Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Feb 12, 2016 18:43:37 GMT -5
For what it's worth - I grew up with name biases - it was a one way ticket to Hell to name your kid something other than a name out of the Bible (old school Catholic) and any kid with a weird name was obviously WEIRD (cause you knew they were going to Hell.) You also weren't suppose to use nicknames - so Robert was Robert - not Bob or Bobby or Rob or Bert... nope Robert.
That said... There's lots of odd names at work - but along time ago (when in my 30's) the odd names just stopped being odd... that was when I was working with a lot of foreign names from different countries. A name like Sparkle or Cookie (which is a nickname for Carol I'm told) or Starlett just starts to blend in with names like Huroko, Miao, Mykhaylo, Lieve, Laurent, Gaelle, etc
What gets me is when a name is pronounced traditionally but it's got some off the wall spelling so there's Jennifer, Jenifer, Ginifer, Jenyfer, Gennyfer, etc... makes me want to scream "WHY!?!?"
It's like you MUST always ask someone how their name is spelled - even if it's Ann. Cause you know, maybe there's a couple of other extra letters (or maybe a number or special character) in there...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2016 18:44:59 GMT -5
Dahomey's or Misty's are going to be challenged with those hiring folks anyway. It's not the name anyone would object to, it's the colour of the skin they think that name comes from. And the financial situation of the parents. It's less of a racial thing than a socioeconomic one. It's actually about whether the family has buckled under and learned to "play by the rules". Paddy's and Tony's and Klaus's use to run into the same kinds of problems.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Feb 12, 2016 18:48:31 GMT -5
It's a shame but it happens. Parents should think really hard before giving their children a name. Where I come from, people used to be very traditional about first names. Then a crop of parents started choosing really inappropriate names, someone wanted to call their son Hitler, to give you an example. They would want to use brand names, words that meant insults in the local dialect, etc. So it was decided certain names constituted child abuse. Nowadays the government has the right to deny parents certain names if they are deemed inappropriate.
My name is perfectly respectable in Spanish. For English speaking people is a nightmare. I don't think anyone has pronounced it correctly yet. I sometimes wonder if it would hinder a job application at some point in my life because it's easy to tell I'm Hispanic. I had the chance to change it when I became a citizen but it's my identity, and I'm not giving that up. I was going to name one of the girls Xochitl. I figured it was too hard for people to get who weren't hispanic. Then I was going to name Thing 1 Yesenia, but I ended up not going with that name.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Feb 12, 2016 18:48:47 GMT -5
I'm proud of my office and my HR department because they choose to look past names . . . if they hadn't, neither of these lovely young (and qualified!) women would have ended up with us - and that would have been a shame.
But Milee speaks a sad but harsh truth about what goes on out there in the world . . .
I'm proud of your HR department too! Milee's sad but harsh truth will stay that way as long as folks justify it and counsel people to only use the "approved" list of names. The problem isn't the names, it's the attitudes about them. I'm recently guilty of a name faux pas... the new clerk I work with is named Carmencita -- being an opera fan I got stuck on the Carmen... she goes by Carmencita NOT Carmen. I'm good with saying/typing Carmencita now... even though I do sometimes smile when the music starts playing in my head...
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Feb 12, 2016 18:51:03 GMT -5
My niece's name is Karyme. People who aren't hispanic have trouble with it.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Feb 12, 2016 18:51:20 GMT -5
Try being stuck with a name like Dewey Dick. I was very young so had no clue but when I got home from school and told my parents about the new boy in school, my parents said something along the lines of "what were his parents thinking?"
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Feb 12, 2016 18:52:03 GMT -5
It's a shame but it happens. Parents should think really hard before giving their children a name. Where I come from, people used to be very traditional about first names. Then a crop of parents started choosing really inappropriate names, someone wanted to call their son Hitler, to give you an example. They would want to use brand names, words that meant insults in the local dialect, etc. So it was decided certain names constituted child abuse. Nowadays the government has the right to deny parents certain names if they are deemed inappropriate.
My name is perfectly respectable in Spanish. For English speaking people is a nightmare. I don't think anyone has pronounced it correctly yet. I sometimes wonder if it would hinder a job application at some point in my life because it's easy to tell I'm Hispanic. I had the chance to change it when I became a citizen but it's my identity, and I'm not giving that up. I was going to name one of the girls Xochitl. I figured it was too hard for people to get who weren't hispanic. Then I was going to name Thing 1 Yesenia, but I ended up not going with that name. That's a pretty name - one of the previous coworkers was Zochil I think it means flower...
