Anyone think I shouldn't name my daughter Hypatia Artemis? Other suggestions?

[andrea baker]

Hi folks,

I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
name of a strong, unmarried woman.

Who else thinks this is just an invitation for bullying, or thinks
that there are other compelling reasons not to use these names?

Any other suggestions for strong, unmarried female namesakes?

-Andrea Baker

[Peggy Tatyana]

"andrea baker" > wrote:

> Hi folks,
>
> I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
> daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
> Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
> be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
> for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
> name of a strong, unmarried woman.
>
> Who else thinks this is just an invitation for bullying, or thinks
> that there are other compelling reasons not to use these names?
>
> Any other suggestions for strong, unmarried female namesakes?

How about Teresa? ;-> (I take it you're not looking for a Christian
role-model...but there are several saints who were strong, unmarried women)

There's also Elizabeth I, queen of England, Susan B. Anthony, and Greek
goddesses Athena and Hestia (suggestions from my feminist/history-enthusiast
daughter, Aspen.)

As for being bothered by one's name, or teased, I think that's simply not
something that can be predicted in advance. Girls, especially, tend not to
be bothered so much by unusual names as boys. Naming my older daughter
Aspen, horrified _my_ mother. (I'm guessing she thought of people calling
her "Assie" -- which no one ever has.) But I gave her a "normal" middle
name, which she could use if "Aspen" turned out to be too weird for her.
Aspen thinks, BTW, that "Artemis" is a wonderful name.

Another thing to keep in mind is that "Hypatia" would be a name that would
demand an explanation. People will always be saying, "That's an interesting
name! Where does it come from?" And Hyaptia as a historical figure simply
isn't well-known enough for people to appreciate what you mean by it.

Peggy

[gale]

"Peggy Tatyana" > wrote in message
...
> As for being bothered by one's name, or teased, I think that's simply not
> something that can be predicted in advance. Girls, especially, tend not to
> be bothered so much by unusual names as boys. Naming my older daughter
> Aspen, horrified _my_ mother. (I'm guessing she thought of people calling
> her "Assie" -- which no one ever has.) But I gave her a "normal" middle
> name, which she could use if "Aspen" turned out to be too weird for her.
> Aspen thinks, BTW, that "Artemis" is a wonderful name.
>
> Another thing to keep in mind is that "Hypatia" would be a name that would
> demand an explanation. People will always be saying, "That's an
interesting
> name! Where does it come from?" And Hyaptia as a historical figure simply
> isn't well-known enough for people to appreciate what you mean by it.
>


Following up on Patty's comments: my unusual name, which was one I was
teased about for years as a child, has become something I really treasure
and find to be a real asset in business. My life went from "chicken ala
king" and "aulie aulie umcumfree" to "Aula called" I don't have to give a
phone number or say *which* Aula called, there is just one of me, at least
in Florida [my Mom, another Aula, is in a New England state]. And, for what
it is worth, nearly every name is given to teasing at some point by someone
just because kids tease kids about anything which they can think of. The
average names and the unusual names all draw about equal fire. I don't
think that that is a great concern unless you are gracing your child with a
name that is a common slang for sex or something equally hard to live with.

-Aula [pronounced like "Paula" without the "P"]
--
see my creative works on ebay under aulame 123

[Scott Lindstrom]

andrea baker wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
> daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
> Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
> be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
> for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
> name of a strong, unmarried woman.
>
> Who else thinks this is just an invitation for bullying, or thinks
> that there are other compelling reasons not to use these names?
>
> Any other suggestions for strong, unmarried female namesakes?
>

I think the only argument against Hypatia is that your
daughter will forever be spelling her name for anyone
who asks her name.

OTOH, I'm always spelling my name ('that's with two "T"s'),
too, but at least garden-variety people can pronounce it.

And are you 100% SURE it's a girl? All this worry about
a girl's name -- doesn't that predispose you to having
another boy? ;)


Scott DD 10 and DS 7.8

[Harold Buck]

In article >,
(andrea baker) wrote:

> I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
> daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
> Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
> be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
> for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
> name of a strong, unmarried woman.
>
> Who else thinks this is just an invitation for bullying, or thinks
> that there are other compelling reasons not to use these names?


