Sunday, May 6, 2012

1 Mira vs 8 Topanga; 1 Saoirse vs 8 Sabrina

We finally have the time to write out the first post for Baby Girl Chan's Name Bracket. In the "Pop Culture" region, it is 1 Mira vs. 8 Topanga. In the "S-names" region, it is 1 Saoirse vs. 8 Sabrina.

Siobhan - In the "pop culture" region, I have to say that Topanga is a unique name. It reminds me of the good old days of watching Boy Meets World with my siblings. Yes, that is where the name came from. She was an independent thinker who walked to the beat of her own drum. In the "S-names" region, I liked the movie, Sabrina. She was willing to move to another country to experience life in a new way. I would hope that baby girl Chan will also have the desire to experience life with such courage and bravery.

Gar - Topanga was a weird girl. Seriously... her character made no sense.  Plus, the actress who played her ended up dating co-star Ben Savage, and later, Lance Bass from N*Sync.  Booo.  Mira is a much more awesome name - it means "peaceful, wonderful."  Plus, a famous Mira is Mira Sorvino, the actress in one my favorite cult films, Guillermo del Toro's Mimic.  She's super smart - she graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in East Asian Studies and speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese!  As for Saoirse (sear-sha) vs. Sabrina, I'm going to go with Saoirse.  It's unique, it's an Irish name (like Siobhan) and it has a great meaning "freedom, liberty."


Siobhan - Mira Sorvino's performance in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion also has some quirky moments too. Overall, Mira has a slightly better sound than Topanga with the last name Chan and with the Chinese accent. Plus, my mom's name is Miranda. She would love to hear part of her name in her granddaughter's name. Saoirse is an amazing Irish name. Yes, it would follow our Irish heritage, =), but it will be a tough childhood and adulthood with people always mispronouncing your name.

Gar - Yeah, having people mess up your name your whole life can make for a tough life, but I think it could also help Baby Girl Chan to grow up to be a tough woman.  YEAH!  Sorry, Topanga and Sabrina.  I think this first round pretty obviously goes to the top seeds. 

Feel free to now vote in the comments below!

BONUS:  It's hard to believe, but it's been 2 whole years since Gideon's Name Bracket.  And yes, Gideon was a name that was one there!  It's exciting to think about what Baby Girl Chan's name will be...

5/13 EDIT:  Voting is now closed!

11 comments:

  1. TOPANGA!!!!!! please dont pick the other one. it's my ONE name i have to veto. if you name her mira, i will have to lie to my friends, and say her name is topanga. ;)

    i'm going to stick with awesome 90's sticom leading ladies.

    SABRINA. cc, can you imagine the crazy pronunciations of Saoirse? .... you know the feeling.... si-o-BAN ;)

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  2. Mira for sure! Topanga just sound strange and is in for all kinds of ridicule. double plus for being close to gma wong's name too!

    And while i was intrigued by Saoirse (which looks nothing like how it sounds... at least siobhan's name is closer) i really like the name Sabrina.

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  3. My only reservation about Mira is that I would always imagine LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK en Espanol. Topanga is a fabulous name, but I HATED how her character started off all Earth-child and by the time they ended the series. she had an acrylic french tip manicure and a wimpy personality. So Mira by un poquito.

    Saoirse is fabulous. No freaking way is Sabrina going to fly. The Teenage Witch? Gurl, if you're going with a 90s show character, then I'd pick Topanga over Sabrina, even though they're not technically in the same bracket.

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  4. Selah is a good name .

    As far as Sabrina goes. No one at least in this generation knows about Sabrina the Teenage witch. By the time she grows older I don't think there will be any reference to that.

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  5. Second bracket: sabrina.
    I don't know if I like either of the first two! Mira makes me think of mirin. And that makes me think of Japanese food lol. AND my auto correct goes strait to nuts. If you go with topanga, you can add on to the sitcom family names (ie. 'Uncle Jesse and aunt Becky') lol.

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  6. Topanga - I'm pretty sure that's a type of Pokemon. Therefore I choose Topanga. It's a water/fighting type turtle Pokemon that spins on its head and uses its flailing limbs to attack. Mira is a very lovely name, but I'm not sure if it goes well with Chan.

    Saoirse - it sounds like the kick-ass heroine from Willow (not the goat and not kaiya, I'm talking about the red-headed, sword-wielding warrior princess).

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  7. Mira vs Topanga

    This is a tough one. I like that Mira has the first four letters of Miranda's name. I like Topanga's quirky character in Boy Meets World. Topanga is true to herself and is not afraid to stand up for her ideals. In a close vote, I'll take Topanga.

    Saiorse vs Sabrina

    Another tough choice. I like that Saiorse is an Irish name and I do like how it sounds. An uncommon name gives an opportunity to make people become more culturally aware and it's a great conversation starter. When I hear the name Sabrina, my first thought is not directed to the teen-age witch. Instead it reminds me of the movie where Audrey Hepburn played the title role. She's the daughter of a chauffeur living over the garage of his employer. She was sent away to Paris to learn to cook in a culinary school. She returns transformed from a girl into a stunning, sophisticated, and charming woman. I'm going with Sabrina.

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  8. Mira - I just don't like Topanga. I didn't like the show, I didn't like the character. Booo to Topanga. I've never met a Mira so it's still somewhat of a unique name. Plus it's a good name to imagine a girl/woman of any age/profession. "Your doctor, Mira Chan, will be right in." - yes. "Hi, I'm Miss Mira Chan, your third grade teacher." - yes. "Wow, Mira Chan is really flexible." - yes (whoa, get your head out of the gutter, I was referring to possible future path #3: Olympic Gymnast).

    Saiorse - Totally kick-ass Irish name. It sounds feminine and also strong. It sounds old and traditional, and also contemporary and forward. Difficult to pronounce for sure, but one could argue that for any non-English name, and perhaps shouldn't be the Number 1 reason not to use a name with cultural significance! Sabrina makes me thinks of the witch for sure, and even (sadly) the horrible remake film starring Harrison Ford...Saiorse it is.

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  9. Oops that was me, 3rd/4th grade teacher across the hall extraordinaire. I just didn't know I had to edit my profile or whatever; I wasn't trying to be mysterious and "unknown".

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  10. Can I vote for all 4? I like them all...the meanings and the characters which they relate to.
    But, I have to choose meaning over character.

    I choose Mira (my name's first 4 letters)...peaceful and wonderful.
    No doubt, I have to choose the Irish name, Saiorse ...freedom and liberty. I am bias on this one, too, because I picked Siobhan.

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  11. Agreed with Grandma Wong!

    Mira + Chan...sounds right. I also agree with Shannon about the evolution of Topanga's character on BMW. Ewww!

    It's a tough choice between Sabrina & Saiorse. I loved the movie Sabrina - both the original and the remake. The meaning of Saiorse is fantastic...but I had to look it up to correctly spell it. I also didn't know how to pronounce it at first. It's a tough choice. It's a tie. :/

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