Hate you, Brangelina. Hate.
July 14, 2008 | Mom In The Making, Whinging
Mother Fricking Fracking Brangelina stole my #1 girl name. I AM SO PISSED.
I can show you a baby name list from the mid 90’s with Vivian (without all those stoopid extra letters, BTW) on the top. I am finally with child and THEY RUINED IT!
SO. MAD.
**Edited, with futher whining:
The thing is, I grew up Jenny, and as God as my witness, my child will not suffer the same fate of always having to use their last initial, or having to have a nickname or worse, being referred to as “Big Jenny” or whatever. So. I agree that if I named my kid Vivian, only the most US Weekly obsessed of my friends and famliy would make a Brangelina connection. It’s not like it’s Suri. But it might make for a few other Vivians in her classes, because now it’s OUT THERE. I don’t plan to name my kid Moonbeam or anything like that, but before yesterday, Vivian was an officially uncommon name, and now it may not be.
sulk. pout. sigh.
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July 14th, 2008 at 9:55 am, Swistle Says:
I really, really, really don’t think this has to ruin it. Other people have used Vivian (Rosie O’Donnell, for example, and the Ya-Ya books) before Angelina did. And the name is much more common than her usual choices: I can see how her other kids’ names kind of belong to her (because no one heard them before she used them, so the association is instant), but I don’t think Vivian is the same way at all.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:28 am, tacomachickadee Says:
The non-crazy spelling alone will set you apart. Vivienne is pretty different than Vivian in my book. Yours is a classic that I would argue is even pronounced differently. Same family of names perhaps, but not the same.
Plus, you have a mid-90s name list on your side.
You have time …
July 14th, 2008 at 10:33 am, Noreen Says:
Ooooh. I actually just read the name and thought, “Awesome choice, Angelina and Brad!” Knox Leon: not as awesome. I think that you will not actually know anyone else with a daughter named Vivian, so it will be unique to you in the real world. I LOVE it! But I totally understand if you don’t want to take it on. Clearly you have excellent taste.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:33 am, Jenny Says:
Swistle, Chickadee: You both make valid points, but given the big ol’ Jenny chip on my shoulder, I must begin the search for a new favorite. I’m getting more used to the idea. Looking for names is fun. BTW, there is nothing of use on that list besides Vivian. The rest are pretty sad.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:15 pm, Erik Hanberg Says:
I still say go with Vivian. It’s a great name. Vivian Leigh … the narrator of “The Spy Who Loved Me” by Ian Flemming …
That said, if Vivian isn’t your thing anymore, I am highly partial to the name Claudia, which is still pretty uncommon.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:19 pm, sizzle Says:
Damn them!
I still think you could go for it. Vivian is a beautiful name. I used to use it as my alter ego name. I have a very unusual real first name so I used to give fake names as to avoid the confusion with my real name. So I’d say it was “Viv.”
There are downfalls to not having a mainstream name. There are not pencils with your name engraved on it and no one usually can spell it.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:28 pm, Marissa Says:
Umm…just another thought in the pot. Julia Robert’s character in Pretty Woman was Vivian. But that could really go either way-good news bad news, depends on how you think of it. It was a good character, full of spunk, if you just gloss over the prostitution part….
July 14th, 2008 at 5:39 pm, shelikestotravel Says:
I’m sorry they took your name.
July 14th, 2008 at 6:33 pm, Rona Says:
There’s always Rowena. Or you could shorten that….
July 14th, 2008 at 9:54 pm, hliv Says:
LAME! Totally appropriate rant. As a Heather of the 70’s you know I feel your pain.
HOWEVER, a couple thoughts:
1. I am not sure it is totally okay to name your kid the same name you gave your beloved car so many years ago.(Isn’t that what your old burgundy Ford was called) Kind of like the whole pet name thing. Once your pet has it, you ruin it for the kid.
2. I have met some very witchy 6th and 7th grade Vivian’s.
So maybe it is for the best. But goodness knows come December if that beautiful baby is a girl, you will know just what to name her. She might be a Vivian after all. Brangelina, cars and catty middleschoolers be damned.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:01 pm, beth c Says:
When I saw those twins’ names, my first thought was, “I wonder if Jenny still loves the name Vivian.” In my book, that’s still YOUR name, not Brangelina’s. Well, maybe you’ll have a boy and it won’t be an issue (unless you really liked Knox!) By the way, what’s with all the boy’s names ending in x?