Well, the name is "out there" a little bit, but from what I've heard
there's such variety in names these days that kids aren't getting beaten
up for their names anymore.

--Harold Buck
(Father of Devin and Coragyn)

===========================================

"Fatherhood isn't easy like motherhood. But I wouldn't
trade it for anything. Except for some mag wheels. Oh,
man, that would be sweet!"

--Homer J. Simpson

===========================================

[Elizabeth Gardner]

In article >,
(andrea baker) wrote:

> Hi folks,
>
> I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
> daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
> Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
> be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
> for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
> name of a strong, unmarried woman.
>
> Who else thinks this is just an invitation for bullying, or thinks
> that there are other compelling reasons not to use these names?
>
> Any other suggestions for strong, unmarried female namesakes?
>
> -Andrea Baker
>

My daughter's second-grade class is filled with long flowy girls' names
like Gabriela, Giuliana, and Anastasia (two of those!). As far as I can
tell, there's no longer any distinction between normal names and weird
names. I don't think there's anything wrong with Hypatia as a name
(except that I dimly recollect there being a famous porn star or
stripper by that name), but if her last name is going to be Baker, I
think Artemis scans better as a first name. Also, it's slightly easier
to spell.

You might just Google Hypatia quickly (with a few different possible
spellings) to see who else has it, because with an unusual name like
that, people might make a connection. Wouldn't hurt to do it for
Artemis, too.

Kids can give grief over just about any name if they've decided to
victimize its owner, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Just my $.02.

[Nevermind]

> "andrea baker" > wrote:
>
> > Hi folks,
> >
> > I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
> > daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
> > Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
> > be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
> > for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
> > name of a strong, unmarried woman.
> >
> > Who else thinks this is just an invitation for bullying, or thinks
> > that there are other compelling reasons not to use these names?

I can't think of any compelling reasons, especially given the bizarro,
completely made-up names you hear these days. Maybe she could call
herself "Hippie". ;)

However, *if* you'd like to give her a name that is more "normal," you
could always use Artemis's Roman name, which is Diana. That said, I
really love the names Artemis and Diana, but Hypatia just doesn't have
a pleasant sound to me and sounds very formal and kind of stuffy. Just
my .02.

[Banty]

In article >, andrea baker
says...
>
>Hi folks,
>
>I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
>daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
>Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
>be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
>for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
>name of a strong, unmarried woman.
>
>Who else thinks this is just an invitation for bullying, or thinks
>that there are other compelling reasons not to use these names?
>
>Any other suggestions for strong, unmarried female namesakes?
>
>-Andrea Baker
>

I would switch it and go for Artemis Hypatia.

My initial reaction to 'Hypatia' was that it sounds like a medical condition.
'Artemis' is a better-known mythological figure, and no obvious reason to tease
about it comes to mind. So make that the first name.

Banty

[Alicia]

Hello Andrea, I remember you mentioning these names some time ago on MKP I
think. You must be getting close to your due date now...
I wanted to mention a few things regarding your choice of names:

Firstly, I think it is a wonderful thing to name a child something unique
and special, especially when it has a strong meaning to it.

Second, I knew a very bubbly petite girl in grade 5 by the name of Hermione,
she was very friendly but was teased mercilessly for her name. I felt so
terrible for her. (If only the Harry Potter empire had been around back
then!) Even my son, whose name is Raine gets quite a few raised eyebrows
and people pulling back from him with a frown like there is something
strange about him. : / Even as I was growing up my name was considered
unusual. (I hated it LOL ) I think that an unusual name will always have
people questioning, but perhaps one that can be spelled or pronounced fairly
easily wouldn't be so challenging to live with.
If you are inclined to check into historical names that belong to strong
women, perhaps Celtic names? I think there was a strong base of
druidic/pagan followers who worshiped a goddess, there are bound to be names
in a society where women are held up as powerful creators. Norse mythology
might yield some good names too, though the only one that comes to my mind
is Freya, the goddess of Love. I don't recall whether she had a mate or
not.
Well, whatever you choose, I would like to hear what you decide! Good luck
Andrea,
-Alicia

[Rosalie B.]

x-no-archive:yes


"gale" > wrote:

