Thanks to everybody who voted in our first match-ups! Zion won in a landslide, 14-4, while Griffin managed to survive Dawson, 12-7. Exciting.
Are you ready for the next round?
In the "HISTORICAL / LITERARY" region, number 1 seed Langston faces 16 Fitzwilliam and in the "INTERNATIONAL" region, number 1 seed Santiago faces 16 Seamus.
Siobhan - Ok, friends, the historical/literary region is a tough match up for me. I like both names because of how the emulate strength,intelligence and eloquence. Langston was chosen because of the poet Langston Hughes. He is an amazing writer and lead the Harlem Renaissance. Fitzwilliam Darcy, aka Mr. Darcy, is from Pride and Prejudice. Need I say more? As for the International region, it's a tough match because they both are forms of James. Seamus, pronounced Shay-mus, is the Irish form of James and Santiago is the Latin/Spanish form of James. I like the book of James and how the prophet shared great wisdom.
Gar - Obviously, we like all 4 names since they're in the bracket... but this bracket is all about which names will WIN! Heh heh. Mr. Darcy, while a dashing character, is still just fiction to me. Langston Hughes was a real person, whose artistic talent thrived despite the racial prejudices of his day. Santiago and Seamus are a tougher match for me, but Santiago edges out Seamus because Santiago is the name of the main character in one of my all-time favorite books, The Alchemist.
Siobhan - Mr. Darcy was more than just dashing; he had superpowers to woo young Elizabeth Bennett with his reticence and his come hither looks. Who can say that they can get a girl from just being a strong silent type? As for Seamus, I believe that it would be a difficult name to go to school with. Just think about all the mispronunciations that could happen. But then again, will Santiago have to keep answering the question: Are you Spanish?
Gar - I'm sure our son can survive questions about being Spanish if both his parents had IRISH first names... from TV shows! Ha. Yes, Mr. Darcy's come hither looks worked on Miss Bennett... but she was a fictional character too! Pshhht. Besides, Fitzwilliam seems like an unnecessary extension of William. I can imagine the kids making fun of Baby Chan already... "Hey William... are you having a FIT?" End of story.
i swear, i'm not sitting here hitting refresh, but i'm first again. :)
ReplyDelete1) Fitzwilliam. Yes he's having a fit, if he has this name. "Fitzbill" or "Fitzwilly" are good nicknames. Therefore, this is my choice.
2) Santiago. Seamus sounds better pronounced than the way it looks. People will look at it and think, "Uh, how do you pronounce your name?"
I vote for Langston because it's a great name that's not overused. Plus, you wouldn't want a family friend (ahem) to tell the poor Fitzwilliam that he shares his namesake with his mom's car.
ReplyDeleteWhile I like how the name, Shay-mus, sounds. I vote for Santiago because of the teasing that Seamus would get. He might survive a elementary school with simple mis-pronunciations of his name, but once his friends go to sex-ed and learn how close his name is to a certain bodily fluid, the poor kid's life is over. OVER! You might as well buy him a lifetime subscription to World of Warcraft now.
For the Historical/Literary bracket, my vote is for Langston. (I would like to note that my vote would have been very different if the other name were "Fitzwong.") It's a little tricky, though, since people might shorten his name to "Lang." I knew a Lang back in college and he was a total dweeb. How you choose to mitigate that might be tough. I guess just insist on people calling him by his full name?
ReplyDeleteI'm going to abstain from voting in the other category because even though I like both names, I agree with Siobhan that they both have major & compromising trade offs.
1) This would have been easy if I was picking just because of Langston Hughes or Fitzwilliam Darcy. I would pick Langston because of his literary contributions. But for a first name it's awkward to say and it's a old English form of "long stone" which can be a source of ridicule. So I'm going with Fitzwilliam because of the Mr. Darcy connection plus I think it will be cool to be called Fitz.
ReplyDelete2) I pick Seamus not because I suggested it but because I had the good fortune to hear Seamus Heaney's reading of "Digging" and that poem touched me in so many ways.
1) Langston- Very cool sounding name. Fitzwilliam is cool too, but he may have problems with people thinking his first name is Fitz and last name is William. My sis can tell you how annoying she thinks her name is because most people think it's 2 separate names. You can guess which sister.
ReplyDelete2) Seamus- I think it's a strong sounding name. Though I can see how some people may mispronounce his name (especially with the teasing that someone noted above), I really do not like Spanish names.
1) Langston - Good literary reference that most people will get. Nothing bad to say about Fitzwilliam, but just not as good as the 1 seed.
ReplyDelete2) Seamus - Almost voted for Santiago. But I figure if Siobhan survived with her name, Seamus will be no worse. And agree that Santiago has such a strong Spanish connection, may cause identity confusion.
1) Langston - Though it'd be cool to call him Fitz. Maybe as his middle name? Langston Fitzwilliam Chan...now that's distinguished.
ReplyDelete2) Seamus - I guess if I had to pick one...though I see the potential for name calling as well. Not too big on the Spanish name but if you needed a cool jingle and if he were a cartoon, you could sing, "Where in the world is Chan-ster Santiago?"
The way I keep voting is based on the success of the combination of the NAME + Chan ... and in the case of Langston Chan vs. Fitzwilliam Chan it is, in my opinion, definitely leaning toward Langston. But I do like the thought behind Fitzwilliam and the connotation. And it just always brings Colin Firth to mind! Fitz is a cool nickname ... but my final vote goes for LANGSTON.
ReplyDeleteAnd for Seamus vs. Santiago? I say go with James. Heh. I suppose in this case my vote is DQed!
1) I vote for langston b/c I like the way it sounds with chan, but I do like the nickname fitz, so maybe a middle name or a nickname since lang IS kinda weird. then u can tell the story of the bracket and how he got the nickname.
ReplyDelete2) I vote for Santiago. gar's right you both had "international" names and I don't think either of u had an identity crisis. Seamus is bound to having ur kid hate his nane when he gets teased.
1) I pick Langston because Fitzwilliam has too many syllables.
ReplyDelete2) I am thinking why don't you change the spelling of Seamus to Shaymus as it sounds. Then, it looks good and sounds good. I will vote for that. I guess I will vote for Santiago for now. Mira
1) LANGSTON - I remember memorizing Langston Hughes' poem "Dreams" in 5th grade. Good stuff. Also, if naming Baby Chan Langston gives him a chance of becoming a 6'8" 370 lb NFL offensive lineman (ala Langston Walker), I'm all for it.
ReplyDelete2) SANTIAGO - Though I don't care too much for either name, it would be a shame for a #1 seed to go down so early. There must be a reason why CC and Garrett seeded Santiago 1 and Seamus 16. I'll respect and trust that reason.
1) LANGSTON - Because I refuse to have a nephew nicknamed "Fitz"
ReplyDelete2) SANTIAGO - Because I heart my GBFF of the same name and I really can't stand Seamus.
LANGSTON --- strong name. i like. i'd rather have a niece named darcy. :)
ReplyDeleteSANTIAGO --- i can just see the mispronouncing of seamus, let's not put that on the little guy! --- siobhan can tell you the horror stories!!
hey ginger and dustin-- dont you think our votes should be weighed MORE? just a suggestion... :)
langston and santiago =) both strong names that sound really cool.
ReplyDeleteI love Langston Chan,the name sounds strong and distinguished. He is so important already.
ReplyDeleteThanks for voting!
ReplyDelete