July 14th, 2008 at 11:35 pm, tacomachickadee Says:
I kinda figured the Jenny thing was behind the rant.
Funny thing: No one in my school had the same name as me and that drove ME bonkers. No one I knew hand my name until high school … and then just one. I felt silly for having a not-so-usual name.
You’re screwed no matter what. Your kid will hate his or her name at some point. Of course, if you wind up with a boy this round, that could solve all your problems. With our number two and number three, we lucked out to get the genders we had names for at the time … had it been the other, oi, the kid would have been nameless for weeks …
July 14th, 2008 at 11:37 pm, tacomachickadee Says:
Oh, and Heather brings up a good point with the car name.
And prepare yourself for seeing the kid and changing your mind. The youngest’s first and middle names WERE going to be reversed, but then she was born and it just didn’t fit.
Speaking of which … you could still use Vivian as a middle name even if the first name thing irks you. Oh, and you can have more than one middle name … trust me.
(Just no 10 names, and don’t name the kid Brangelina out of spite.)
July 15th, 2008 at 1:40 am, Angela Says:
I think Vivianne is a pretty name, too. And I’ve considered it as a baby name for my someday-daughter. Vivianne and Yvette, if I have two daughters. Nicknamed Vivi and Yvy (pronounced Evie–yes you can barf now).
July 15th, 2008 at 9:56 am, Jenny Says:
Noreen: I say it’s ruined. By the way, Gwendolyn was another of my faves which you ruined!
Erik: Yes! My Vivian spelling is inspired by Ms. Leigh. I do like Claudia, BTW, but you as a childless person should not be giving away your favorite names! Keep that shit secret!
Sizzle: I also have a fake name, but for the opposite reason. If you are waiting for a table or your latte aor whatever, you don’t want to use Jenny, or soeone else will take it! I use Ginger.
Marissa: You are right, but I love that movie, so I don’t mind the prostitution thing.
shelikestotravel: I know! Honestly, though, their Vivienne could have been born after mine, and that would have been worse.
Rona: I honestly don’t think Rowena is such a bad name.
hliv: It was actually the green Escort that Kristina and Alex drive now that was Vivain, but I can get past that. A pet I couldn’t get past, but a car doesn’t ruin it for me. That is just more proof how long I’ve liked that name!
beth c: Yes! Thank you, Beth, for further validating how long that has been MY name. As you know, I am hoping for a boy, so that would be great if it was, then I could stop hating them, I suppose.
chickadee: I know that whatever I pick, thay re likely to hat at some point, but they will NOT hate it because it is too common at least. Our plan is to have two names picked out for each sex and see what fits. I also don’t mind too much if the kid goes nameless for a bit. I have a few friends who couldn’t decide for a few days!
Angela: I will NOT barf! Those are both excellent names.
July 15th, 2008 at 10:35 am, Kelly T Says:
As a mother of a newly-born, unusually-named child, who will forever have to prounounce and spell her name to everyone she meets, it doesn’t matter what you’ve picked because just like when you get a new car and you notice them everywhere…you will suddenly hear your little one’s name that someone else named as well. I have found out there are 2 other Aoife’s in Portland born just this year! Damn it! And good for you for willing to go nameless for several days. Aoife wasn’t named for 3 days. It was great to go visit her and try out the various names on her. I can’t understand those folks who name “in utero” and stick with it. It kinda creeps me out!
July 15th, 2008 at 10:41 am, Jenny Says:
Kelly, I thought you guys were so badass for going with the difficult name. I can’t believe there are two others in PDX! That’s NUTS! I agree about the in utero naming. I think it’s good to have some candidates, rather than being CERTAIN about one name. Of course, I was pretty in love with Viv.
July 15th, 2008 at 11:36 am, Kate Says:
Oh, Jenny … Noreen’s Gwen is Gwenyth. Totally different than Gwendolyn. ; ) *heh heh heh*
And good advice to Erik: As a yet-without-child person, don’t reveal your fave names because someone might steal it. Mwahahahaha …
Personally, I think you’re OK with Vivian (not Vivienne). That’s just my 2 cents. It’s a beautiful name.
