I picked out my main characters name and then had a brilliant idea for a different name. Now I'm stuck between the two. Background on the character: she's 16 about to be 17. Very smart but sarcastic. Comes from a rough home ( single promiscuous mom that moves her constantly at a whim. Still considers herself a hippie gypsy type) since she moves a lot the girl doesn't have many friends and tries to keep it that way. So what would more embarrassing/ annoying for her Poppy Ann chosen because the best day of her moms life (per her mom)was when she danced naked in the rain wearing only a poppy flower headband In the desert. Or Monet ( no middle name yet) where all the times she moves she has to constantly correct people pronouncing it wrong and explain over and over who Claude Monet is. I see great conversations and ways to work the story with both.
I like both. Lean toward Monet. I doubt she's have to explain it too often, given how well known the painter is.
Is her mom really into Monet? Otherwise that one wouldn't make much sense. If she is, is it something that comes up in the story? Otherwise it might seem kind of arbitrary. That's my thought process, anyway.
If her mom is really eccentric, I can definitely see Poppy Monet happening. I really like both names - but the thing that's throwing me about Poppy Ann is the "Ann." It just seems too plain for the situation, and if I were named Poppy Ann I would definitely just introduce myself as Ann to avoid the embarrassment. But I don't know your characters enough to know for sure. I like the sound of Monet, but I really love the backstory of Poppy. Both a great names.
Yea her mom is eccentric and loves flowers. If poppy Ann she would try to stop people from Knowing poppy but not always successful esp with busy teachers reading rosters and her mom refusing to call her Ann. The Ann was selected cause it flows figured it'd be a family name ( haven't worked that out totally) As far a Monet I know it's fairly well know but not necessarily by that age group and in this day and age people are getting less art education so at first glance of name the pronunciation may not be apparent. At least that's my thinking. And the mother likes his art.
I can definitely see other teenagers or people who really know nothing about art calling her "Monnett," which would be pretty amusing. Gah, I don't know, both names are great. I think I might be leaning towards Monet though.
Monet is one of few well-known artists still being taught in secondary school - so I think most kids would know. But that itself can be embarrassing, too Monet is a pretty cool name that would have the effect you want as well as making it pleasant for the reader. Poppy Ann sounds horrid to me (since I dislike both Poppy and Ann!) and sounds extremely old, like a granny. Of course, since the idea is the name should be embarrassing, that it conjures such an image might actually make it ideal Like, Monet, there's something classic about Poppy, since that is the British flower for our war memorials and it is also associated with a war poem - http://www.greatwar.co.uk/poems/moina-michael-we-shall-keep-faith.htm I think the idea was that the red of the Poppy was due to the blood spillt by the soldiers who died there. Something like this could easily come up in an English Literature or History class and serve as additional embarrassment (or comfort? depending on how your MC sees it).
I like Monet as it's different but also a name associated with a man so it's cool that a girl gets it as her name but I can see why it would be annoying and some people might think it was a boy in class and be surprised when she answers them