Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Most states just scream "State" when put on a boy, though Texas is the one that can get away with that most.
I feel like states that conjure up a strong mental image, maybe especially one related to adventure or danger, work the best as male names. Texas like you said, or Oregon like I said. Montana, possibly --- cowboys and Indians aesthetic. Tennessee or Kentucky --- hollers, fishing, the simple life.
The worst, besides states with two-word names (Rhode Island, New Mexico), might be ones where the state has kind of an internally clashing identity --- like Illinois (Chicago vs. cornfields) or Connecticut (upper-crust suburbia vs. rough inner cities). Hawaii feels like an inherently feminine name, I think because of the mental image of hula skirts.
Massachusetts, Maryland, & Connecticut seem particularly bad names for people. I wouldn't like Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Illinois, or Missouri either. Idaho is also problematic if you think about middle school teasing.
Nebraska, Wyoming, Nevada, Alaska, Montana, Indiana, and Utah seem like cool names to have.
Georgia and Virginia are already too ordinary & common.
Georgia and Virginia are actually used as girl names, but Virginia's probably better (Ginny/Jenny's a decent nickname for Virginia. Georgia doesn't have as good as one). For more unconventional, I'd go for Arizona, or Nevada (If I could use Vada, probably tweaking pronunciation to Vey-da, as a nickname).
There's not a common boy's name from the states. Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana at least have some common-ish nicknames to pull out of them (Al, Ken, Louie), but I don't think they fit as well in the full form. Most states just scream "State" when put on a boy, though Texas is the one that can get away with that most. For a more uppity name, Vermont/Monty might work. The one that sounds best to me is Wyoming/Wyme.
You may as well pull out the most common girls' name of all time in the western world from MD then. I've heard of some Sylvanias before, which sounds like a pet form of PA, as does Della with DE. Maybe if you have female twins and like the Keystone State, name one Penny, and another Sylvania.
Virginia, taken literally, is probably the most common state used as a given name, although its usage has declined compared to pre-WWII.
Last edited by Borntoolate85; 04-15-2023 at 08:59 AM..
Georgia and Virginia are established (if old-fashioned) women's names, and a guy I know through poker named his daughter Nevada, which to me sounds kinda trashy if I'm honest. I get stripper vibes when I hear that name. I know you specified that North/South had to be included, but Dakota has probably been a top-25 most popular name over the past decade or longer (not that I'm much of a fan of it). Tennessee Williams was a famous playwright, though Google confirms that Tennessee was just a pen name, and his real first name was Thomas. Naming someone West Virginia would be pretty humorous given that Virginia actually is an established name, so if you wanted to get a laugh at your probably-daughter's expense her entire life, that could be a good way to go. Can't drop the 'West' till you turn 18! I think Alaska sounds like a decent name for a dude, potentially.
Massachusetts, Maryland, & Connecticut seem particularly bad names for people. I wouldn't like Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Illinois, or Missouri either. Idaho is also problematic if you think about middle school teasing.
Nebraska, Wyoming, Nevada, Alaska, Montana, Indiana, and Utah seem like cool names to have.
Georgia and Virginia are already too ordinary & common.
With Maryland you'd just spend your life pretending your name was Marilyn.
I once knew a woman whose first name was Texas. I think she was born in the late 1890s or early 1900s. I haven't heard anyone named Texas before or since.
My mother's middle name was Virginia.
I know of a young lady who named her first born Georgia. It seems like the millennial age young adults like those old timey names. Refreshing after 2 or 3 decades of naming children with surnames.
I remember a television show named Kentucky Jones back in the 60s. Dennis Weaver was Kentucky Jones and he was raising a little boy from Asia. I liked the show but unfortunately it didn't make it past its first season.
Texas was my nickname at work when I first moved from Texas to NYS. It works pretty well as a name.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigLake
Indiana would be good.
My Ma had a co-worker named Indiana. Her kids had the best nickname for her: Indymama!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