>"Peggy Tatyana" > wrote in message
...
>> As for being bothered by one's name, or teased, I think that's simply not
>> something that can be predicted in advance. Girls, especially, tend not to
>> be bothered so much by unusual names as boys. Naming my older daughter
>> Aspen, horrified _my_ mother. (I'm guessing she thought of people calling
>> her "Assie" -- which no one ever has.) But I gave her a "normal" middle
>> name, which she could use if "Aspen" turned out to be too weird for her.
>> Aspen thinks, BTW, that "Artemis" is a wonderful name.
>>
>> Another thing to keep in mind is that "Hypatia" would be a name that would
>> demand an explanation. People will always be saying, "That's an
>interesting
>> name! Where does it come from?" And Hyaptia as a historical figure simply
>> isn't well-known enough for people to appreciate what you mean by it.
>>
>
>
>Following up on Patty's comments: my unusual name, which was one I was
>teased about for years as a child, has become something I really treasure
>and find to be a real asset in business. My life went from "chicken ala
>king" and "aulie aulie umcumfree" to "Aula called" I don't have to give a
>phone number or say *which* Aula called, there is just one of me, at least
>in Florida [my Mom, another Aula, is in a New England state]. And, for what
>it is worth, nearly every name is given to teasing at some point by someone
>just because kids tease kids about anything which they can think of. The

I was teased about my LAST name as a child. And I appreciate having
an unusual name although it is hard to get people not to call me
Rosanne or Rosemary or Rosie or some other variation.


grandma Rosalie

[Bev Brandt]

Banty > wrote in message >...

> 'Artemis' is a better-known mythological figure, and no obvious reason to tease
> about it comes to mind. So make that the first name.
>
> Banty

"Artemis-fartemis."

Ah well, as someone said. They all get teased. Don't know how many
Beverly Hillbilly references I've heard in my life. And don't get me
started on the whole "beaver" thing... :)

Or, as someone else said, maybe names are so different these days that
teasing is starting to get boring for the kids. I recently asked my
oldest about some of the more unique names in his 2nd grade class.
When I indicated that a name was unusual, he looked at me like I had 2
heads. So maybe it really doesn't matter any more.

My oldest has recently discovered that he has a last name as a first
name. And it's the same last name as a famous older comedian. Right
now he thinks it's cool. We shall see.

My daughter's name is a font. Someone'll figure that out someday, I'm
sure. She might not be too happy. (It's also the name of an ancient
Greek poetess, so it could balance out.)

Youngest has a "normal" name. He might end up being the odd man out
because of that.

- Bev

[Claire Petersky]

"Banty" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, andrea baker

> >I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
> >daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
> >Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
> >be teased.
>
> I would switch it and go for Artemis Hypatia.
>
> My initial reaction to 'Hypatia' was that it sounds like a medical
condition.

Hysteria, hysterectomy, dyspepsia were all things that came to mind when I
read it.

> 'Artemis' is a better-known mythological figure, and no obvious reason to
tease
> about it comes to mind. So make that the first name.

I agree. And Arte, pronounced "arty" is kind of a cute nick name, if you had
to go that route.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Please replace earthlink for mouse-potato and .net for .com

Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm

Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com/friend/Cpetersky

[Penny Gaines]

Scott Lindstrom wrote in >:

> andrea baker wrote:
>> Hi folks,
>>
>> I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
>> daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
>> Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
[snip]
>>
>> Any other suggestions for strong, unmarried female namesakes?
>>
>
> I think the only argument against Hypatia is that your
> daughter will forever be spelling her name for anyone
> who asks her name.
[snip]

And people will mis-pronounce it: I first read it as Hyp-atia, but
if Patty is the short form, then prehaps you will be prounouncing it
Hy-patia.

Another factor is to look at her initials: HAB is OK, but what if she
gets married and changes her name?

I think Banty had a good idea: Atremis Hypatia Baker sounds better
*to me*.

The other name that come to mind was Diana: but that is another hunting
goddess name. Freya, which someone mentioned, is becoming more popular in
the UK.

--
Penny Gaines
UK mum to three

[Banty]

In article >, Bev Brandt says...
>
>Banty > wrote in message
>...
>
>>'Artemis' is a better-known mythological figure, and no obvious reason to tease
>> about it comes to mind. So make that the first name.
>>
>> Banty
>
>"Artemis-fartemis."

