When someone says a person's name is "pretty," what exactly do they mean?

I always interpreted that as mostly a secondary way to compliment someone, to generate good will. I’m sure in some cases it is, indeed, a nice thing to say about a name, but mostly it seems to me to be a door opener to pleasant conversation.

When I tell just my granddaughter’s first name. which is traditionally a boy’s name, I get a blank stare. Since I’ve learned to say her first and middle names, I get a “that’s a pretty name.” Close friends have sometimes said, “What?” and I have also noticed when their grand kids names are unusual. Boys’ names are generally deemed ’“nice.” But generally, since it’s a fait accompli, why not have a nice reaction as @canidmajor notes.

This is an interesting question.

My oldest daughter’s middle name is Lorelle. I always thought that was such a pretty name. It sounds like music. I don’t know her bio mom and my ex didn’t use it for her first name.

Either they’re old fashioned but well intentioned or twee or hate the name & placing a social nicety so as to avoid awkardness or offence.

When I find a name very pretty it means to me I like the sound of it. Maybe I also associate it with a pretty person, but for the most part it’s just the sound of it.

Some words sound funny, some pretty, some make me uncomfortable. Like many Yiddish words are funny sounding to me. Many words in Italian sound fun loving or exciting to me. I think it’s the same for names.

If the name has an actual meaning it affects whether I think it’s pretty. I current meaning, I don’t mean the name’s original meaning. Like Fanny and Dick I’m not going to find pretty, but I can separate the name from the slang when using them.

Are you simply following the social convention for an automatic response because you have to say something?
I don’t think that happens often. Usually, it is honest.
We should focus on the context then.
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The culture job in this could be about how much confidence the people are going to feel to compliment someone’s name.
“Is the compliment going to be seen as bad?”.

In society, though in a few ones it is changing, a man cannot be in a situation that he look like sensitive; compliments like “pretty name” “What a cute name” it leads to sensitiveness.

Anyway, the majority usually do what could make them accepted in a group.
So why to compliment a group, if doing this they are going to be put aside?

So it would be expected of the girls’ names to receive more compliments, and in this case, the “automatic response of what we heard too much” could be the reaction.

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There is only one name I would be able to say: “It is sure a beautiful name!”.
I didn’t see it in any other country, and I like its history.

The reasons are simple; a rare and old name; with another name included in it and more than three meanings; I thought interesting because not all the name has more than two meanings; and usually are sweets meanings.
The thing is; in the country that the name started, the aged people don’t even enjoy that name so much. And even in the apex of its popularity, it still was not popular.
And that is why it is interesting! Why them parents would choose this name?
Because of parents’ lives histories! Because of their emotions, and memories;
The name was not chosen by what others would think. That is why.

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I also think Nicolette and Cordelia are beautiful names; because it is funny. No one those days, would like “Nicolette”–But It could be short for Nicole, that is a soft name that reminds elegance and innocence — A nickname, “And everyone would be happy, huh, daughter?”.

What if my daughter Nicolette likes weird names? She would be sad about being just Nicole.
But if Nicolette doesn’t like her name; Her nickname can be Nicole.

Why would Nicole want to be Nicolette?
...People like what they already have seen but also like the differences, when it is not inconvenient. So the interest would just multiply. I think
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It is like to put your daughter name Aurélie’s (Aurélio dictionary of Portuguese) and the girl become great at Portuguese.
Lovely.

It’s definitely subjective in my mind, and not a social convention. When I say it, I mean that specific name is pretty to me. I could think a name is pretty for several reasons, first and foremost its sound (musical or sweet, for instance). But a ridiculous spelling might totally negate the pleasing sound.

Unusual but not silly names often strike me as pretty, too, maybe because I have I very plain name myself. I may like a first name for the way it combines with a middle or last name, like @janbb‘s grandaughter’s name, and also think names that look fluid and graceful in writing are pretty.

I’m pretty sure I complimented your real name, @Jeruba. Now you’ll know I meant it! :)

Mother gave me an actual ugly first name at birth, and Father gave me my second name which I loved. As soon as I figured out that if a declared clearly that I would not go by my first name anymore, and signed in at my new school with my second name, it became “my name.” Mother was disappointed, but she complied, because she wanted to please Father. That name was truly ugly, and eventually, because of things that came up in life, I had my whole name legally changed, so that both names given at birth, as well as my last name then, are gone.

To me, most “pretty” names trip off the ear in a dance. However, the name I have now, which is the result of two legal name changes, is “pretty” to me because of what it means to me. Others often express wonder at it and are a bit fascinated by it, but that was a surprise. I very selfishly chose it for myself, and my husband backed me and paid for the second name change as a gift, because he understood.

My first brother-in-law wanted to name his first son “Conrad,” and the whole family reacted in disgust at the name, including my sister. To us, it was an “ugly” name.

So what was the ugly name?

My Mom wanted me to name my daughter after her. I told her I was not naming one of my children “Cornelia.” Sry, Muv.