Naming Children After States?

Just remember they have to grow up with the names you choose. They won't always be little. Will names work as adults. Just a thought.

Just remember that cutesy names could really limit a child's professional potential. When people chose drs lawyers etc there certainly is a name bias and some names just can't be taken seriously!

Instead of after the state names, how about after something as part of the state's history? For example, the Oregon state bird is the Meadow Lark. Two elegant names for girls right there. They would evoke the state where you met, but wouldn't be awkward when they grew up.

Your children have to live with these names the rest if their lives.

Think about their future. Names can play a big part on how someone is perceived as an adult, in a lucrative job, etc.

Really, think about them becoming adults with these names. How does an 80 yr old named Arizona or Oregon sound to you? Think about their potential careers... Judge Arizona?

If you have to put this curse on them at least do it as a middle name.

I can tell you as a hiring manager once in my career, I had a hard time selecting adults that had names my clients were going to ask how to pronounce or co-workers having a hard time saying.

I don't think Arizona is hard to pronounce, but I have to say that when you go on vacation, the name isn't common enough for them to have a license plate or something else with their name on it. It can be h*** o* a kid.

When Tyler and I were choosing names for our boys, we went through his unit list and found names that we said "NOPE" to. We said the names out loud. We went to the play ground and shouted it out.

When I think of Oregon? I think of oregano. I think kids would catch on to that as well.
I agree about naming a kid Salem. It sounds "witchy" because of the history of Salem, MA.

I would use them as a middle name.

Are you expecting boys or girls?

I've seen the name "Arizona" for a girl.

For Oregon? hmmm...capitol is Salem - not sure if I'd want to have my child named Salem and have people wonder if they are a witch....kids can still be mean, no matter how PC we've become.

Maybe Eugenie? if a girl and HOPEFULLY that's the city where you met?
Corvallis is another option - might be called Cori for short.

Remember to look at the long range implications for naming your child. While it's great to have a 'unique' name - do you want your child put under the microscope for "that's an unusual name....where did you get it?" or mispronouncing the name? Or asking HOW to spell it?

I think you should use them as a middle name, and not the state names, but maybe the capitals...or even something you liked about the state.

Think of your child out in the professional world trying to get a job. If you called someone and they say "Hi, this is Oregon, can I help you?" what would your reaction be? Sit on your couch and yell out the names you want to use, pretend you have to introduce them as such for life - because all of these will be reality.

Unique names are okay. None of my kids have a name like Michael or Jennifer (both are great names, just super common), but they aren't weird, hard to pronounce, or spell.

Please know the names you choose are for the long haul. I kid you not, I knew a man by the name of Harry Lamb. Personally, I think it's horrible to do that to a person. Whether it was a family name or was so special because of blah blah blah I don't care. When he introduced himself to me it took all I had to keep my composure. Nobody deserves that. I was in my 40's when I met him, I can't imagine the grief he suffered as a kid.

A person's name sets the tone for their life. Think carefully about what you're doing.

Maybe as middle names??

Please, please consider your children's perspectives in all of this.

I'm not saying no, don't do it. But as an Oregonian, from the land of Portland Hippiness (yes, there are hipsters and there are hippies)... I'd cringe to hear someone calling their kid "Oregon"... the proper pronunciation of the word, "ory-GUN" is not particularly melodic or suited to be a person's name. My nine year old son is reading over my shoulder and says that "its like naming your kid Antarctica.... they have a good name, but not for a kid". And it would be a hard name for a girl to deal with having. Arizona--I'm not so averse to. I have met a girl named Regan, (REE-gan) which might be a derivative for Oregon. I don't know how precise you would want it to be.

I hear people naming their children for different places around here.... some are really lovely, others, not so much. You might find other names of places or inspiring people that you both admire to consider.... Kiddo is named after a famous early Oregon resident, writer and personality. This is, in part, because my husband and I used to go to the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission's salons to discuss Oregon history. So, you may want to think about other common links between yourself and your husband, too.

i'm old, so i remember the movie 'splash' in which the mermaid picked her name from a street sign. it was a joke, but now the name 'madison' is everywhere.
if you must name your child after a state, how about as middle names?
khairete
S.

My husband and I thought about doing the same thing. When I was 3 months pregnant I was in a very bad car accident. My son and I both survived, the car had a lot to do with us making it. No way were we going to name our kid mazda 6.
Think about their future. They are going to be bullied and made fun of being named after states. Figure out how to incorporate it into their middle names.

There have been a number of Arizonas - wasn't there a movie about a kid with that name? And there's a character on Grey's Anatomy named that. Of course, there are Indiana Jones and rapper Flo Rida, and plenty of Virginias and Carolinas. I haven't heard Oregon as a first name, but it's certainly not weird like naming a kid Massachusetts or Rhode Island!

There are plenty of people naming kids after the city where they were conceived: Boston, Paris, Phoenix, Madison. Although kids get the "Ewwww..." feeling when they think about their parents having sex, telling kids that it was a place important to parents is fine.

The acting Phoenix family named their kids River, Liberty, Summer, Rain (and inexplicably, Joaquin), and I know a family who named their kids Sonnet, Novel, Story and Rule. I have known people named Candy Kane, Holly Wood, Holly Hoch, and a lot more laugh-provoking than that.

Remember to check the initials too, to make sure they don't spell something offensive or silly - I have a neighbor kid who is going through that.

In general, I'd make sure these are names your kids can live with and don't have to explain all the time. When they study the 50 states in 4th grade, for example, or learn one of the songs in music class ("Fifty Nifty" is one), there will be some laughter here and there. They have to live with the memories that will be created with these names, vs. the memories you have of those states. And if they happen to move to those states, it may get some of their mail or applications confused.