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Feb 12, 2016 18:52:15 GMT -5
Le-a?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2016 18:53:58 GMT -5
I read a meme the other day that pointed out the Chris Pratt sounds like Crisp Rat. I am never going to be able to see him the same way again.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Feb 12, 2016 18:54:38 GMT -5
Since Jane the Virgin came out, I've come to love the name Xiomara.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2016 19:01:48 GMT -5
I think I've mentioned a homeschool mom friend with daughter Ruby Sparkle. Yes her husband is a pastor. Son says they aren't even giving the girl a chance.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Feb 12, 2016 19:03:24 GMT -5
What, no Gaelic names --- Soibhan or Aoife? Know a Chevonne via facebook... and a college friend of a niece is the Aoife...
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Feb 12, 2016 19:06:08 GMT -5
What, no Gaelic names --- Soibhan or Aoife? Know a Chevonne via facebook... and a college friend of a niece is the Aoife... I know someone with that name and I think it is so pretty. Not sure i would know how to pronounce the other two correctly but if they introduced themselves I would get it pretty quickly.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2016 19:12:08 GMT -5
What, no Gaelic names --- Soibhan or Aoife? Know a Chevonne via facebook... and a college friend of a niece is the Aoife... My cousin's twin daughter's are named Soibhan and Alyssia. I always have to think about how to pronounce Soibhan when I see it written out. That name makes me think of a Gaelic Goddess.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Feb 12, 2016 19:31:57 GMT -5
What, no Gaelic names --- Soibhan or Aoife? Know a Chevonne via facebook... and a college friend of a niece is the Aoife... I know someone with that name and I think it is so pretty. Not sure i would know how to pronounce the other two correctly but if they introduced themselves I would get it pretty quickly. Soibhan is pronounced like you would most likely pronounce Chevonne (or maybe more like SHA vaun?). Aoife is a straight forward E fa I'm sure sounds even better if you have a lilting accent - verus my bland Midwestern accent...
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buystoys
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Post by buystoys on Feb 12, 2016 19:36:05 GMT -5
I once knew a Dilly Pickle.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Feb 12, 2016 19:38:59 GMT -5
I know someone with that name and I think it is so pretty. Not sure i would know how to pronounce the other two correctly but if they introduced themselves I would get it pretty quickly. Soibhan is pronounced like you would most likely pronounce Chevonne (or maybe more like SHA vaun?). Aoife is a straight forward E fa I'm sure sounds even better if you have a lilting accent - verus my bland Midwestern accent...
My southern accent could turn those names into at least six syllables unless I talk really fast But thanks in case I ever run into anyone with the other two names...
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Feb 12, 2016 20:31:24 GMT -5
I just remembered having classes with an Annie Oakley in college. She took all kinds of flack about it but handled it well and with a wicked sense of humor
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2016 20:32:52 GMT -5
I did an evaluation for a Virginia Wolf last year, but she had never heard of her 'namesake'.
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teen persuasion
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Post by teen persuasion on Feb 12, 2016 20:44:00 GMT -5
What, no Gaelic names --- Soibhan or Aoife? Know a Chevonne via facebook... and a college friend of a niece is the Aoife... There were several girls each with names like Siobhan and Moira in my high school, in addition to the more common Colleen, Sheila, Maureen, Meghan, Sharon, Mary Catherine (or Mary something else). I've also got a niece named Aislinn (Ashlyn) and nephew Aiden. DS5's age mates use alternate spellings like Padraig.
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Works4me
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Post by Works4me on Feb 12, 2016 20:47:13 GMT -5
Always remember and never forget, the "dash don't be silent!"
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WholeLottaNothin
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Post by WholeLottaNothin on Feb 12, 2016 21:22:59 GMT -5
When I worked at the local college a few years ago, I had a work study student who was doing her observation for student teaching at a local day care center. She came in one day in disbelief because there was a little girl at the day care named Y'alljealous. Spelled exactly like that. I agree it is more socioeconomic related, at least around here. This area has a large amount of uneducated, low income people, unfortunately. This county is also approximately 97% Caucasian.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Feb 12, 2016 21:30:37 GMT -5
I've worked with Filipinos. None of them have weird names. Must be a Canada thing. Same here. My accounting department is almost entirely immigrant or first-generation Filipinos.
And none of their names are even remotely close to these . . .
I've worked with every single one of these people. Maybe the Filipinos Americanise their names in the US. I don't know.
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Works4me
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Post by Works4me on Feb 12, 2016 22:55:01 GMT -5
WholeLottaNothin - I just can't help myself and have to ask how does one pronounce "Y'alljealous?" Accent on the "Y'all" or?
