I just realized the meanings of names mean more to me than I thought!!?

A couple days ago I decided to look up the meanings of all of my favorite names---boys and girls. Some of the meanings are nice, while others really stink. I went through the list asking myself if I would like that meaning for MY name. I would never give a child a name that I wouldn't like to have. Now, on the meaning, I'm still debating to as exactly HOW important it is.





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Here's the names I like or don't mind the meanings of:





Johanna ~ Meaning: "God is Gracious", Origin: German


Clara ~ Meaning: "Illustrious", Origin: Latin


Laura ~ Meaning: "Laurel", Origin: Latin


Jasmine ~ Meaning: "Jasmine Flower", Origin: Persian


Marcella ~ Meaning: "Young Warrior", Origin: Latin


Dawn ~ Meaning: "Sunrise", Origin: English


Katherine ~ Meaning: "Pure", Origin: Greek


Leona ~ Meaning: "Lion", Origin: Italian


Charlotte ~ Meaning: "Free", Origin: English


Joy ~ Meaning: "Happiness", Origin: Latin


Levi ~ Meaning: "Joined In Harmony", Origin: Hebrew


Jason ~ Meaning: "Healer", Origin: Greek


Conrad ~ Meaning: "Bold Counsel", Origin: English


Nathan ~ Meaning: "He Gave", Origin: Hebrew


Nathaniel ~ Meaning: "Gift Of God", Origin: Hebrew





I'm not sure how I feel about these:





Emma ~ Meaning: "Universal", Origin: Latin


Emmeline ~ Meaning: "Work", Origin: English


George ~ Meaning: "Farmer", Origin: Greek


Gavin ~ Meaning: "White Hawk", Origin: English





And I don't like these:





Melanie ~ Meaning: "Black", Origin: Greek


Jordan ~ Meaning: "To Flow Down", Origin: Hebrew


Brooklyn ~ Meaning: "New York Borough", Origin: American


Alaina ~ Meaning: "Feminine Form Of Alain", Origin: French


Makenna ~ Meaning: "Son Of Kenneth", Origin: American


Shannon ~ Meaning: "Old", Origin: Irish


Lydia ~ Meaning: "From Lydia, Greece", Origin: Greek


Donovan ~ Meaning: "Brown Black", Origin: Irish





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A few days ago I would have said that it's nice to have a "nice" meaning, but it's not essential. Now, I'm not so sure. Thoughts? Comments? If you don't know the meanings of your favorites, look them up. I'm curious as too see how you felt before you knew the meanings and after.

I just realized the meanings of names mean more to me than I thought!!?
It is important to me that a name have a good meaning, but I believe a name's meaning comes from more than just its literal denotation. The most classic example of this is Mary. Many people trace its meaning to the Hebrew "Mara" which means "bitter." However, Mary is more well-known for being the mother of Jesus, and because she was so blessed by God, many parents have chosen her as a namesake for their daughters. Two good examples from your list are Jordan and Lydia (as My Name Isobel already pointed out). The Jordan River was very important in biblical history; it was also the place where Jesus was baptized, so for Christian parents, that name could have quite a lot of meaning. Lydia, though simply a place name in its linguistic roots, was a biblical noblewoman who assisted the apostle Paul. (In fact, some baby name websites erroneously give its literal meaning as "noble.") Many Christian parents have chosen this name because they like Lydia's example of being a strong, godly woman.





A name's meaning comes not only from its linguistic roots but also from the parents' experiences with it in cultural, historical, literary, and personal contexts. All the names on my list have a good meaning to me, some through literal denotation (such as Susanna, which means "a lily") and some through context (such as Arthur, who was a legendary king and also my husband's grandfather). I do have a preference for names with both good literal meanings and good personal meanings, though. I wouldn't cross a name off my list if it had a rather neutral literal meaning, but I might cross one off because of a distinctly negative literal meaning (such as Kennedy, which means "misshapen head").





Here are some from your list whose meanings are worthy of reconsideration:





Gavin ~ A white hawk is an awfully regal-sounding creature, and I'm sure a boy would love to be named after such a strong bird of prey





Emmeline ~ Being hard-working is definitely a virtue, even if many people in our modern society don't view it as such.





George ~ Okay, so it means "farmer," but it was also a name used by several kings. This one has a great historical context. And who knows? Your son may end up growing up to be a landscape architect or botanist, so the "earth-worker" meaning might fit him as well.





Shannon ~ Apparently it can be translated either "old river" or "wise river." I could see how parents might bestow this name hoping their daughter would be wise beyond her years.





Alaina ~ It's an elaborated feminine form of Alan, but Alan means "little rock." To me, that conveys the idea that you'd want your child to be strong and solid, even in her youth.