Well, you can rhyme anything.

>
>Ah well, as someone said. They all get teased. Don't know how many
>Beverly Hillbilly references I've heard in my life. And don't get me
>started on the whole "beaver" thing... :)
>

I so think 'Artemis' works better as the first name.

>Or, as someone else said, maybe names are so different these days that
>teasing is starting to get boring for the kids. I recently asked my
>oldest about some of the more unique names in his 2nd grade class.
>When I indicated that a name was unusual, he looked at me like I had 2
>heads. So maybe it really doesn't matter any more.
>
>My oldest has recently discovered that he has a last name as a first
>name. And it's the same last name as a famous older comedian. Right
>now he thinks it's cool. We shall see.
>
>My daughter's name is a font. Someone'll figure that out someday, I'm
>sure. She might not be too happy. (It's also the name of an ancient
>Greek poetess, so it could balance out.)

'Helvetica Brandt'? Hopefully not "WingDings Brandt' :-)

>
>Youngest has a "normal" name. He might end up being the odd man out
>because of that.

I know a couple who named their first two children John and Mary. Both family
names which mean a lot to them. But one of their favorite stories to recount is
about their friend who said 'baby-naming books were wasted on you'.

Banty

[chiam margalit]

Elizabeth Gardner > wrote in message >...
> In article >,
> (andrea baker) wrote:
>
> > Hi folks,
> >
> > I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
> > daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
> > Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
> > be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
> > for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
> > name of a strong, unmarried woman.

I keep waiting to see if anyone mentions that Artemis is now a very
"in" book character and he's a *boy*. I can't imagine the Artemis
Fowle books disappearing anytime soon, as they're a very fun series,
so you might want to consider that people not only won't recognize
Hypatia, but with Artemis tacked on with assume she's a boy.

Marjorie

[Jeff]

(...)

> I was teased about my LAST name as a child. And I appreciate having
> an unusual name although it is hard to get people not to call me
> Rosanne or Rosemary or Rosie or some other variation.

My last name is Utz and my middle name begins with P. Very high teasing
potential. But I was never teased for this (or much else, really) --
forutnately the kids where i grew up didn't know a lot of yiddish, i guess.

Actually, the only people who have brought it up are some immature people in
the newsgroups.

Jeff

>
>
> grandma Rosalie
>

[Robyn Kozierok]

In article >,
andrea baker > wrote:
>Hi folks,
>
>I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
>daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
>Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
>be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
>for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
>name of a strong, unmarried woman.

Personally, I don't think Hypatia rolls off the tongue very easily. I
like Artemis, but especially if you decide to go with it for a first
name, you might want to be aware of the Artemis Fowl books where the title
character is an approximately 12yo boy (though he does mention in the
first book, I think, that Artemis is really a female name).

That said, whatever you name your child, your horrified parents will get
used to it, and eventually they won't be able to imagine her having any
other name.

Of course, I named my boys very common names, so you might not be
interested in my opinion. :)

Good luck with the pregnancy and with settling on a name!

--Robyn (mommy to Ryan 9/93 and Matthew 6/96 and Evan 3/01)

[Hillary Israeli]

In <tBzsb.132470$mZ5.900837@attbi_s54>,
Claire Petersky > wrote:

*
*"Banty" > wrote in message
...
*> In article >, andrea baker
*
*> >I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
*> >daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
*> >Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
*> >be teased.
*>
*> I would switch it and go for Artemis Hypatia.
*>
*> My initial reaction to 'Hypatia' was that it sounds like a medical
*condition.
*
*Hysteria, hysterectomy, dyspepsia were all things that came to mind when I
*read it.

Heh. I thought of hypospadias.

-hillary "dillary dock" israeli

--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large :)

[Hillary Israeli]

In >,
Jeff > wrote:

*(...)
*
*> I was teased about my LAST name as a child. And I appreciate having
*> an unusual name although it is hard to get people not to call me
*> Rosanne or Rosemary or Rosie or some other variation.
*
*My last name is Utz and my middle name begins with P. Very high teasing
*potential. But I was never teased for this (or much else, really) --
*forutnately the kids where i grew up didn't know a lot of yiddish, i guess.

