Coming up with a new name is tough work…

September 14, 2007 By

Rob Lagesse analyzed our choice of the name “Milan” for our new son.

Well, I think he nailed it. We spent more time on the name than most startups spend on their names. Patrick even playground tested it. Funny enough he said it failed. Most of his friends thought Milan sounded “too girly.”

Lots of people at Stanford said it was the first time they remember seeing a “Milan” come through there, though. One thing I wanted was a name that was unique, had a good story behind it, and easy to spell. Heck, I’ve learned a FEW lessons from Google in the past few years! :-)

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  • http://lagesse.org/ Rob La Gesse

    Robert - congrats again!

    I bet there are a lot more “Milan” babies within the next year. Those Freakonomics guys need to be tracking this :)

    Rob

  • http://lagesse.org Rob La Gesse

    Robert - congrats again!

    I bet there are a lot more “Milan” babies within the next year. Those Freakonomics guys need to be tracking this :)

    Rob

  • http://windata.lebrunfit.hop.clickbank.net/ Kyle

    I like the Milan name…actually i thinks its cool to be named after great cities.

  • http://windata.lebrunfit.hop.clickbank.net/ Kyle

    I like the Milan name…actually i thinks its cool to be named after great cities.

  • http://www.socialset.net/ Nicholas Butler

    Robert all good points and once again congrats to you and your new family addition.

    In terms of Google dont you feel maybe a name that isnt already so well SEO’d would have helped the wee lad out a little bit ? Still theres always hope that Mahalo will give him a fair run of being found.

    Seriously though , great story and great details enjoy your weekend.

  • http://www.socialset.net Nicholas Butler

    Robert all good points and once again congrats to you and your new family addition.

    In terms of Google dont you feel maybe a name that isnt already so well SEO’d would have helped the wee lad out a little bit ? Still theres always hope that Mahalo will give him a fair run of being found.

    Seriously though , great story and great details enjoy your weekend.

  • http://www.pixartra.com/ Ali

    Well, at least you took the name from the Google school of thought, and not the Microsoft naming vision.

    New Born Baby For Parents Beta 2

    ….? :P

  • http://www.pixartra.com Ali

    Well, at least you took the name from the Google school of thought, and not the Microsoft naming vision.

    New Born Baby For Parents Beta 2

    ….? :P

  • http://sam-i-am.travellerspoint.com/40/ Sam Daams

    Congrats Robert! A friend of mine had a boy 3 years ago and named him Milan. That’s the only other one I know, but I think it’s a great name. We went with Malia (link above) which was probably also a first in Norway but I love it!!

  • http://sam-i-am.travellerspoint.com/40/ Sam Daams

    Congrats Robert! A friend of mine had a boy 3 years ago and named him Milan. That’s the only other one I know, but I think it’s a great name. We went with Malia (link above) which was probably also a first in Norway but I love it!!

  • http://mokshjuneja.blogspot.com/ Moksh Juneja
  • http://mokshjuneja.blogspot.com Moksh Juneja
  • http://milantracker.com/2007_09_15/hello-world/ Milan Tracker

    Hello world! Milan Tracker on line!

    Now that the newest version of Scoble is out, Rob Lagesse has the great post, The Scoble Baby - what’s in a name? Well, a good tease, of course! and on Scoble’s blog, Rob makes a great comment predicting there will be a lot more Milan’s i…

  • http://milantracker.com/2007_09_15/tracking-new-milans/ James D Kirk

    Here you go, Rob! Let’s perform a social experiment in this Web 2.0 world. I vote to call it the “Milan Scoble Effect”. I’ll get the site looking better as shortly and as time permits. Please pass it around and set up the vigilant Milan Watch at MilanTracker.com

    Anyone that wishes to help with this please drop a comment at the site under the post “I want to help”!

    Should be interesting.

  • http://milantracker.com/2007_09_15/tracking-new-milans/ James D Kirk

    Here you go, Rob! Let’s perform a social experiment in this Web 2.0 world. I vote to call it the “Milan Scoble Effect”. I’ll get the site looking better as shortly and as time permits. Please pass it around and set up the vigilant Milan Watch at MilanTracker.com

    Anyone that wishes to help with this please drop a comment at the site under the post “I want to help”!

    Should be interesting.

  • http://htmlfixit.com/ Don

    Robt., Robt., Robt.

    You broke the number one rule. Never tell a name before you have the thing because then people tell you how much they hate it … and after you use it anyway every time you see someone you think you know they hate my kids name. The next thing you know … you wonder do they hate my kid. It will gnaw on you until you need professional help just to get out of the house.

