I opened a customer service chat the other day, the kind of thing that seems so normal circa 2019. The rep I was connected to?
Eliseus Y.
The name is cousin to Elisha and Eliseo, and it’s wildly rare, at least in the US.
That got me thinking: is there someplace on Earth where Eliseus is common? And Eliseus Y. really could be confused with Eliseus N.? Or is it just a template, a standard practice to use first name, initial, for all customer service reps screen names?
A few days later, I picked up a to-go mobile order from Chipotle, where I was simply Abby S.
Just as the Y. seems unnecessary for Eliseus, the S. seems slightly inadequate for Abby. It’s very possible another Abby – Smith or Sutton or Sinclair – would be in the same fast casual restaurant, picking up an order. Maybe.
Do you have to distinguish your name from others, at work or elsewhere in life? If so, how do you do so? Initials? Or something more creative?
Elsewhere online:
Suffixes – Jr., Sr., II, III, IV – can be tricky! This letter to Swistle bears that out. He’s First Middle II, but maybe he should have been the third … which would make this baby a IV. Except can his son be a fourth if he’s a second? Swistle resolves the issues with her usual good sense.
A fascinating look at how names vary by region from Laura … I think we all know, instinctively, that creative naming holds in conservative places, and conservative names? You’ll find lots of them in big, liberal cities. But Laura Wattenberg puts data to prove that point, and it’s fascinating.
Seriously, bring back Harriet! Duana suggests it as a sister for Theodore, and it just feels perfect. With so many little Theos and Teddys around these days, the world needs a few more Hatties to match up, right? I think it’s a great substitute for the well loved Abigail, too.
Namespotting: Berengaria Halo in the most recent set of Nameberry birth announcements. Amazing! Also Oswin, Barnabas, Anouk … this month’s edition was so good!
And while we’re talking BAs, this sibset in the latest British Baby names round-up is whoa! The newest addition is Praiz Tayo Caiius, and one of his siblings is Octavia Nirvana. But it’s one of the most intriguing sets of sibling names I’ve seen in a long time.
Want to chat about your naming decision? My calendar is updated for the week ahead. You can reserve a time here.
That’s all for today. As always, thank you for reading and having a great week!
Image by Samuele Schirò from Pixabay
Back in highschool, Elena (also spelled as Elina) was a pretty popular first name. So it would be “Elena D.” Or “Elena Y” etc. Then again, I went to a school with a sizable Eastern European population.
As for Harriet, the first nickname I can think of is “Harry”. Sorry to any boys named Harrison or even Harry!
Yes! I’m noticing the first name, last initial thing everywhere these days. At our Y there’s a bulletin board with the kids’ names and it’s like “Liam A.” and “Ursula B.” Whaaat? There aren’t even two Liams…
SO glad it’s not just me noticing this!