Emma ~ Even though it's an old name, the meaning ("universal") does stirke me as a little new-agey. Still, there have been historical and literary Emma's who would make good namesakes. My first association is with Emma Woodhouse, the witty, independent heroine of the Jane Austen novel. While I personally wouldn't choose Emma for a daughter because of its popularity (and because of its similarity to my own name!), it would be one I'd consider if it weren't so popular (well, and if my own name were something like Noelle).
Reply:I find the meaning of names to be important to me. I would never name my child Cecelia, for instance, because it means blind. It is just cruel to your child to have their name mean something that is absurd.
Reply:I look up people I know names all the time, I found my name means Noble kind(Lydia) and the name I tell people my name is (Sara) means princess. Yeah, meanings are important.
Reply:Ok. I know where your coming from on this.


I used to also think meanings weren't sooo important... but then I also looked into it and you know I think it is better to consider the meaning behind something before going with the name. In other cultures, people are named after meanings and in some tribes it is way more imporatnt to have a kickss meaning than a soothing sounding name. I particularly think boys names should not sound soft. I hear names like wesley and Braedon and Preston and altho, yes, they ARE cute names, they are not strong masculine names and they sound weak and have weak meanings. I think girls can get away with wayyyy more creativeness when it comes to names. ;) Yes, meanings are very important and should be considered. Peace ;)
Reply:I think it is fun to have a neat meaning behind your name, but I wouldn't choose a name just based on it's meaning. The only person who is going to know the meaning is you or you and your family. Other people aren't going to meet your child and then go look up the meaning of their name so I don't believe it really matters. If it is a unique name people may ask "Oh, and what does that mean?" but if it is nothing unusual you and your kid aren't goint to have to explain it to everyone.
Reply:DON'T use Emma !


And well I knew that the name Mackenzie was so much better for a girl than for a guy ,no that you told me to investigate ,it means son of a wise ruler ,and a girl would not like to be called "son" !





But meanings are very important ,like VERY important
Reply:I have 8 kids and I have never worried about the meaning of names. All the names we have used were names that my husband and I liked or that had some type of family connection. Meanings don't have that much impact on me because honestly they don't really have any effect on the child.





When you introduce yourself to someone you don't say "Hi, my name is Chase and it means hunter". Sometimes I look up name meanings if it is a real unusual name to see what nationality it comes from but the meaning has no impact on my likes or dislikes of a name at all.
Reply:how do you not like the meaning of the name Emma? LOL. it's beautiful. i know someone who named their daughter Emma Faith. it means "universal faith".





the meanings of Emmeline, George, and Gavin are okay. i dont mind them.





for the meanings you don't like:





Melanie - never liked this name because of the meaning.





Jordan - i dont like because it's unisex. i don't think the meaning is that bad. it's just okay.





Brroklyn - i never liked this name because it reminds me of new york.





Alaina - I love this name! it http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com... means "rock" in Gaelic.





Makenna - i have never liked this name. it sounds like a last name.





Shannon - it's an okay name, and the meaning is horrible !





Lydia - i love this name, and the meaning is okay. there really is nothing wrong with it.





Donovan - dont like this name, dont like the meaning.
Reply:Overall, it is not that important to me what the definition of a name is. Claudia and Cameron are both on my Favorites List right now, even though their meaning is terrible ("lame" and "crooked nose," respectively). One of my top names (and probably the first I'll use), Rosamund, means "horse protector."





It's the *connotation* that is most important to me. Sometimes definition will change a decision because it changes the association of the name for me. But overall it is "the Who" I imagine that makes or breaks a name for me.





One could also look behind the heritage of names. I'll use some of yours as an example. Jordan means "to flow down" but the origin of word as a name was not because of what the name meant, but where the name came from: the Jordan River - which is an important landmark in the New Testament. Lydia is also a religious name, the name of a woman converted to Christianity in the New Testament. One can also consider who in the past has had these names. John may not mean much to someone else, but I have a brother named John, and wouldn't mind (and would really like) using it on a future son.
Reply:Actually, I find the name meaning to be important as well. But don't just rely on the internet, look the names up in an encyclopedia and dictionary (a physical one) as well - they are more informative and less interpreted. Like, a name meaning black doesn't denote a bad thing - death in the rest of the world is associated with white, while black is indicative of fertile soil, a good thing.





I personally love the name Dorothea "Gift from God", but it's kind of clunky otherwise. Frank Oz chose Dorothy for his character becuase of it's meaning, and that he wanted to rename the girl he based the character on (she was sort of an undesired after thought of a girl who was not taken care of).





Heck, I love my name - it means "wisdom". Who'd thunk that Ethel was so freaking awesome!

ovarian