Made-Up Names

1. What is your opinion on made-up names?

2. If someone makes up a name now, but does research on similar names and languages with similar sounds, and makes up a meaning for it based on those, is that reasonable? Is it a lovely gesture to show that you've invented a name with a specific meaning for your child? Or is it just an excuse to make up a name?

3. Regarding the modern name-inventor who did etymological research, and assigned meaning to their name based on that, do you consider that meaning legit?

4. Post your own made-up names (including completely made-up names, combined names, made-up spellings, names for stories, etc.). Have you given any of them meanings?

1. I think made up names are tacky and lack substance. a lot of made up names i come across are suuuuper cutesy and babyish

2. I think a made up name that sounds or looks similar to a name already in use is still a made up name and doesn't really have a connection to those names

3. i think names that have legit roots have legit meanings, but i still don't like made up names, but i guess all names were made up names at one point :p i don't know i just like a lot of history to be attached to names i use

4. i have some combos of names, but they're by no means my original idea. I love Cora Beth

1. What is your opinion on made-up names?
I think they're fine so long as they're not crazy and unpronounceable. I've made up a few myself and no one so far has said a thing about them, so it's funny to me that people think invented names are inherently "tacky" or "misspelled" or "unpronounceable" or anything else along those lines. Invented names are no more inherently tacky than legitimate names are inherently lovely. I don't think people should look at names like Nevaeh and come to the conclusion that every invented name is that stupid. It's perfectly possible to come up with lovely invented names, and actually it happens all the time. For example, I happen to know a lot of people who are very fond of names from Game of Thrones, and I believe at least the majority of them are invented names. I asked about the name Cimorene on FS, and though many people said they didn't like it, no one said, "It's tacky because it's invented." ;P

2. If someone makes up a name now, but does research on similar names and languages with similar sounds, and makes up a meaning for it based on those, is that reasonable? Is it a lovely gesture to show that you've invented a name with a specific meaning for your child? Or is it just an excuse to make up a name?
Personally I don't think it matters. The majority of people don't know a thing about language and etymology so they won't know the difference either way.

3. Regarding the modern name-inventor who did etymological research, and assigned meaning to their name based on that, do you consider that meaning legit?
Yep I would consider it legitimate, but I don't put much stock into name meaning so I don't think it's necessary and therefore wouldn't bother with it myself.

4. Post your own made-up names (including completely made-up names, combined names, made-up spellings, names for stories, etc.). Have you given any of them meanings?
Casara [kǝ-SAHR-ǝ] << I more or less made it up, and I haven't been able to find much info on it, so if it is a real name it's an extremely obscure one
Iska [IHS-kah] << I believe it's a real name with a different spelling, but I didn't know that when I more or less made this one up.
Aira [AYR-ǝ] << I completely made this one up
Arissia [ahr-IHS-ee-ah] << I more or less invented this one
Fera [FAYR-ǝ] << I more or less invented this one
Roa [ROH-ǝ] << I completely made this one up
Niomi [nye-OH-mee] << I more or less invented this one

Names on my list that others made up:
Aramis [AYR-ǝ-mihs] << A literary name with no meaning I could find
Miri << A literary name with no meaning I could find
Imogen << A Shakespearean name with no meaning I could find
Luana [loo-AHN-ǝ] << A name from a movie with no meaning I could find
Lief [LEEF] << A literary name with no meaning I could find
Caspian << A literary name with no meaning I could find
Isara [ih-SAHR-ǝ] << I found this one somewhere so I didn't invent it, but I couldn't find any info on it so I'm pretty sure it's an invented name
Everson << I found this one somewhere so I didn't invent it, but I couldn't find any info on it so it's most likely an invented name
Shasta [SHĂS-tǝ] << A literary name with no meaning I could find

I don't have meanings for any of these because I don't see the point.