Name poll for #4 and do you think name influences personality

[oneontheway]

This is #4 for us and I feel that I have used my most favorite names already. All very traditional and simple. For baby #4 I am stumped and he is due in less than 3 weeks. So I'm asking for your opinion and also whether you think name influences personalities. For instance when I mention the name Michael so many people say Michael's are mischevious, etc. So just for laughs what are your thoughts?

Mac (nickname for Michael) this is a family name - my husband, his Dad, my grandfather (also called Mac).

Charlie (Charles)

Harrison (nickname Harris though DH wants Harry) also a family name

Daniel

[TwinFoxes]

Do you mean his given name will be Mac, or Michael? If you just want the nickname Mac, that seems like the type of NN you could give for any given name.

I voted Daniel. I think it's a nice name, and it isn't as popular as Harrison and Charlie.

[Nooknookmom]

I voted Harrison - like Harris....not find of Harry. It reminds me of that prince!

I do believe name can influence-mostly subconsciously on the part of others. My kids have unique names, not "apple" lol but they have family meaning ( from my grandmothers side-American Indian & a musical influence).

After 12 yrs. DD2 has DD1's kindy and they co teach-one teacher calls her by her sisters name - it stuck! Dd2 is like argh!

Also big Congrats to you :)

[lhafer]

I voted for Harrison. Charles is a close second. Don't really care for Michael or Daniel.

[wendibird22]

I'm not sure about names influencing personality. I have an Erin and a Megan...plain names and my DDs have very VERY different personalities.

Of the names you listed I think I like Harrison best, but actually like Harris best and would just name him that. My preference is to name a child what you will call them. I'm not a fan of naming someone one thing but calling them another...just my personal thing.

[boolady]

I do believe name can influence-mostly subconsciously on the part of others.

I agree. I don't think name choice influences personality, but I do think it influences perception. I think it *may* be more likely to happen with girls' names, but I have no evidence to back that up whatsoever.

I like Charles and Daniel best. I like the nickname Charlie, but prefer Daniel in its full form.

[ABO Mama]

Of the names you listed I think I like Harrison best, but actually like Harris best and would just name him that. My preference is to name a child what you will call them. I'm not a fan of naming someone one thing but calling them another...just my personal thing.
:yeahthat:
Just not a fan of nicknames. I like Harrison, but wouldn't shorten it.

[rin]

I love Mac, I think it's adorable. I also like Michael!

[AnnieW625]

I actually like all four the names you chose. They are all classic. I like Harry as nick name more than Harris, but either is fine. I do think that for the nickname Mac it sounds more related to Michael than the rest of the names.

In regards to nick names my dad is Jeff, but since he was a small child his uncle called him Jake so some family members still call him Jake. No one including him really knows why it is just what he was called. His younger brother is Brad, and his brother's middle name is William. My dad has called brother by the nick name of Will for most of his life. Not sure why either it's just always been that way and I am not sure which family member started it either, but it stuck.

On the nick name front for us Elisa is called EJ (her middle name is Jean) by my in laws and she hates it so when we were picking names for DD2 we had to make sure we didn't do the same thing. So far no nick names for DD2 except DD1 calls her Lulu, which she made up. Sometimes Lauren calls herself Lulu as well. I love the name Madison (always have since I was 7 or 8 and saw the movie Splash!), but I didn't want the nick name of Maddie, and figured that was inevitable if we did that because Maddie is a popular nick name around here for Madeline/Madalyn, etc., and if I wanted the name Maddie I would have just used the name Maddie.


.... I don't think name choice influences personality, but I do think it influences perception. I think it *may* be more likely to happen with girls' names, but I have no evidence to back that up whatsoever......

:yeahthat: Our back up name for Elisa (DD1) was Jenna. One of DH's cousins said we shouldn't use the name because of Jenna Jamison, the adult film star, who was the subject of a few documentaries in the mid 2000s and garnered some headlines for owning her own adult film company or producing her own films. When she was born she just didn't look like a Jenna to us, she looked more like an Elisa, which was the name DH had wanted to name since the minute we found out I was pregnant because his grandma never had a granddaughter.

Had DD2 been a boy I was really pushing for Jacob William as a name, and we would have called him Jake. DH said no because he thought people would think we named our kid after Jake the Snake Roberts, the 1980s WWF star:shake:

Our boy name for DD1 was Ethan Daniel.