    First kid is Patrick, go with James for the next one. He’s already got to deal with having a geek for a dad, right ;-) “My dad’s iphone is better than your dads :-P ” “Is Not! :-( ” etc.

    Well I’m off for milantracker.com to see what funny thing that might be.

  • http://htmlfixit.com Don

    Robt., Robt., Robt.

    You broke the number one rule. Never tell a name before you have the thing because then people tell you how much they hate it … and after you use it anyway every time you see someone you think you know they hate my kids name. The next thing you know … you wonder do they hate my kid. It will gnaw on you until you need professional help just to get out of the house.

    First kid is Patrick, go with James for the next one. He’s already got to deal with having a geek for a dad, right ;-) “My dad’s iphone is better than your dads :-P ” “Is Not! :-( ” etc.

    Well I’m off for milantracker.com to see what funny thing that might be.

  • Milanesse

    “Hey shrimp, gimme ur money or I’ll leave ur face like a milanesse chicken”

    My 3yr old kid is gonnna have so much fun with ur kid.

  • Milanesse

    “Hey shrimp, gimme ur money or I’ll leave ur face like a milanesse chicken”

    My 3yr old kid is gonnna have so much fun with ur kid.

  • http://dawnkey.wordpress.com/ Dawn D.

    Rob has it wrong. Common names like Steve, Mike, and John are the ones that are tease-proof. The stranger the name is to kids, the bigger a target it is.

    I suspect kids will associate Milan with Mulan, as in the Disney movie.

    But that doesn’t mean it’s not still a good name. People who want to find fault will, if not with your name, then with your hair or your feet or whatever suits their fancy.

  • http://dawnkey.wordpress.com/ Dawn D.

    Rob has it wrong. Common names like Steve, Mike, and John are the ones that are tease-proof. The stranger the name is to kids, the bigger a target it is.

    I suspect kids will associate Milan with Mulan, as in the Disney movie.

    But that doesn’t mean it’s not still a good name. People who want to find fault will, if not with your name, then with your hair or your feet or whatever suits their fancy.

  • http://www.amonthinvenice.com/ Richard Callaby

    All names are teasable. I remember when I was younger people used to tease me about my name and I have a quite common name. It is just part of growing up and you cannot shelter your children from all the jerks out there nor should you even try as it builds character. I turned out okay I think and I am sure Milan will do the same. At least he will have a name people will remember. People still call me Steve, John, Patrick or anything other than Richard because my name is so common. At least it is easy to pronounce in most countries which is why my Mom picked it and I am glad she did.

    That is something else to consider today. How is your name going to be viewed globally. We are living in a global world and need to interact with many different cultures. Just some thing to think about.

  • http://www.amonthinvenice.com Richard Callaby

    All names are teasable. I remember when I was younger people used to tease me about my name and I have a quite common name. It is just part of growing up and you cannot shelter your children from all the jerks out there nor should you even try as it builds character. I turned out okay I think and I am sure Milan will do the same. At least he will have a name people will remember. People still call me Steve, John, Patrick or anything other than Richard because my name is so common. At least it is easy to pronounce in most countries which is why my Mom picked it and I am glad she did.

    That is something else to consider today. How is your name going to be viewed globally. We are living in a global world and need to interact with many different cultures. Just some thing to think about.

  • http://www.rabbitbites.com/ buns and chou chou

    Ohhh robert, sorry we didn’t get our suggestion to you in time: Fuzzy! Oh well, congrats anyway!!

  • http://www.rabbitbites.com buns and chou chou

    Ohhh robert, sorry we didn’t get our suggestion to you in time: Fuzzy! Oh well, congrats anyway!!

  • http://kartikmistry.org/blog કાર્તિક મિસ્ત્રી

    It is really tough! As we did with our son ‘Kavin’ (Not Kevin!!)

  • http://kartikmistry.org/blog કાર્તિક મિસ્ત્રી

    It is really tough! As we did with our son ‘Kavin’ (Not Kevin!!)

  • http://www.qrowd.com/blog Robert Yeager

    Choosing a baby name is far easier than trying to name a .com company website!

  • http://www.qrowd.com/blog Robert Yeager

    Choosing a baby name is far easier than trying to name a .com company website!

  • http://www.myITforum.com/ Rod Trent

    Go with ‘Seven’

  • http://www.myITforum.com Rod Trent

    Go with ‘Seven’

  • http://talkingtoairhotmail.com/ Airdrie

    Congratulations both of you! He looks beautiful. Enjoy your first few days together.

  • http://talkingtoairhotmail.com Airdrie

    Congratulations both of you! He looks beautiful. Enjoy your first few days together.

