Posted on 04/16/2006 11:03:18 AM PDT by mathprof
IT'S a measure of what we have come to expect from celebrities to consider that if Henry Fonda were alive and having children today, it would seem as likely for him to name his daughter, say, Hanoi, as simply to call her Jane.
It seems almost unimaginable for any 21st-century movie star to send his children out among the Hollywood elite equipped with ordinary names like Michael, Eric, Joel and Peter, as Kirk Douglas once did.
This point was driven home again last week, when Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, Chris Martin, the frontman of the band Coldplay, named their newborn son Moses. It was an unlikely enough name for a baby boy born in 2006, but perhaps less startling than the much discussed (and mocked) handle his sister, Apple, born two years ago, will carry through life.
Not that a name like Apple Martin stands out among celebrity children anymore. The director Peter Farrelly plucked that very name for his daughter before Apple Martin came along. Even that name seems drab compared with Hollywood baby names like Pilot Inspektor, cooked up by Jason Lee, the star of "My Name Is Earl," or Banjo, the inspiration of the "Six Feet Under" star Rachel Griffiths, or Moxie CrimeFighter, a name chosen last year by the comedian and magician Penn Jillette for his daughter.[snip]
Some therapists said the celebrity impulse to foist odd names on their children amounts to simple narcissism by the parents, and the resulting status comes at the child's expense. The children, after all, are the ones who will have to raise their hands every time a teacher calls out "Coco" or "Eulala."
"It's like having a mini me," said a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles. "The child is a part of them, not an individual. It's an appendage."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I thought it was simply because today's celebrities have brains the size of a pea.
Once went through "www.anywher.com" when you could search on only first names. Tried geography and got hits on Dayton, Boston, Austin, Savannah, Dallas, Albany, even Atlanta.
Seems to me Moonunit and Dweeze were a step up.
Particularly if the surname is something like Chang or Goldstein.
But look how popular Madison and variations is just because of that movie. Jenny was huge in the 70's after "Love Story" came out. All the Bette's born during the era of Bette Davis. Vanessa after Vanessa Redgrave. Samantha after Bewitched or Samantha Eggar. It's unpredictable what name trends will be affected by celebrities.
Savage?? It's not my favorite boy's name.
"Unit and her brother Dweezle Zappa."
And don't forget their little sister, Diva Muffin!
Some rules-of-thumb in naming kids:
- Give them a name that you won't be embarassed with when they make it into the news.
- Make sure they will have an easy common nickname, so they'll know that when you use their given name, you mean business.
- If you must, make the middle name the oddball so when they get to be a big shot they can go by their first initial and middle name.
I wonder what Tomkat will name their baby. L.Ron?
These people name their kids like they are pets.
My daughter and her husband named their son Israel and people gave them cute baby clothes.
What is wrong with your friends? Babies make enough poop.
I haven't heard of Apple before but Moses is a very common name where I live.
Ugg and Home.
You know, I thought there was something a little odd about that woman I dated with the three sons all named Keanu...
It really is all about them. Heaven forbid, then, that little CoCo Arquette or Apple Martin or 'enter name here' become prettier or more famous than mom and/or dad. And if they do, it's surely because of their famous parents, not on their own merit. At least they'll have the bucks for the continued and separate therapy for all to ease them through this angst...
It's my understanding that the kid is headed for the name "Hubbard." My sympathies.
My second child was supposed to be a girl, and therefore there was nothing but girls names picked out when he arrived with "external" plumbing.
At that time I was making my living as a cop and cops are supposed to be macho, right? So I went to work and told everybody I had a new son and they asked what his name was. I told them I was going to name him "whatshisname", and they all laughed. I said by the time he was 3 he'd be the toughest guy on the block.
The mother wouldn't let me name him "whatshisname", so I figured I'd give him a question mark symbol ? for a first name and he'd have a simple signature (my full legal name gives me writer's cramp when I have to sign anything.
The mother wouldn't let me do that either. So I named my son Christian Marc (and then the last name). Christian Marc is close to "question mark", and that's close to "whatshisname".
He still gets a tad emotional when I explain to people how he got his name. Semper Fi
I recall hearing of a case several years ago, a set of twin daughters were named Regina and ... no kidding, totally serious here, Vagina.
You know the urban legend about that; that nine months after such events the delivery wards are busy.
lol! I used to work with a girl who was OBSESSED with Keanu.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.