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milee
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Post by milee on Feb 13, 2016 0:27:41 GMT -5
It's less of a racial thing than a socioeconomic one. It's actually about whether the family has buckled under and learned to "play by the rules". No, it's not. Not in my experience. Maybe in your area or maybe if by "play by the rules" you mean "understand basic social norms". From what I've seen, it's more of a hesitancy to bring ghetto behavior into a professional environment. Most of the highly professional people I worked with were aware how hard even highly professional employees are to manage; they didn't want to have to deal with the inevitable weird stuff that crops up when someone from a ghetto environment first encounters a professional environment. Can someone from a ghetto background learn how to interact in a professional environment, be incredibly smart and hard working and succeed? Absolutely. But it doesn't happen in a vacuum and many corporate employers are hesitant to take on that sort of "project." Naming your kid a ghetto name is an indicator to an employer that you might not only be ghetto in the naming department but the manners department as well and it's just not something many employers want to take on.
Different situation than dealing with obviously foreign employees like the aforementioned Pepsi Ng. If the unusual name is foreign from what I've seen that carries much less of a stigma than a ghetto name since many employers have had really good experiences with hard working immigrants and understand that an immigrant naming a child something that might be unusual for an American doesn't necessarily mean multigenerational American ghetto loser family. But naming your kid "Dahomey" Smith or some obvious American ghetto name sends up all sorts of red flags that a lot of employers just don't want to deal with if there are alternatives that look like they didn't grow up in a family without a clue about social norms.
Employers don't want to be social workers. They want an employee who will come in and do the work without drama, even the unspoken stuff that nobody thinks is important until you have to have an embarrassing talk with your new employee about it. No, it's not professional to wear a white tank top with your black bra underneath it... no, it's not professional if you and your BF have a screaming match in the lobby...no, it's not professional if you have your mom, your sister, your sister's baby daddy and your 4 nieces/nephews living with you so are constantly taking all the food from the break room home to feed everybody... etc.
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on Feb 13, 2016 4:26:54 GMT -5
I used to not like the newer names thinking they were odd but now I think the old names would be odd. Imagine some girl naming her baby Helen, Mary, Ida, Ellen, Irma or other old fashion name instead of Ashley and Chloe and other newer names. I prefer odd names that aren't so odd I can't pronounce them like Tomas, or Persephone that aren't so hard to say or spell or names they explain how they got them like Vipi was named by her father for Very Important Person Indeed. I don't like ghetto names because they make me think the person raising the child is going to teach them ghetto behavior and the names are too hard to spell or pronounce sometimes.
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WholeLottaNothin
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Post by WholeLottaNothin on Feb 13, 2016 5:24:15 GMT -5
WholeLottaNothin - I just can't help myself and have to ask how does one pronounce "Y'alljealous?" Accent on the "Y'all" or? You pronounce it like you were saying " y'all jealous of my new car" except they just smushed it together into one word.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Feb 13, 2016 5:51:11 GMT -5
I used to not like the newer names thinking they were odd but now I think the old names would be odd. Imagine some girl naming her baby Helen, Mary, Ida, Ellen, Irma or other old fashion name instead of Ashley and Chloe and other newer names. I prefer odd names that aren't so odd I can't pronounce them like Tomas, or Persephone that aren't so hard to say or spell or names they explain how they got them like Vipi was named by her father for Very Important Person Indeed. I don't like ghetto names because they make me think the person raising the child is going to teach them ghetto behavior and the names are too hard to spell or pronounce sometimes. When I think of old-fashioned names, I think of names like Gertrude and Myrtle. The problem with Ashley, Kimberly and Chloe, is that EVERYONE is named Ashley, Kimberly and Chloe.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Feb 13, 2016 6:40:09 GMT -5
DD is. 24 she is Kimberly In 3rd grade she started going by Kim. She never had any other Kimberlys in her class. But every time she had a birthday party I would ask "how many Katie's will there be?" Think we had 4 one time.
A couple years ago we hired a Betsy at work. I pictured someone in her 60s. Was shocked to find out she was 21.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Feb 13, 2016 7:43:38 GMT -5
I just remembered having classes with an Annie Oakley in college. She took all kinds of flack about it but handled it well and with a wicked sense of humor So you are saying she was a real pistol, eh? Sorry, couldn't resist And that is the kind of sense of humor she had!! It really came out when some dumb guy decided to make fun of her name - you can use your imagination as to the things that came out of her mouth.
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