I'm sorry, I DO know enough yiddish to find that hilarious, and I never
noticed before! Now I'm giggling so hard I woke the baby.

-hillary "p. dillary" israeli

--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large :)

[Marie Houck]

In article >,
(andrea baker) wrote:

> Hi folks,
>
> I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
> daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
> Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
> be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
> for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
> name of a strong, unmarried woman.
>
> Who else thinks this is just an invitation for bullying, or thinks
> that there are other compelling reasons not to use these names?
>
> Any other suggestions for strong, unmarried female namesakes?
>
> -Andrea Baker
>

The names you've suggested are unusual enough so there might be problems
with teasing, depending upon where you live.


Was Diana a married goddess? You might want to go back to the early
stories of the greek goddesses -- they come accross as much more
powerful and independent than after the stories were Romanized. Demeter
and Persephone's story, for instance, is one of powerful women making
decisions, NOT of abduction and rape -- check out "Lost Goddessess of
Early Greece", by Charlene Spretnacht (not sure I have the author's name
right).

The first Queen Elizabeth never married, and ruled a powerful country.

Susan B. Anthony never married.

Olympia Brown married, but kept her birth name, and dedicated her life
to opening doors for women -- she married a man who accepted her as an
equal partner. I just really like her! (Lucy Stone is often credited
as the first modern woman to keep her birth name after she married.)

I don't think Elizabeth Blackwell ever married -- and she spent a great
deal of her professional life working for women's and children's health.


Clara Barton never married, and had a heck of a powerful life.

I don't think Jane Addams ever married; again, she had a pretty
powerful role in women's health, and even won a Nobel. (There's also
Calamaty Jane, who may or may not have been married to her baby's
father, but later did marry someone with whom she was already living.)

I don't think Willa Cather ever married.

Fannie Farmer never married; she was a pretty cool lady, but I'm not
sure I'd saddle a girl with the name "Fannie"!

Emma Goldman was only married briefly.

I don't think Katherine Hepburn ever married, and she has the added
benefit of having played scandalously strong women on screen.

Mother Mary Jones was married but lost her husband AND all of her
children to an epidemic; her most powerful work was done as a single
woman.

Maria Mitchell was the first woman member of the American Acadamy of
Arts and Sciences, and discovered a comet. As far as I know, she never
married.

For incredibly powerful women from the civil war era, there's Sojourner
Truth and Harriet Tubman, both known for work they did independently --
but both were married.

Congratulations, and good luck!

meh
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

[Ann Porter]

"Marie Houck" > wrote in message
...

> I don't think Katherine Hepburn ever married, and she has the added
> benefit of having played scandalously strong women on screen.

And she spelled her name "Katharine," which is an unusual spelling if you're
going for unusual.

(OT: Hey, Marie, great to see you again!)

Best,
Ann

[Donna Metler]

"Robyn Kozierok" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> andrea baker > wrote:
> >Hi folks,
> >
> >I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
> >daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
> >Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
> >be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
> >for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
> >name of a strong, unmarried woman.
>
> Personally, I don't think Hypatia rolls off the tongue very easily. I
> like Artemis, but especially if you decide to go with it for a first
> name, you might want to be aware of the Artemis Fowl books where the title
> character is an approximately 12yo boy (though he does mention in the
> first book, I think, that Artemis is really a female name).
>
> That said, whatever you name your child, your horrified parents will get
> used to it, and eventually they won't be able to imagine her having any
> other name.
>
> Of course, I named my boys very common names, so you might not be
> interested in my opinion. :)
>
> Good luck with the pregnancy and with settling on a name!
>
There's a book (The Ship Who Searched, by Anne McCaffery) with a character
named Hypatia, who goes by Tia-which seems to work well. There's several
places where the precocious main character, as a young child, explains the
derivation of her name. To this sci-fi buff, that's actually a stronger
association than the original.


> --Robyn (mommy to Ryan 9/93 and Matthew 6/96 and Evan 3/01)
>

[David desJardins]

Ann Porter writes:
>> I don't think Katherine Hepburn ever married, and she has the added
>> benefit of having played scandalously strong women on screen.
>
> And she spelled her name "Katharine," which is an unusual spelling if
> you're going for unusual.