  • aw

    @richard. your nickname is ‘dick’ and you ponder why you were teased with your common name. please.

  • aw

    @richard. your nickname is ‘dick’ and you ponder why you were teased with your common name. please.

  • http://mohzd.blogspot.com/ Mohammed Zayed

    Yes you did learned lessons dude. :D

  • http://mohzd.blogspot.com Mohammed Zayed

    Yes you did learned lessons dude. :D

  • Tino Buntic

    Bet you didn’t know, Milan is actually a common Croatian name, pronounced differently than you would pronounce it, though. Folks might think he’s Croatian… until they learn his last name (which is a great last name, too).

  • Tino Buntic

    Bet you didn’t know, Milan is actually a common Croatian name, pronounced differently than you would pronounce it, though. Folks might think he’s Croatian… until they learn his last name (which is a great last name, too).

  • Anonymous

    Be aware that at some point early in grade school “Milan” will, like the force of gravity, be turned — by the mean beings kids are — into “Milly.”

  • vanderleun

    Be aware that at some point early in grade school “Milan” will, like the force of gravity, be turned — by the mean beings kids are — into “Milly.”

  • Ash

    Milan is a common name in Europe.
    First president of republic of Slovenia is Milan Kučan, for example.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Ku%C4%8Dan

    Even though Milan is far from a globally unique name, I wish him best in his life.

  • Ash

    Milan is a common name in Europe.
    First president of republic of Slovenia is Milan Kučan, for example.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Ku%C4%8Dan

    Even though Milan is far from a globally unique name, I wish him best in his life.

  • http://my.opera.com/Klemen Klemen

    Congratulations!

    I’m from Slovenia and here the name Milan holds 11. place amongst the most common Slovenian names. 12.812 men or 1.3 % of male population are called Milan. Details can be found here.

    I don’t know the origin of the name but I believe Milan in Slovenian has nothing to do with the Italian city.

  • http://my.opera.com/Klemen Klemen

    Congratulations!

    I’m from Slovenia and here the name Milan holds 11. place amongst the most common Slovenian names. 12.812 men or 1.3 % of male population are called Milan. Details can be found here.

    I don’t know the origin of the name but I believe Milan in Slovenian has nothing to do with the Italian city.

  • http://www.electronista.com/ Jonathan Fingas

    I’m surprised you didn’t name the young one SCOBLR. Seems to be the way of the things in the Bay these days. :)

  • http://www.electronista.com Jonathan Fingas

    I’m surprised you didn’t name the young one SCOBLR. Seems to be the way of the things in the Bay these days. :)

  • http://oyvindsolstad.com/ Oyvind

    Congrats! And if he start a rock band in 15 years, he can call it AC Milan. ;-)

  • http://oyvindsolstad.com Oyvind

    Congrats! And if he start a rock band in 15 years, he can call it AC Milan. ;-)

  • http://www.tamburix.com/ tamburix

    Hey Scoble,
    Milan is also very common male name in Serbia.

    http://www.behindthename.com/name/milan

  • http://www.tamburix.com tamburix

    Hey Scoble,
    Milan is also very common male name in Serbia.

    http://www.behindthename.com/name/milan

  • maaike

    In the Netherlands Milan is number 10 in the top 20 of most popular boys names right now. It’s is not a typical Dutch name, though. Milan. I like it!

    Congratulations!

  • maaike

    In the Netherlands Milan is number 10 in the top 20 of most popular boys names right now. It’s is not a typical Dutch name, though. Milan. I like it!

    Congratulations!

  • http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=thedomesticdiva thedomesticdiva

    What an awesome name…I absolutely love it!!! Milan will be the boy the girls chase for sure!

  • http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=thedomesticdiva thedomesticdiva

    What an awesome name…I absolutely love it!!! Milan will be the boy the girls chase for sure!

  • http://www.lifesip.com/ G B SINGH

    Ha ha ha ha…google is really changing all our mindsets!

    Congratulations!!

  • http://www.lifesip.com G B SINGH

    Ha ha ha ha…google is really changing all our mindsets!

    Congratulations!!

  • http://wordpress.mu/ Truden

    A little late with my comment on the name :)

    Milan (Милан) in Bulgarian comes from the word “мил” (dear). It is not as popular in Bulgaria as it is in Serbia and Slovenia, but it is very masculine name.

    May God give him long and happy life.

  • http://wordpress.mu/ Truden

    A little late with my comment on the name :)

    Milan (Милан) in Bulgarian comes from the word “мил” (dear). It is not as popular in Bulgaria as it is in Serbia and Slovenia, but it is very masculine name.

    May God give him long and happy life.

