SantaMufasa
Technical User
As I contemplated this phrase that characterizes (i.e, characterises) the relationship between "British" and "American" languages, my mind formulated lists of given names that, too, seem to cling to either the Left Side or the Right Side of The Pond. I looked back in my journal while I lived in the UK, and I extracted names of acquaintences whose names are nearly exclusively "Commonwealth Names" versus names that Americans might give to their children:George Bernard Shaw said:...Two peoples separated by a common language.
Male British Names:
Alistair
Adrian
Aidan
Archibald
Cecil
Clement
Clive
Collin (or Colin)
Derek
Desmond
Geoffrey
Geraint
Giles (or Gyles)
Graeme (or Graham)
Horatio
Hugh
Humphrey
Ian (or Iain)
Julian
Liam
Malcolm
Neville
Nigel
Oliver
Owen (or Owain)
Percival
Piers (or Pierce)
Rowan
Rupert
Sebastian
Simon
Female British Names:
Dereth
Edwina
Fiona
Glynnis
Gwyneth
Now it's your turn to either add to my lists, above, or to return the favour and identify names that are nearly exclusively American. To get you started on the American list, here are some American names that came to my mind:
Male American Names:
Randy (obviously a name that no Briton would ever give her/his child!)
Dusty (or Dustin)
Butch
Female American Names:
Buffy
Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
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