July 15th, 2008 at 11:50 am, tacomachickadee Says:
Oh, and more proof you just can’t predict what will be popular ..
The Eldest’s name was down toward 100 on the popularity list, and then BAM … the year she was born it hit top 10. Now everyone’s a freakin’ Abby. I gave my daughter the Jenny of the 2000s … or close at least. At least she wasn’t an Emma.
Then I thought I had it made with Annora … and mostly I think I do, but Nora has become popular … and right after I finally officially named her (like a week after she was born), ta-da .. someone mentioned they’d heard of TWO OTHERS! WTH? At least it wasn’t a repeat of the Abby popularity boom.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:23 pm, Kelly T Says:
Just another quick thought…have you checked out the Soc. Sec. Admin’s site regarding popular baby names? http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
You see what popular now and check out past years just to find out what was popular when you were born, as if you didn’t know Jen, Jennifer, Jenny…yada yada yada
July 16th, 2008 at 12:31 pm, beth c Says:
Okay, a couple more things before I’m ready to move on (can you tell baby names are an interesting subject for all of your readers?):
1. In 1975, there were 1036 Jennifers (the #1 name) born in the state of Washington alone.
2. In 2007, there were 431 Olivias (the #1 name)born in Washington.
3. In 2007, there were only 64 babies named the #100 name in the whole state!
4. Vivian is currently #210 nationwide. (and FYI, it’s already on the rise–it was #224 last year, although it’s hovered around 300 for a number of years now).
5. There are approximately 25 kids in an elementary school class. Even in an entire high school, there are what, 1000-2000 students? How many kids are born in a year?
6. So you see, there is no way that a little Vivian would be as popular as Jenny, even if Brangelina’s use of Vivienne skyrockets the name to the top of the charts.
And finally, I have to say, for celebrities who steal your baby name, you could do worse than Brad and Angie. Guess who used my baby name while I was pregnant? Tori Spelling.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:46 pm, Jenny Says:
Kate: Isn’t it? We’ll keep it on the list.
chickadee: Ouch. That’s a bummer. Abigail is super popular all of a sudden. Not many of them go by Gail, though. Could she be a Gail? That’s my mom’s name.
Kelly: Yes! I do know about that site! I actually just found the equivalent sites for Sweden and Norway which I am currently mining for a Vivian replacement.
beth c: You are so right. Logically, I know this. I am just so scarred.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:59 pm, Camille Says:
They could be pronounced differently:
Vivienne – Viv-eee-ehn
Vivian – Viv-eee-anne
Personally, I think the second one, spelling and prounounciation, are classier. Brangie are just trying to be trendy.
And for all that is good on this earth, I am very grateful that your number one choice for a girls name wasn’t “Apple.”
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:35 am, moo Says:
Here from Jonniker and shaking my head in agreement. Why can’t celebs stick to fruity, cheesy names, like Suri and Moses? Why do they have to take all the good names, too!?
Congrats on the pregnancy!
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:11 am, Jenny Says:
Camille: Ugh. Apple. Cute for a litle girl, not so much for a grown woman. I love Gwynnie, so it’s hard for me to cross her, but still. Apple?
moo: I KNOW! And thanks!
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:06 pm, Jess Says:
I’m sure you’ve seen this already, but just in case:
http://www.babynamewizard.com/archives/2008/7/knock-knox-the-x-o-roundup
Seems like according to the wise Laura Wattenburg, Vivienne and pals are going to be big hits for baby names in the coming years.
If it makes you feel any better, Laura “outed” one of my favoritest, nicely obscure girl names on her previous post, saying that it has real potential to be an up-and-comer. I’m not saying what it is, though.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:43 am, Jenny Says:
Jess,
I do know about that site. I don’t check it that often, though because I don’t really find her writing style very engaging. Do you know about this one? http://www.swistlebabynames.blogspot.com/
My blog friend Swistle writes a blog about baby names and I love it! And her.
Sorry about your name outing. We have a new fave now, BTW, and I’m hoping this one is a little less celebrity friendly. Who do we have to worry about now? Minnie Driver? Ashley Simpson? Neither of them are exactly Brangelina, thank god.