I’ve been sayin’ it, we need a national registry of appropriate baby names, with correct spellings for each name. Do you want to use a real name from another language or culture? Then you can petition to use it based on your ancestry, and I would be generous in granting such waivers. But no made-up sh1t or misspellings—it’s Antoine, not Antawn, Cindy, not Cyndee, and Juanita, not Wahneeta. (Before you accuse me of stereotyping black parents, here’s a true story: My wife and I once e-mailed with a bed-and-breakfast employee named “Wahneeta” regarding our reservation, and when we met her in person we were shocked to encounter this blond, blue-eyed, middle-aged lady with a New England accent.) And if an 18-year-old wants to change his name to “Moon Unit,” I won’t stand in his way, but child abuse is illegal and parents shouldn’t be allowed to commit child abuse through child-naming practices.
One of the Scandinavian countries has this. I recall reading to my students a news article from 2 decades ago at least where a woman was actually charged because she named her son “Christophpher.” (Not a misspelling).
My favorite candidate for a woman’s name is “chlaymidia.”
AuH2O could be approved with an extra fee