I picked a really neutral non perception name of Lauren for DD2, although someone in their mid 20s then might have asked if I was a fan of the tv shows The Real OC, or The Hills because Lauren Conrad was the star of those and The Hills was pretty popular in 2010 when DD2 was born. No one has ever made mention of it.

[JBaxter]

I have a relative named Daniel so I would never EVER name a boy that. I like Harrison but not Harry I've never hear of Mac as a nickname for Michael I have a McKinley in our family that is Mac. Charles / Charlie Im luke warm on as a first name. I used it as a middle name. I also think its who you know. I know some very nice Michael / Mikes.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I have never had that impression of Michaels. Wouldn't have crossed my mind.

I voted Daniel. It's classic and not crazy popular.

Era- I like Charlie too.

[Indianamom2]

Tough one. I voted Charles, although I wouldn't use that. I like Charlie (unless your last name is Brown or Manson!), but I don't like naming a child a nickname. My FIL was officially named a very common nickname and he really wishes his mom and dad had just gone with the more formal real name.

My second choice is Harrison/Harris. I don't see Harris as a true nickname and think it could stand on its own.

Third would be Daniel.

Fourth would Mac....sounds like you have a lot of Mac's in the family already...might get too confusing.

[wellyes]

I think all 4 names are conservative so wouldn't influence personality.

The only name I don't like on the list is Harrison. I think of George Harrison as being the saddest Beatle. And William Henry Harrison is surely one of our worst presidents. Famous for warring against Indians, working to expand slave territory in the US, and dying almost as soon as he got into office by getting himself pneumonia because he wouldn't wear a coat during a rainy inauguration.

[marymoo86]

I think all 4 names are conservative so wouldn't influence personality.

The only name I don't like on the list is Harrison. I think of George Harrison as being the saddest Beatle. And William Henry Harrison is surely one of our worst presidents. Famous for warring against Indians, working to expand slave territory in the US, and dying almost as soon as he got into office by getting himself pneumonia because he wouldn't wear a coat during a rainy inauguration.

What about Harrison Ford? Come on Han Solo for Pete's sake. Surely that makes up some :D

[oneontheway]

Thanks for all the feedback!

Just to clarify... DH and FIL are called Michael/Mike along with several BILs. My grandfather was Michele and called Mac so (if decided) DS would have the given name Michael but would be called Mac.

[crl]

I think the naming a kid a nickname thing is really interesting. My dad is named a nickname and he has no middle name. He hates this. It has been a PITA his whole life according to him. My brother and I were both given classic names and my parents used the nicknames. (Yes, I was Cathy until law school when I finally managed to make the switch to Catherine). One of my college friends had a similar experience having a nickname for a name. So I would have never even considered naming my kids a nickname. If I was really opposed to the idea of a nickname I would just try to pick a name that wasn't conducive to nick naming and hope for the best.

OPer I like all those names. I voted Michael. :)

Catherine

[mom3boys]

I like Daniel the best. But, I think all of them are fine. I agree with wendibird on being a little wary of naming someone something but calling them something else. I named my DS2 a more formal name with the plan of always calling him a nickname (shortened form of the formal name). At preschool everyone started calling him by his formal name, and it stuck. I just had to send out his birthday invites with the formal name because I was afraid the kids' parents wouldn't recognize the name otherwise!

I know so many Michaels, I don't think there is a specific personality (my Dad is a Michael, he certainly is not mischievous!)

And give William Henry Harrison a break--he died a month into office, didn't really have time to be a good president!! (Although, Benjamin Harrison didn't really make a mark, either, as far as presidents go).

[sarahsthreads]

That's tough, because I like *all* of your choices. :)

My brothers are Michael and Daniel, and I would not say that Michael was particularly mischievous, though he was youngest by several years and had that dimpled cuteness that let him get away with a lot more than the rest of us!

I don't put that much stock in the name influencing personality idea, honestly, though I do think that certain names come with "baggage" either because of the popularity of an actor/character or someone notorious with that name. I don't (personally) think any of your choices have that kind of baggage, though.

Sarah :)

[vonfirmath]

I chose Daniel.

DD would have been a Daniel if she'd been a boy.

My nephew is Michael and NOT mischievious at all.

[janine]

I like Harry - it's a classic name and quite popular without being overused. For some reason it seems appopriate for the youngest boy.

I also have never heard of Mac for Michael..but if that is a family name I'd vote that 2nd. I also don't think of Michael as being mischevious, it a very popular name and I've seen the gamut with personality types.