Unfortunately (?), she was married from 1927 to 1934. It's not clear if
the OPs "name of a strong, unmarried woman" includes women who got
married and then got unmarried.

David desJardins

[Nick Theodorakis]

On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 06:36:10 EST, (chiam margalit)
wrote:

[...]

>I keep waiting to see if anyone mentions that Artemis is now a very
>"in" book character and he's a *boy*. I can't imagine the Artemis
>Fowle books disappearing anytime soon, as they're a very fun series,
>so you might want to consider that people not only won't recognize
>Hypatia, but with Artemis tacked on with assume she's a boy.

I guess that would be a reversal of the usual paradigm of male names
turning into female names ;-)

Maybe it's my Greek heritage, but I still can't think of Artemis as
anything but a feminine name. But as suggested by others, there is the
Roman equivalent, Diana.

If the OP is looking for other mythological names, there is Hippolyte
(Amazon Queen).

What about names that may not necessarily uniquely identify an
individual, but could named after a strong unmarried woman in some
field? In my field (molecular biology), for example, you could choose
Rosalind (Franklin) or Barbara (McClintock).

Nick

--
Nick Theodorakis

nicholas_theodorakis [at] urmc [dot] rochester [dot] edu

[chiam margalit]

(Hillary Israeli) wrote in message >...
> In >,
> Jeff > wrote:
>
> *(...)
> *
> *> I was teased about my LAST name as a child. And I appreciate having
> *> an unusual name although it is hard to get people not to call me
> *> Rosanne or Rosemary or Rosie or some other variation.
> *
> *My last name is Utz and my middle name begins with P. Very high teasing
> *potential. But I was never teased for this (or much else, really) --
> *forutnately the kids where i grew up didn't know a lot of yiddish, i guess.
>
> I'm sorry, I DO know enough yiddish to find that hilarious, and I never
> noticed before! Now I'm giggling so hard I woke the baby.

I never noticed it either. But I agree with Hilary. Totally hilarious.
What were your parents thinking?

Any relation to the potato chip Utz's? Boy would that be a dream come
true: all the potato chips you can eat. :-)

Marjorie
>
> -hillary "p. dillary" israeli

[chiam margalit]

Banty > wrote in message >...
> In article >, Bev Brandt says...
> >
> >Banty > wrote in message
> >...
> >
> >>'Artemis' is a better-known mythological figure, and no obvious reason to tease
> >> about it comes to mind. So make that the first name.
> >>
> >> Banty
> >
> >"Artemis-fartemis."
>
> Well, you can rhyme anything.
>
> >
> >Ah well, as someone said. They all get teased. Don't know how many
> >Beverly Hillbilly references I've heard in my life. And don't get me
> >started on the whole "beaver" thing... :)
> >
>
> I so think 'Artemis' works better as the first name.
>
> >Or, as someone else said, maybe names are so different these days that
> >teasing is starting to get boring for the kids. I recently asked my
> >oldest about some of the more unique names in his 2nd grade class.
> >When I indicated that a name was unusual, he looked at me like I had 2
> >heads. So maybe it really doesn't matter any more.
> >
> >My oldest has recently discovered that he has a last name as a first
> >name. And it's the same last name as a famous older comedian. Right
> >now he thinks it's cool. We shall see.
> >
> >My daughter's name is a font. Someone'll figure that out someday, I'm
> >sure. She might not be too happy. (It's also the name of an ancient
> >Greek poetess, so it could balance out.)
>
> 'Helvetica Brandt'? Hopefully not "WingDings Brandt' :-)

Although I LOVE WingDings as a name, I'm guessing it might be Ariel.
It couldn't Times New Roman. :-)

Marjorie
>
> >
> >Youngest has a "normal" name. He might end up being the odd man out
> >because of that.
>
> I know a couple who named their first two children John and Mary. Both family
> names which mean a lot to them. But one of their favorite stories to recount is
> about their friend who said 'baby-naming books were wasted on you'.

