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 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! :-)

Comments

  1. tamburix says:

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

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

  2. maaike says:

    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!

  3. maaike says:

    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!

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

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

  6. G B SINGH says:

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

    Congratulations!!

  7. G B SINGH says:

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

    Congratulations!!

  8. Truden says:

    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.

  9. Truden says:

    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.

  10. [...] 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 […] [...]

  11. Edwina says:

    @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)

  12. Edwina says:

    @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)

  13. ThomasV says:

    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 ;-)

  14. ThomasV says:

    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 ;-)

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  17. Guy Davis says:

    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

  18. Guy Davis says:

    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

  19. [...] 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 [...]

  20. Dorann says:

    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!

  21. Dorann says:

    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!