Typically British versus typically American given names

[SantaMufasa]

...Two peoples separated by a common language.

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:


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]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm or risk. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”

 

[Scott24x7]

American Only:
Guys:

Cletus
Rex
Rusty (Though I can accept that is a form of "Dusty")
Sherman
Haywood
Tyrone
Roy

Girls:
Becca
Celia
Melissa
Tanya


Best Regards,
Scott

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, and no simpler."

 

[KenCunningham]

Definitely not Roy, I have a cousin by that name and he's nearly 50, though whether he was so named as a result of Roy Rogers' adventures or not is difficult to confirm or deny! Whoa Trigger!

All of the girls names seem to be fairly common this (UK) side of the Atlantic too, though perhaps Celia is somewhat out-of-fashion and Becca would usually be Rebecca.

The internet - allowing those who don't know what they're talking about to have their say.

 

[Scott24x7]

Ken,
But that's part of the point. Names like "Rebecca" get mutilated by the yanks into Becca... and then becomes a "uniquely" US name.
The only Roy's I've ever met came form the US. Not saying there aren't any elsewhere, but I figured this was always an "averages" game.


Best Regards,
Scott

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, and no simpler."

 

[BadBigBen]

Maniac,

what about these guys?

Hayward Morse is a British stage and voice actor.
Hayward Montague Davenport (1874–1959), usually referred to as Hayward M. Davenport, was an English maritime painter and pharmacist. His most notable work is a large watercolour entitled 'Oak and Steel,' which was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1894.[

Rusty Egan (born 19 September 1957,[1][2] London) was the drummer for the British new wave band, The Rich Kids.

Sir Rex Masterman Hunt KCMG (born 29 June 1926) is a British diplomat and colonial administrator.
Sir Reginald “Rex” Carey Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor of stage and screen

just to name a few...



Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[Westi]

I got one too
Apple
I am not sure if it is female or male but it is the child of Gwyneth Paltrow and I guess no self-respecting Brit would do that to their children.

Every time I come across some weird spellings of regular names I have to think of this one but it seems everybody seems to want to give their kids something special along to have them stand out in a crowd.

I came across a store manager ones and he wore a name tag "Carmen" and I opened my mouth and told him that he grabbed the wrong name tag.
He said he is Italian and it is his name, took me a while to get my foot out of my mouth.

Joe W.

FHandw., ACSS

insanity is just a state of mind

 

[hjgoldstein]

I know that the name Tiffany is not uncommon, but I once encountered a Tiphanie which I found, shall we say, amusing.

It is time for pacifists to stand up and fight for their beliefs.

 

[KenCunningham]

I take the point Scott, but I would add to the Roys Roy Hodgson, Roy Keane (if we are including our Irish contingent) and Roy Hudd, comedian.

As for names which form a bridge over the Atlantic, I kid you not when I tell you that someone in Port Glasgow here on the west coast of Scotland thought it a good idea to name their blameless child Pocahontas, presumably having seen the film of the same name at some stage in it's gestation (or even it's conception rather like a budget version of Brooklyn et al?).

The internet - allowing those who don't know what they're talking about to have their say.

 

[BadBigBen]

Sorry, I forgot to mention the source in my previous post...

but you guys probably guessed it anyhow, Wikipedia...


as to HJ's post, while I was in the US, I found that most African-Americans tended to some strange naming sprees, e.g. Tawneesha...

now a friend of mine, his name is Rayneal, his parents wanted to name him Ray Neal, but the clerk at the place where you receive your Birth Certificate made a typing mistake... since it was a very unusual name they kept it...

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[Thadeus]

In N.C. the universities are not allow to have sorority houses, just fraternity houses. The reason being is that it is still an active law on the books that it is unlawful for 4 or more (I am pretty sure it is 4) unrelated females to live together because it is considered to be a brothel.

Um, no.
North Carolina universities certainly have sorority houses.... Where does this stuff come from?

This is from the University of North Carolina website reagrding the Sorority housing:

6. Do I have to live in a sorority house if I join?

Sorority houses do not always require you to live in the house, but some do. Many women decide to move into their sorority house during their 2nd or 3rd year, although it is not required. Not all Greek groups at UNC have houses, but the Panhellenic and IFC groups, as well as St. Anthony's Hall (the Co-Ed fraternity), do have houses that are owned and maintained by alumni house corporations in the Chapel Hill community. Many houses have installed internet service and all houses have installed sprinkler systems.

 

[SantaMufasa]

In my particular vicinity, it is not uncommon to have couples name a child by combining the two names of the parents. For example:[ul][li]Larry and Marilyn = LaMar[/li][li]Robert and Lynn = RoLynn[/li][li]Raymond and Nellie = RayNell[/li][li]Et. al.[/li][/ul]My cousin, Stephanie, and her husband, Michael, decided not to combine their names for their child once they realized that the kid would be MiPhanie, and how rude it would sound to exclaim, "Oh, isn't MiPhanie lovely? Would you like to hold MiPhanie?" <grin>

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm or risk. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”

 

[p5wizard]

[ot]
Urban legend

http://www.snopes.com/college/halls/brothel.asp

[/ot]

p5

 

[Noway2]

@Thadeus, they do 'have' them, but they call them something else to get around the letter of the law. An example of this is High Point University, where a friend of mine graduated a few years ago.

 

[p5wizard]

Santa, it depends on the pronunciation, but right decision. I do believe it would even be more rude in the UK (front) than in the US (back) ;-)

p5

 

[Michael52x]

my mother was Beatrice Anelda,
sisters: Josephine Jane and Loretta Jean
Brother: James Patrick
Me: Robert {kingly} Michael {god-like} Stewart {ruler}
If a name can be taken in a literal sense, then I should be the bloody king of england!
I've known an Ardeth, and an Anemone.
All American British names!

"Impatience will reward you with dissatisfaction" RMS Cosmics'97

 

[hjgoldstein]

If a name can be taken in a literal sense, then I should be the bloody king of england!

...or of Scotland?

I've known an Ardeth, and an Anemone

I've known a Nemone. Her mother is an artist.

It is time for pacifists to stand up and fight for their beliefs.

 

[Thadeus]

@Thadeus, they do 'have' them, but they call them something else to get around the letter of the law. An example of this is High Point University, where a friend of mine graduated a few years ago.

Still no. They are called sororities. A national sorority does not go about calling themselves something else to avoid what would be obscure laws, but are rather non-existent laws in this case.

High Point University absolutely has sororities and sorority houses... from the High Point University website: High Point University is home to 7 inter/national fraternities and 8 sororities.
Sororities:
Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Delta Sigma Theta
Kappa Delta
Phi Mu
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Zeta Phi Beta
Zeta Tau Alpha

The High Point Panhellenic Association is the governing body for the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities on campus.

Thank you p5wizard for the Snopes link.

~thadeus

 

[Noway2]

I never said that they didn't have sororities, I said that I was told that they don't have "sorority houses"; that they use a different term for them to work around an outdated law that is still on the book whereby a "sorority house" would be considered a brothel. I believe I also said that I was told that this does not apply to the "fraternity houses."

 

[Annihilannic]

Why do they all use greek letters?

Annihilannic.

 

[SantaMufasa]

Click here for background and answers to your question.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm or risk. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”

 

[Annihilannic]

Thanks Santa... and I see that some of them step outside the box and don't use greek letters.

Annihilannic.