  • http://botd.wordpress.com/2007/09/16/top-posts-507/ Top Posts « WordPress.com

    [...] Coming up with a new name is tough work… Rob Lagesse analyzed our choice of the name “Milan” for our new son. Well, I think he nailed it. We spent […] [...]

  • Edwina

    @21 I’m always perplexed by parents that feel the need to name their kids something unique and unusual.(Thanks, Mom!) It seems it’s rarely taken into account how that name will impact the child as it grows up. While Milan is a nice name for a city and may be popular in some European countries,according to Social Security records, Milan doesn’t make the top 1,000 popular baby names in the last 15 years. So, it will likely make for some interesting playground teasing as he gets older. I do hope it doesn’t turn out that way, but knowing kids…. (having my given first name being Edwina, I can speak from experience)

  • Edwina

    @21 I’m always perplexed by parents that feel the need to name their kids something unique and unusual.(Thanks, Mom!) It seems it’s rarely taken into account how that name will impact the child as it grows up. While Milan is a nice name for a city and may be popular in some European countries,according to Social Security records, Milan doesn’t make the top 1,000 popular baby names in the last 15 years. So, it will likely make for some interesting playground teasing as he gets older. I do hope it doesn’t turn out that way, but knowing kids…. (having my given first name being Edwina, I can speak from experience)

  • ThomasV

    The name you chose is indeed popular in some European countries. In fact, in Belgium it was the 7th most popular name for boys born in 2006. Since 2004, it was in the top 10. In case you should want to verify: http://www.statbel.fgov.be/figures/d22a_nl.asp?r=5 (in Dutch ;-)

  • ThomasV

    The name you chose is indeed popular in some European countries. In fact, in Belgium it was the 7th most popular name for boys born in 2006. Since 2004, it was in the top 10. In case you should want to verify: http://www.statbel.fgov.be/figures/d22a_nl.asp?r=5 (in Dutch ;-)

  • http://www.tankedfilms.com/comment-on-coming-up-with-a-new-name-is-tough-work%e2%80%a6-by-dawn-d/ Comment on Coming up with a new name is tough work… by Dawn D. - Tanked Films

    [...] post by Dawn D. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and [...]

  • http://www.tankedfilms.com/comment-on-coming-up-with-a-new-name-is-tough-work%e2%80%a6-by-james-d-kirk/ Comment on Coming up with a new name is tough work… by James D Kirk - Tanked Films

    [...] post by James D Kirk Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and [...]

  • http://www.guydavis.ca/ Guy Davis

    Congratulations Robert and Maryam! He looks great in the photos you’ve posted. Good choice on the name Milan as well.

    My wife and I are expecting our first child in April and I am also stressing about the best name. I built a Google Maps mashup with popular baby names data to help our decision. (http://www.babynamemap.com)

    We don’t want too popular a name like Emily or Jacob, but also don’t want a really rare one like Moon Unit. :)

    Here’s the name popularity for Milan in particular:
    http://www.babynamemap.com/map/search?gender=male&search_name=Milan

  • http://www.guydavis.ca Guy Davis

    Congratulations Robert and Maryam! He looks great in the photos you’ve posted. Good choice on the name Milan as well.

    My wife and I are expecting our first child in April and I am also stressing about the best name. I built a Google Maps mashup with popular baby names data to help our decision. (http://www.babynamemap.com)

    We don’t want too popular a name like Emily or Jacob, but also don’t want a really rare one like Moon Unit. :)

    Here’s the name popularity for Milan in particular:
    http://www.babynamemap.com/map/search?gender=male&search_name=Milan

  • http://www.02blog.it/post/1888/scooble-chiama-il-figlio-milan-in-onore-di-milano/ Scooble chiama il figlio Milan in onore di Milano

    [...] la notizia interessante per noi milanesi è che il famoso tech geek ha chiamato suo figlio “Milan“, in onore alla città di Milano, che, come lui stesso spiega, sua moglie ha sempre voluto [...]

  • Dorann

    We named our son Milan in 1984. We are of Slovak descent (grandparents) and knew it was a popular Slavik name. We pronounce it with a long I, not like the Italian city or the Czechoslovakian way.
    I ‘ve always liked the name and the way it sounded and he has grown to like it , too!
    Please check Wikipedia and you can Google my Milan Dinga, too!

  • http://google Dorann

    We named our son Milan in 1984. We are of Slovak descent (grandparents) and knew it was a popular Slavik name. We pronounce it with a long I, not like the Italian city or the Czechoslovakian way.
    I ‘ve always liked the name and the way it sounded and he has grown to like it , too!
    Please check Wikipedia and you can Google my Milan Dinga, too!

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