are bound to be called Ollie or could we avoid that?

2) We are liking the name Soren for a girl. I know it's a male name but we like the way it sounds. What do you think -- too masculine? Keep in mind that we do have another DD named Grahame, so we aren't drawn to the feminine, prettyish names.

Thanks for any and all input!!

[birthangeldoula]

I love the name Soren for a girl. This is going to sound super corny, but our cat (yes CAT --- see the corny part of this?) Tabitha's middle name is Soren because DH decided that's what her middle name will be.
I think it sounds like a girly name more than a masculine one.

[philomom]

Oliver is great. Soren sounds boy-ish to me, so I wouldn't do it.

[DomerJen]

I think if you call him Oliver, so will everyone else. It's short enough on it's own, and not too "grown up" that people will want to shorten it.

How do you pronounce Soren? Is it Sore-EN, or SORE-en, or something else?

It reminds me of my university, as it was founded by Fr. Sorin, so I think it's odd, but I don't even know how to say it, so I don't think I should get a vote on its femininity.

[peacelovingmama]

I appreciate all the feedback! I love that there is a kitty out there with this middle name!

DomerJen, we pronounce it Sore-en, rhymes with Lauren.

[DanelleB]

I like Oliver, but I also like Ollie. I'm not sure how I feel about Soren. It's a nice simple name (not going to be misprounounced much), but a bit too masculine (for me), I think.

[herins]

I like the name Soren, but I don't love the spelling. Have you tried alternatives? I like Sauren, but I also picture Soryn, Sauryn, Soaren, Soaryn I think I like taking the word "sore" out of there there.

[dividedsky]

i don't think an oliver will be called ollie necessarily - i think it's a nice name, go for it!

i like soren also. don't think it's particularly masculine-sounding. i think it's a cool, androgynous kind of name!

[Motherto4]

I have he issues with peoples opinions about my kids names. If you like it then I say who cares what other people think! My youngest is named Iceland we kept it a secret for a long time because I didn't want anyone to say anything when we told my mom she HATED it but now she is fine with it.

[hunterofkyle]

I really like both names. I'm big on nicknames, though, so I *do* think an Oliver in my family would end up being an Ollie (which I LOVE).

I think Soren sounds completely feminine. I actually would never use it for a boy because it sounds like one of those names that will eventually migrate over to the girl side and stay there. It can be really hard to name a boy these days and find a strictly masculine name.

Wonderful names

[LowFlyingAnimals]

I have a boy Soren. I've heard for it being used for girls, but I cringe because girls have soooo many names, and there are so many fewer for boys. (Really, look at the numbers of children with each name in the top 1000. More boys have the same names than girls). Girls can also use boys' names, but it's still taboo for boys to use any name that is common for girls (i.e. Ashley, Loren, Kelly, Lesley, etc.) Save the poor boys' names for the boys.

That said, the name Soren is becoming more popular. In 2002, when I was first pregnant it wasn't on the top 1000. Since then, it's been fairly shooting up the list. It's up to 746 now. What that means is that it's becoming more common as a boys' name. So, it might be more confusing as a girls' name than it once was. Also, it's used here and there in a lot of science fiction stories/movies. It's not always spelled the same way, but the characters do always seem to be male. This may not matter to you, but it might make things more confusing if the trend continues.

It's also quite popular still in Denmark, Germany, and Scandinavian countries.

Technically, it's pronounced more like Zur-en' with the emphasis kind of more on the -en. In English, it's Sor-en, but we say it with some emphasis on the -en, still. Mine was named after Soren Kierkegaard, which if you're going to use it, you should know.

Tabitha's middle name is Soren because DH decided that's what her middle name will be.

You do realize that Tabitha Soren was an MTV VJ, right?

[peacelovingmama]

Originally Posted by LowFlyingAnimals

ISave the poor boys' names for the boys.

...
It's also quite popular still in Denmark, Germany, and Scandinavian countries.

Technically, it's pronounced more like Zur-en' with the emphasis kind of more on the -en. In English, it's Sor-en, but we say it with some emphasis on the -en, still. Mine was named after Soren Kierkegaard, which if you're going to use it, you should know.

I'm actually fine with boys and girls sharing names and I don't see the need to sex-segregate names. Also, I do not prefer pretty or classicly feminine names -- not sure why, I just don't like them (although I understand why others would)! Like I said, we have a DD named Grahame so the unisex thing works for us.

I am Scandinavian and yes, I know about Kierkegaard. We pronounce Soren more like Suh-ren (although it's hard to capture the Norwegian prn. in English letters). We would pronounce it like Sauren though because we prefer the sound of it, even though it is "Americanized." Thanks for your input!

[nuwavemomma]

A good friend just had a boy named Soren, so I just can't hear it as a girl's name. Then again, my son's name is Graham! I like Oliver a lot. It would be on my short list, but DP nixed it.

[javilu]

I love the name Soren - I don't see it as being particularly "manly" or whatever, I think it's a nice name for any person, even though I know it has traditionally been given to boys.

[Multimomma]

I LOVE Oliver, and I like Ollie too. But as someone said, if you stick with Oliver, it's more likely that others will too. My dad really disliked 'Breanna' because he knew we would call her Bre...and he joked about 'why would you name your child after a cheese?" And sure enough, even though we swore we wouldn't, she became a Bre.....and sometimes even a BreBre.

I haven't heard Soren used before, so I would take it with whichever sex was presented. Names are so universal now anyway. If you love it USE IT!

[Malva]

I've never heard Soren before, I really like it. Actually, I like it enough that it would make my short lists (boy or girl) if it sounded good in French and if I had a short list to start with.

We haven't talked about or mentioned names for the baby yet. It's complicated by the fact that it needs to work both in English and French.

[lanielayne]

I love the name Soren for a girl and I like Oliver too. I dont' necessarily think people woudl be calling him Ollie unless he likes it.

[She2dancer]

I love both names! Oliver was on our short list for DS. I think Soren would make a beautiful girl's name! We are also thinking of using a name that is usually reserved for boys if we have a girl...so, I am with you....

also, as far as Oliver/Ollie goes...what I have noticed is that the use of the full name as opposed to a nickname will be followed by others while the child is younger, but I have noticed (just in the past year or so) that now that my nephews are a bit older (7yo and 9yo), their friends at school are calling them by nicknames that no one uses at home...(for instance Andrew is ALWAYS Andrew at home and with family/family friends...but his friends have started calling him Andy...which is just strange to us

[birthangeldoula]

Originally Posted by LowFlyingAnimals

You do realize that Tabitha Soren was an MTV VJ, right?

yeah, I realized that after my hubby started calling our cat that. I'm guessing she was an obsession of his in his teen years if he named our cat after her. LOL

[G&B'sMama]

I like both names.

I do think it will be hard not to have people call an Oliver by Ollie. People like to make kids names into diminutives- and I can't think of an alternate to Oliver. If you really don't like Ollie, you should probably choose something else.

My DD's name is Gillian. DH specifically does not like people calling her Jill. It's one of the reasons why we went with the traditional G spelling, instead of the americanized J spelling. Of course, in the UK people call women named Gillian by the name "Jill" even though it is spelled Gill, quite commonly- but in the US it hasn't been very common. I thought that Gillian would also not have a diminutive, but friends and family members do call her Gilly all the time- and she doesn't seem to mind.

My DS' name is Berkeley and there is no diminutive for it. He can be called Berke if he likes and sometimes people do. He has picked up a family nickname, but almost everyone calls him just Berkeley.

I am hoping to choose a name for this baby that does not have a diminutive. We'll see...