[sariana]

I voted for Michael because I just like that name. I like your other choices, too. Have you considered Mick instead of adding another Mac to the mix?

[hellokitty]

Of the names on the list, I like Charles the best and think Charlie is cute. In terms of a name influencing personality, I agree with the pp that said that it probably affects someone's perception of what someone by a certain name may be like, more than the person's true personality. I happen to have a conservative, old lady, nun name that I've always resented and I know that ppl have judged me before getting to know me by my name, most often thinking that I must be a very stuffy, boring person. I have always loathed the baggage that comes with my name, since I have been fighting that, "stereotype" of my name for my entire life and don't really see myself fitting into my name until I'm 80 and using a walker. I think that this type of baggage only comes with extremely unstylish names (I know brothers that are named Cain and Abel, I have a feeling that it probably sucked growing up with names like that and everyone assumes you are from a super religious family) or names that are very much associated with something specific to a certain event/celebrity. Like if you named your kid, "Apple," everyone is automatically going to jump to the conclusion that you got the idea from Gwenyth Paltrow having used that name. However, with the names on your list, they are common enough that I don't think that they carry any type of specific stereotype with them. I've known several ppl with the names on your list and don't really identify a certain personality or stereotype with any of those names. However, if you had picked a more obscure name and say I knew ONE person by that name, I might associate that name with what that particular person was like, kwim?

[gatorsmom]

I have a Michael and a Charles so I love both names. :yay: my Michael is not mischievous at all. He's very sweet, calm and easy- going. We call him Michael- no nickname.

My Charles, however is very mischeivous. As I type he is duct taping his clothes together and stuffing them to create a body to scare his dad with when he comes home tonight. We used to call him Charlie but he has since said to call him [email protected].

Charlie has a good friend named Harrison and I've always liked that name too.

I find Daniel a bit boring. Jmho

[Simon]

I think name choice strongly influences perceptions of the child and how people treat the child and that can influence the child's personality.

I think Harry will always be a difficult nickname for boys. Forever.

I love both Charlie and Mac. We use nicknames in our family, too. I think it can be nice to have a name with family connections, which it would in your case. It may be especially nice for a younger sibling to have something that feels so special when s/he may feel like s/he is always the last or getting the hand-me-downs for clothing and toys. Just a thought.

[Clarity]

My dd has a classmate called "Mackie/Mackey" and I think that is so cute. I'm partial to Charlie but I also like Daniel.

[Cam&Clay]

I like Harrison the best.

I, too, have never heard of Mack as a nickname for Michael. I like Mickey or Mick!

[curiousgeorge]

I'm partial to Harrison since I have one of my own, and Charlie since that's one of my nephews. But, we don't do any nicknames for Harrison and plan to keep it that way, so not sure I would feel the same way if the plan from the beginning is to use Harris as the name.

I personally don't care for Daniel due to an association with a co-worker from years ago, but that's just my personal problem :-). I also have a two-year old who is obsessed with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and wonder if the name will start to be associated with that in any way, similar to how a lot of people associate Thomas with Thomas the Tank Engine.

[Tondi G]

What about Harrison Ford? Come on Han Solo for Pete's sake. Surely that makes up some :D

And Indiana Jones!!! :)

[MontrealMum]

However, with the names on your list, they are common enough that I don't think that they carry any type of specific stereotype with them. I've known several ppl with the names on your list and don't really identify a certain personality or stereotype with any of those names. However, if you had picked a more obscure name and say I knew ONE person by that name, I might associate that name with what that particular person was like, kwim?
:yeahthat:

I voted for Michael because it's my personal favorite, but I like all the names on your list. I happen to have a friend with a son named Michael who is called Mac, but that's because M.A.C. are his initials. I've never heard it as a nickname for Michael before.

[Nooknookmom]

I agree. I don't think name choice influences personality, but I do think it influences perception. I think it *may* be more likely to happen with girls' names, but I have no evidence to back that up whatsoever.

I like Charles and Daniel best. I like the nickname Charlie, but prefer Daniel in its full form.

Yup! Certain girls names seem to have that connection for sure-ESP here in our neck of the woods. Boys - The only thing DH and I notice with our relatives/friends is whomever is named Robert-seems to get in trouble! No hard evidence either just what we have seen over time! Oh and the "Tommy's" are goofy and fun & class clowns.