Open Editorial: You Named Your Baby WHAT???

Onyx Magazine ^ | March, 2006 | Josephine Hammond

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Part of the validity of this writer's argument is the success of the Asians. They immigrate here (legally, mind you) and many of them choose Anglo-Saxon names for their second generation. It may look a bit strange to see the combination of the two, but you'd think Asians with names like Bertha, Amos, etc., would have two strikes against them (according to the thinking of the parents the writer of the article is addressing). But they very often do very well at school and in their careers. So, obviously the name is less important than the raising of the child.

Yet another symbolism-over-substance cop-out by those who want everything handed to them, including respect.

[Delmont]

MY name is Delmont Cornelius Roosevelt, people call me Delmont Cornelius Roosevelt, but my ex wifes name was Ms Velveeta Brown. Her parents musta had the munchies when they named her.

[doug from upland]

Dweezil. Moon-Unit. Kal-el.

[cartoonistx]

I seem to remember a SNL bit about this subject. The skit had black camp councelors trying to pronounce the black kids' names. The one that cracked me up was "Clitoria"! I did know a mother who named her kid "Sharcole".

[null and void]

Velveeta, he's talkin' 'bout you...

[satchmodog9]

Your homestate Padres have a little white shortstop with an odd name. Kahlil Greene.

[Altamira]

Yeah, the patronizing attitude of the "enlightened" left is really nauseating, isn't it? Good for her for rejecting their B.S. and choosing a school that really valued her achievements, instead of her extra pigment.

[twippo]

The South Asians (Indians) seem to be different from East Asians in that respect. I've run into many Western-born children with Hindi, Urdu or other ethnic names. But Koreans and Chinese tend to give their U.S.-born children common U.S. names.

[twippo]

I've figured out why they call them "Generation Y": Kendyl, Aidyn, Madisyn, Deryl, Kathryn, Jayden, Tamsyn, Saffryn...

[TXBubba]

Do you mean the names are mainstream or that the Osmonds are mainstream?

I was talking about the names but I guess it works for both.

[colorcountry]

Yes, but you forgot the Osmonds also have an Olive and a Virl.

[oyez]

Common Name, nowdays. I've a couple of 'trinas for associates over the past few years. Good workers, too.

[TXBubba]

The worst part is, it is an English name, spelt just like it sounds

My new one isn't English but it is pronounced just like it is spelled. However, I find people want to add letters to it or mispronounce the vowel sound in the middle. If they would even try to say it by just sounding it out then they would have it right the first time.

[brytlea]

I guess their moms don't know any Italian.....
susie

[TXBubba]

their children will someday tell them how embarrassing and illiterate their names look when written

That will hit about age 4 when they can't find anything in little gift stores pre-monogrammed with their name...ever. It already happens to my kids who have what I would call "normal" names, only not as popular as others.

[TXBubba]

Yes, but you forgot the Osmonds also have an Olive and a Virl.

I left out George and Tom also you know. None of those names are strange.

[colorcountry]

I think Virl is quite strange, but it doesn't matter, all you have to do is look at the phone book in Utah, you'll see plenty of "unique" if not strange names.

Also calling a grown man of 48 years old "Donny" is strange to me. President Donny Bush?

[AxelPaulsenJr]

Speaking of female names. I once knew a woman whose first name is Fonda and her last name is Peters.

What was her first name, Monica?

[Old Seadog]

But I always think of Scout as being the name of Tonto's horse. "Get'm up Scout"

[TXBubba]

Virl may be outdated but it isn't "strange". And I think the grown man named Donny is really Donald. Donny isn't the given name otherwise I would agree.

Which leads us to another point. People who don't think about the nickname possibilities or the words initials might spell when naming kids. We couldn't use Andrew ourselves because the nickname of "Andy" would have made a living h*ll for our son when put with our last name. And you know that no child is going to go with "Drew" when they can use "Andy" in that situation.