I know you all will be honest... Think of a girl who has the major potential of red, curly hair who is named.... Annie... Is that just asking for teasing (around 2nd - 8th grade)? I know kids get teased for everything, but I just want to make sure we're not creating the ultimate and obvious place for teasing, Good thing is my husband isn't bald and filthy rich. :) We have a couple other names in mind, so it's all good either way. Just thought I'd ask for fun!
**Love the responses so far, Ladies- you all make me smile! Should have said... The musical JUST played in our hometown (Walnut Creek) and I took my son and went with several neighbor friends. Yes, the musical Annie is alive and well. It came out as a movie in the early 80s and yet again (with Kathy Bates as Miss Hannigan) in the 90s. I might add... NOT that it matters... my daughter (if the baby's a girl!!) will be adopted... (ONLY thinking of Annie comparisons!) :) Oh- and if we're making comparisons- I can only hope my child will be spunky, independent, and a care taker as Annie is- so yes, in my mind, it's all good. I do know what I feel in my heart- just fun to hear from others (even if it's to the negative!!).
I have a red haired friend named Anne who was born in 1981 (around when the show was popular on Broadway). She went by Annie as a baby and toddler and had tons of "Annie" stuff but then decided just before kindergarten she wanted to be called Anne. I don't think she had a problem with teasing. If in doubt use it as a middle name or nickname for a longer name.
Personally, I'm with the people who suggest giving her Ann as part of her name. You can nickname her Annie, so if she does have red hair, you can back and not use it.
One other factor to think about is giving a child a name that ends in "y" or "ie"--it can wind up feeling juvenile when she is grown up. I have trouble calling my 60yo male cousin "Charlie"--it just sounds too young. I usually vote for giving a child a more serious name that s/he can "grow into".
If you love the name and DH loves the name,
go for it!!
If some people associate your DD w/the character,
so what?
Maybe don't name your dog Sandy.
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Anna sounds dignified and mature.
Annabella sounds musical and European.
AnnaMaria sounds kind of religious.
I love the name Annie! And a little girl with curly red hair is adorable no matter what. I'm pretty certain that the movie is pretty well outdated (my 10 year old had no idea that it even existed). If you like the name, by all means name your child that! You could always name her Anna or Ann and use Annie as a nickname. :o)
Tee- Hee. Your post and the way it was phrased put a smile on my face. Love that!
I know how it feels to be very attached to a name. If you love love love the name Annie and decide not to pick it because of the potential for teasing, you will probably regret not choosing your first-choice-name.
Besides, if she gets teased she can always temporarily switch to Anne or Anna and go back to Annie once her peers grow up.
BTW - Curly red hair - ADORABLE! This straight haired brunette is jealous.
I love the name Annie, but maybe with the potential for red, curly hair name her Anna or something else you can use Annie as a nickname for maybe. Plus Annie sounds girly, so it would give her a more grown up option when she's older.
Go for it! My one year old is a red head and a spunky, independent child. We did not know she would have red hair because our other two boys had brown hair. We named her Samantha (which I still love) but once in awhile I wish that we had named her something relating to her hair color.
What about Annalise? You could call her Annie as a nickname. Also, do you want her to constantly get Annie (the movie or cartoon) paraphernalia?
Love it! Go for it :)
If you do not want to have that kind of an issue then give her middle name as Annie ... Dawnelle Annie blank ... or what about just Anne? something like that. My SO and I are not married, but I made sure to give my son his father's last name b/c his middle name and mine were SURE to cause riddicule and we were set on the middle name.
I don't know- I don't think the younger generations know much about Annie, so it may not be an issue.
I think it's cute. You could name her Annabelle, or Anastasia, or Julianna, or something and use Annie as her nickname, too. Either way.
The only curly red heads I know are a Liesel and a Delissa, and they are beautiful women. I think Annie is cute, and you should name her whatever will bring a smile to your face. =)
-E. M
The name is up to you. My niece who is only six knows who Annie is. Alot of kids that do acting and dance are introduced to Annie. When my older nice did the play it drove me crazy. We had to watch the movie a zillion times and listen to her sing the songs over and over again. The name is really cute for a girl. She may have brown or black hair.
No. No. No. I see so many kids with names parents think are cute, and the kids are teased their entire childhood (and further on). The musical will continue to get re-released every x number of years, and kids will immediately make the connection. I also asked my 7th grader; she asked why a parent would do that to their kid. If you like the name Annie, you can look at baby name websites and books for names that have a similar feel to them. Please don't do this.
My neice is a red-head. Her name is Coral which I love. I like the Annalise idea too. My brother was a red-head. They almost named him Rusty, which would have been cute.
Other famous redheads I can think of:
Wendy (Wendy's hamburgers)
Jessie (from Toy Story)
As an adult adoptee (adopted when I was 4 months old), I think you should choose another name - why set your child up for teasing? Particularly since she(?) will be adopted, the name will be a constant reminder of her "adopted" status - not that being adopted is a bad or negative thing, it's just that some kids are pretty sensitive about it, and some kids can be pretty cruel about it. I think if it was me born with red hair and called Annie, I would have had some resentment towards my parents at several distinct points in my life. Just my 2 cents.
I Love the name and the movie was great too--- teasing is unavoidable for anyone-- it just comes with being a kid. As far as suggestions-- I love annie elizabeth, tara ann, annibelle, anistasia and beth anne-marie. Hope this helps. Good luck~
M
HI! My name is A. (short for JoAnne). My grandma made my sister an orphan A. costume for Halloween when she was in 6th grade!! She was mortified to wear it. (Sorry grandma.) Even today, we laugh about it, but she is not really over it. It came up a couple times that I should wear it. We always passed down costumes. I pitched a fit!!!!! I would have been so humiliated over that by my classmates for so long! And I wanted to be called A. originally because of that movie. What irony right?
I never had to wear it thankfully. When you're that age all the girls are witches or gypsies or cheerleaders - anything that won't stand out. Do you remember being that age? I am glad I don't have red hair - sorry. I am not so sure about that name.
the odds of them knowing who annie is is slim. go with your heart. you will pick the right name. but what if you name her annie and she has brown hair :)