I have a friend who took 3 FULL weeks after the birth to come up with
the names John and Michael for her twins. She swears she just didn't
know who was who for a while, but really....John and Michael? :-)

Marjorie
>
> Banty

[Dana Netherton]

On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 06:36:10 EST, in article
>,
said...
> Elizabeth Gardner > wrote in message >...
> > In article >,
> > (andrea baker) wrote:
> >
> > > Hi folks,
> > >
> > > I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
> > > daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
> > > Hunt) for a second name. <snip>
>
> I keep waiting to see if anyone mentions that Artemis is now a very
> "in" book character and he's a *boy*. <snip>

I haven't read any of the Artemis Fowler books you mentioned, but I feel
that Artemis Gordon (of the 60s-era "Wild, Wild West" TV show) cracked
that barrier. Since the name doesn't end with the letter "a", I suspect
that it doesn't "sound" female to a lot of people.

Unlike, say ...

--
(Mr) Dana Netherton
Default address is a spam dump. Use it, and
I'll never see it. To reach me, e-mail:
dana 1 netherton 2 net,
where "1" = at, and "2" = dot

[Fer]

"andrea baker" > wrote in message
om...
> Hi folks,
>
> I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
> daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
> Hunt) for a second name.


Although I think I am of the minority I LOVE Hypatia. I think it is a
beautiful name and had no thoughts of medical conditions when I read it LOL
Artemis is also a good name and they sound good together.

It seems that the likelihood of teasing for strange/usual names is
declining. After all the names I come across at my children's school are
far from the norm( well the norm when I was a child) and I hear of no
reports of name teasing, other teasing yes unfortunately.

--

Jenn
-WAHM
-DS Feb'02
-DD Feb'97
-Jellybean due June 25/04

My parents are horrified, and think she'll
> be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
> for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
> name of a strong, unmarried woman.
>
> Who else thinks this is just an invitation for bullying, or thinks
> that there are other compelling reasons not to use these names?
>
> Any other suggestions for strong, unmarried female namesakes?
>
> -Andrea Baker
>

[Louise]

On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 19:04:21 EST, (andrea
baker) wrote:

>Hi folks,
>
>I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
>daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
>Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
>be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
>for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
>name of a strong, unmarried woman.
>
>Who else thinks this is just an invitation for bullying, or thinks
>that there are other compelling reasons not to use these names?

How is your son dealing with having a slightly unusual name? Does he
go by a nickname? Do classmates and teachers try to bestow nicknames
on him?

To me, Hypatia is a bit too unusual - not commonly known, and hard to
pronounce or spell . I was about to suggest that you reverse the
order of names, because I think Artemis would be much more easily
accepted. Then I remembered that there is a current series of fantasy
books for young people in which the author or main character or both
(I haven't read them) is called Artemis Fowl and is male. This of
course annoys the teenage classicist at our house, but it means that
some people are going to think that Artemis is a male name, at least
in the short term.

Have you read the Madeleine L'Engle books in which one character is
named Polyhymnia? (In the last book, where she is seventeen, she has
changed her nickname from Poly to Polly.)

>Any other suggestions for strong, unmarried female namesakes?

I'm drawing a blank right now, but might dig up our companion guide to
Judy Chicago's Dinner Party to jog my memory.

Wishing you and your family all the best,

Louise

[AlliCT]

Louise > wrote in message >...
> On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 19:04:21 EST, (andrea
> baker) wrote:
>
> >Hi folks,
> >
> >I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
> >daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
> >Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
> >be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
> >for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
> >name of a strong, unmarried woman.
> >
> >Who else thinks this is just an invitation for bullying, or thinks
> >that there are other compelling reasons not to use these names?
>

For what it's worth, and PMJI, but I find the more exotic names are
much better accepted when the child is surrounded by diversity. I
teach in an inner city high school and the range of unusual and
somewhat unpronouncable names is amazing. But all these "unusual"
names FIT the kid they're attached too. So, we don't get teasing and
bullying. But if your daughter is going to be surrounded by one
primary sociogroup where your chosen names are eyebrow raisers, how
much explaining and defending of +your+ decision do you want your
daughter to have to do? Not that I ever want to increase the number of
Brittany, Ambers and Tiffanys...but........what about plain old strong
women names, married or not?

My mother was a strong, unmarried woman at one point in her life, as
was my husband's mother. So we gave our second son their unmarried
names. (Bernadette Marion was a bit too weird for an infant boy....but
Ryan Brown sounded great to us.

Regards, and what a lovely dilemma you have to solve. Mazel Tov.

Allison (God's truthful one)