I'm not sure I agree about naming one Arizona Oregon and the other one Oregon Arizona. I'd consider giving them individual names, first of all - twins get stuck doing things together and wearing identical clothes, so I wouldn't confuse little kids with redundant names. And I'd give them the option of a more common name as one of their 2. My mother gave me the middle name of Elizabeth so that I would have lots of choices for a nickname in case I ever hated my first name!

Hope you find good solutions and that you are enjoying your pregnancy!

Names are something we are stuck with until the day we die. Please make sure that whatever you decide will be something your children aren't teased and tormented for.

My nephew is named Phoenix which is where his parents met. Instead of thinking how to incorporate the state names into your twins names why not think about picking names they can live with for the next 90 yrs? Scale back and think about towns, parks, lakes, things in those states that relate to your story and sound more like actual names. Or use the states as middle names since those are rarely used. My son has a terrible family middle name and it basically only appears on diplomas. Everything else just uses a middle initial.

Please don't give your kids a weird name..!!!!! It's hard enough to grow up but add a weird name to the mix and it can be a disaster. Besides being teased endlessly all through school the little things really get to you such as never being able to find personalized stuff with your name on it. The things such as necklaces, license plates, notebooks, pencils etc. that have EVERYONE else's name but yours makes you feel like a freak as a kid. Constantly being asked 'How do you spell that .. or How do you pronounce that .. is sooo embarrassing as a child.
This is advice from a 'weird named kid'. My name R. was a very unusual name when I was a child. Even though I was named after my paternal grandmother it took a long time for me to accept my name. I can't tell you how many times I was asked how to spell my name. I even have an ex who's birthstone is a R. and he couldn't spell my name. He always spelled it Rubby and that hurt. Until the day I asked his 'what's your birthstone' .. He replied 'R.' .. I said 'How do you spell that' .. he replied r- u- b- y and I said EXACTLY!!!
Then there were the people who called Rube as a nickname ... Well a rube is an uncultured hick with greasy hands and missing teeth with a sloppy appearance...
PLEASE do not name you kids a weird name.

I like the idea of them as middle names, personally, as Michelle suggests. One of my siblings named one of his kids' middle names Montana.

Boys or girls? You can look up things like state birds, or flowers or other official state symbols. Wren and Lark (state birds of AZ and OR), for example (although those sound like girls' names to me, so maybe not a great choice if you're having boys).

These places hold a very special significance to you, but they can't ever have the same emotional significance for your children, because they are YOUR special memories. Think about that before you laden your children with first names like Oregon and Arizona (which immediately brings to mind "Raising Arizona").

If you must, I think it would be kinder and much more beneficial for your children to use the state names as middle names, or even better finding alternative forms (Ari or Ariel; Regan), or finding cities or places within these states that sound more like first names.

How about using the capitols... Phoenix and Salem?

I'm really glad you're not from New Mexico, New Jersey, Connecticut or Illinois.😉

While I like some different names, I don't think your kids will like growing up with the names Arizona or Oregon. Maybe you could use a version of that for their middle name like, Ari and Regon.

Names can have special meaning. Do what you feel. Here are a few ideas: Arizona, Arizonia, Ariza, Ari, Zonia, Phoenix, Winslow, Thatcher.
Oregon, Orey, Regon, Porter, Portland, (Ashland**), Adele. Think of your favorite places to visit. Keep it simple, don't stress, write names down and say them out loud.
Ari and Ore super simple.
Good luck.

I'm not a fan of the practice but what ever spins your prop.
At least you're not thinking of something like Moon Unit like Frank Zappa named his daughter.

Everyone has such different opinions about names! I have a very common and boring name and I always hated it...it's just so blah. As a kid I really admired the kids who had cool names. Our kids have unusual names...one is an old Nordic name and one an old Irish name. Both kids really fit their names and both are very proud of their names. No one teases them. We have had two people name their baby after one of our kids bc they liked their name so much...and we think that's great! I have one friend who HATES the more unique names and her boys have names such as John and Kevin. She will go on a rant about names...which personally I think is pretty rude. But I love all the interesting names (especially if it is still a name)....Phoenix would be very cool and I think Arizona is a nice name too. I am not sure I like the way Oregon sounds though. What about looking through Arizona or Oregon history to find an amazing person (with a name you like) who is important to that state?

Hubby had a cousin named Arizona Nevada and was called Zona her whole life.

My grandmother's sister was named Tennessee and always called Tennie.

I have friends whose kids are named Dakota, Cheyenne, Denver, Austin, and so many more states and capitals names.

I don't know that I'd want to name my child Oregon James or Arizona Nevada but James Oregon or Arizona Michelle or something like that might not be bad.

I like "Arizona" as a first name, depending on how it goes with your last name.

For Oregon, maybe "Regon" ("Regan")?

Is there a special spot (a lake or river) you both like or at least with a name that is one you can imagine calling your children?

Not sure if you are having boys or girls, but maybe names inspired by the states, like Raine (Rain for Oregon) and Desiree (Desert for Arizona) or something like that. Also, take a look at the history of the states. Maybe something Pacific NW native american or something inspired by the movement West.

My sons middle name is Phoenix, although we named him after the mythical bird and not the city, its a great middle name and he loves it!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with naming your kid whatever you want as long as it's a name you love and you show your kid how to be confident with it. Its so foolish for others to urge you not to name your child *something*. Some of the best advice I ever got was to NEVER tell ANYone what the name was until it's already on the birth certificate, not even the grandparents. It's truly nobodys business but yours and babys dads.

Name one kid Arizona and one Oregon.
Or name one kid Arizona Oregon and the other Oregon Arizona.
Or use Arizona and Oregon as middle names.