[OT] Naming a child Arwen

[mythago]

Problem with that is kids who grow up not to like Ren Faire or Tolkien because they had it pressed on them at a young age.

I think Arwen's a nice enough name. I'm just leery of picking a name because it's a neat character in your favorite book. If you admire the Arwen character as well as like the name, then go for it.

...say she, who is tired of being asked "Oh, did you name him after Harry Potter?"

 

[AaronLoeb]

If Arwen grows up to be a lawyer, will her name be a source of shame to her? Not that I think Arwen is a bad name, but kids sometimes grow up to be very different than what we imagine for them. I'm just counselling forethought.

Anecdotally, my wife is in law school with a woman named Lothlorien (who goes by Lorien) and she seems quite happy with her name and is definitely not going to have career troubles. (I'm not sure she thought much of me when I geeked out about her name and asked her how many people she'd met in life who knew it meant "dream flower" in Sindaran, though. Answer: none.)

Kids made fun of my name growing up because it had two "A"s. And it's from the bible. Kids will make fun of any name that isn't common and, if there isn't a name to be made fun of, there's something else. While I agree with some posters that it's possible to name your child cruelly ("Dumbhead" or "Stinkyface" are not good names), saying that a name that's in any way different is cruel seems, to me at least, wrong. Arwen is a lovely name and a far cry from Stinkyface. We thrive on difference, and she'll likely be very happy for her uniqueness by the time she's 19.

 

[hong]

Kids made fun of my name growing up because it had two "A"s.

Well, no wonder. Everyone knows that O's are FAR COOLER than A's. If you disagree, you must be a STINKY POOPYHEAD!!!1! Although it's always good to see more members of the vowel-endowed crowd on this here mailing list.


Hong "loved the Book of Riighteous Miight, BTW" Ooi

 

[tburdett]

We thrive on difference, and she'll likely be very happy for her uniqueness by the time she's 19.

Children do not want to be seen, or pointed out as, different. Children want to fit in, and want to feel like they are part of their peer group. Children are already cruel enough to one another, why give them yet another reason to inflict that cruelty on one another?

How many of you remember a child from your years growing up who received an extra helping of ridicule because their parents chose an unusual name? Three names popped into my head the instant I originally read this thread. Three kids who suffered that much more because their parents decided to 'gift' them with an 'unique' name.

 

[jemkym]

No problems here

I think Arwen is an excellent name. When I eventually have kids (not for a long time!!!), I like names such as Ash, Eleanor (Elle) and Alexander... Unless my partner casts finger of death against me first!!!

 

[rounser]

When I was TSR's web guy, someone wrote in to see if it was OK with us if he named his kid Cyric. Yes, he wanted to name his son after an insane evil god of murder and death.

Surprisingly, it's not a fantasy name, even if it was intended as such - it's a celtic name, which makes me wonder whether it was reinvented unintentionally. A Google on Cyric and something like saxon/celtic/welsh/ireland will turn up saints and leaders with the name.

If it was reinvented, just goes to show that there are only so many good or catchy names around, I guess.

I like "Blibdoolpoolp" better. It's a little more mellifluous.

Surely such a name will embiggen the bearer impedelessly.

 

[hong]

I like "Blibdoolpoolp" better. It's a little more mellifluous.

Surely such a name will embiggen the bearer impedelessly.

=== REPOST ===
H.G. Nelson: Thank you Roy, and welcome back, viewers, to the Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, or Arteeteetee'o'ee'ee for short, live here at the House of Monte. Think they could have shortened the title at all, Roy?

Roy Slaven: Not really, H.G. See, Wizards don't have Gary Gygax anymore, but they still have to deal with the legacy he left behind. And that legacy can be summed up very succinctly, H.G. -- syllables. Lots and lots of syllables. He was one for the polysyllabic words, was our Gary. But he isn't here anymore, that's the problem. Only he could use syllables in the way he did, the way they flowed off the tongue, but his legacy is that gamers everywhere demand, yes DEMAND, H.G., that D&D products must use lots and lots of syllables regardless. Because gamers are a discerning lot, you know. So the designers have taken the next best route: instead of using a few words with lots of syllables each, they've used lots of words with a few syllables each.

H.G.: Hmm, yes indeed, Roy.

Roy: And you know what? It works, H.G., it really works! Say it with me: Arteeteetee'o'ee'ee. All those syllables moulded together into a smoothly mellifluous sound that just rolls off the tongue. Okay, it's not quite the same as what our Gary could do -- "Zuggtmoy" is still my favourite Gygax name ever -- but the tonguing is what counts, and as long as you're getting some tongue action going, who care's how it's done?

=== END REPOST ===

 

[Gargoyle]

I named my first son Ashton and call him Ash after one of my favorite movie characters:

 

[Kichwas]

The situation is as follows: My wife and I are expecting Child Number 3 (don't know sex yet). My son is named Aiden and my daughter is Afton - so we would like to keep the A name thing going if possible.

So, if she is a girl, I would like to name her Arwen. But frankly, I am concerned about how the world will react to this - and the amount of grief that she might get later in life.

Given the names of the first two children, if the third is named Arwen she's probably going to have less trouble than them...

Are those first two names made up? Or do they come from some particular ethnic group I'm not aware of?

Arwen is a beautiful sounding name that acually -seems- to follow the pattern of the names that come out of the anglo-celtic-irish region of the world.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Aiden seems to be a variant of Aidan, although I could be wrong, and that means "fiery" and comes from Gaelic according to this site. Afton is also Gaelic and means "from the Afton River" (same site, just punch in the names). Actually, Arwen came up in there, too, credited to Tolkien, so the name must not be too uncommon.

Best,
tKL