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Naming your baby
Newsday ^ | 6/26/06 | Pat Burson

Posted on 06/27/2006 10:33:31 AM PDT by qam1

Many parents, especially celebrities, are choosing distinctive names or spellings to make their children stand out

Choosing a name for your newborn requires a certain level of sober reflection, contemplation and introspection.

Expectant parents consult relatives and friends, leaf through scores of books and scour the Internet for just the right handle to reflect their little cherub's shining personality, obvious brilliance and unquestionable character.

So it makes you wonder what the recent spate of Hollywood celebrity parents were thinking - or drinking - when they chose such distinctive names, to put it kindly, for their high-profile offspring. That goes for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who named their daughter Shiloh, and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, who named their girl Suri.

Sure, we've had a chuckle at some and scratched our heads over others, but before you go calling your sons Dilbert after your favorite cartoon character or christening your daughters Brangelina because you adore Couple-of-the-Moment Pitt and Jolie, give it some thought, baby and parenting experts say.

Like all parents, celebrities see their children as extensions of themselves and choose names that reflect their tastes and values, says Babytalk magazine senior editor Christina Vercelletto.

"What's driving this is this whole sort of Gen-X competitive parenting trend," Vercelletto says. "Parents who are now in their 30s, they have their children, and they feel that from birth it's practically a competition. You want your child to stand out. We live in a competitive society, and you don't want your child to blend into the woodwork."

"Names are really brands," says Rachel Weingarten, a branding and trends expert and the president of GTK Marketing Group in Brooklyn.

Take Brangelina's baby, Shiloh. "You're saying we have turned this into a money-maker from birth,"

"It's this whole, 'Look at me' kind of thing."

(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: genx; lemonjello; orangejello; stupidbabynames
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To: ßuddaßudd

So we should call him Bubba?


141 posted on 06/27/2006 11:52:48 AM PDT by Coldwater Creek ("Over there, over there, We won't be back 'til it's over Over there.")
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To: ElTiante

Ahhhh Fiona. My precocious redheaded three year old is named Fiona Rose. With the redhair she got a lot of Princess Fiona from Shrek comments, but those have pretty much died off.

My other daughter is named Eva Lenor, after two of her great-great-grandmothers.


142 posted on 06/27/2006 11:53:03 AM PDT by mockingbyrd
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To: KarlInOhio
Taft? That's a name which will not be used by Ohioans for generaltions. Double-blech!

generaltion - the time it takes from one member of a family to get promoted past colonel until the next time one is. Unless you are a MacArthur a generaltion is much longer than one generation.

143 posted on 06/27/2006 11:54:17 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (Loose lips sink ships - and the New York Times really doesn't have a problem with sinking ships.)
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To: Hammerhead

Odd. My brother-in-law also wanted to name his kid "Gunnar", at least until the kid turned out to be a girl. Hmmm....


144 posted on 06/27/2006 11:57:55 AM PDT by Starter
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To: stevio

I do like it but it reminds me so much of Children of the Corn. The evil kid on had that name. lol.


145 posted on 06/27/2006 11:58:09 AM PDT by napscoordinator
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To: marmar

LOL....yes I have to often quote that they are a blessing from GOD. Especially when shopping with the wee little one.


146 posted on 06/27/2006 11:58:18 AM PDT by ThisLittleLightofMine
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To: Xenalyte
Nah, it'd be Phoryst.

LOL! Or spelled "Forrest" but pronounced "Foyay."

147 posted on 06/27/2006 11:59:41 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (The Left created, embraces and feeds "The Culture of Hate." Make it part of the political lexicon!)
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To: exile

Shemp's real name was Sherman, and Curly's was Jerome. Moe's was Moses and their real last name was Horwitz.

Larry's real name was Louis Feinberg.


148 posted on 06/27/2006 12:00:21 PM PDT by fredhead (The greatest privilege of citizenship is to be able to freely bear arms under one's country's flag.)
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To: Sloth
I have a granddaughter named Hillary long before Mrs. Clinton became the first lady.

Asked as a seven year old if she was proud to have the same name as the presidents wife, she answered that she loved her name, but not Mrs. Clinton.
149 posted on 06/27/2006 12:00:40 PM PDT by Coldwater Creek ("Over there, over there, We won't be back 'til it's over Over there.")
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To: hispanarepublicana

"If you want to call the baby Lizzie, Bob, Jack or Danny, then name it Elizabeth, Robert, John or Daniel. That first series are nicknames for the real names in the second series."

My parents did that. I am supposed to be named after my grandfathers, Frederic Levi and Clarence Goree (gor-E).

So they named me Freddie Goree.

So I'm stuck. I can't even use the first initial (i.e. F. Murray Abraham) trick to get out of it.


150 posted on 06/27/2006 12:04:25 PM PDT by fredhead (The greatest privilege of citizenship is to be able to freely bear arms under one's country's flag.)
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To: I'm ALL Right!

The author was making fun of that particular tradition.

BTW, my son was named after two of his great grandfathers: James Arthur


151 posted on 06/27/2006 12:04:59 PM PDT by RebelBanker (If you can't do something smart, do something right.)
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To: r9etb

That site is a riot. I'm still crying from laughing!!!


152 posted on 06/27/2006 12:05:54 PM PDT by Condor51 (Better to fight for something than live for nothing - Gen. George S. Patton)
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To: lafroste
This is the first "Jillian Rose" I found on Google. It's a myspace.com photo. (Smile, Jillian, you're famous!)

(I had thought maybe "Jillian Rose" was someone famous who you liked... guess not... but I thought the picture I found WAS kinda funny for a myspace introduction.)

153 posted on 06/27/2006 12:06:10 PM PDT by dangus
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To: Hammerhead

I wanted to name my son 'Gunner' but nobody would have it.


That is great. I wanted Hunter...same thing. No way my wife said. Ugh. lol.


154 posted on 06/27/2006 12:06:41 PM PDT by napscoordinator
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To: qam1

>> And ENOUGH of these weak, gender neutral names given to boys <<

Hey, it's the women who keep stealing names like "Robin," "Sean," "Chris," "Alex," and "Hank."

OK, not so many women have been named Hank, so far...


155 posted on 06/27/2006 12:07:36 PM PDT by dangus
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To: ThisLittleLightofMine

I am in the AF reserves, I have served in active duty and now on occasion I deploy as a medic, we move the Wounded Warriors.

My request to you is that you raise fine Patriotic Americans.........then you have served your duty to the greatest nation in the world.

God Bless America, land that I love...........


156 posted on 06/27/2006 12:08:25 PM PDT by marmar (Although, I may look different then you....my blood still runs....RED, WHITE, @ BLUE.)
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To: agooga

A black man who worked in labor and delivery told me a couple of funny names. One lady saw a NO SMOKING sign while going into the delivery room. Her last name was King. She named her son, Nosmo King. Another saw the band on her newborn's wrist that said, 'Female.' She says, 'they already named my baby, Female... I like it.' She pronounced it Femall.


157 posted on 06/27/2006 12:08:42 PM PDT by imskylark
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To: qam1

When will we see kids named:
Heywood Jablowme
Deeyenda Maddick


158 posted on 06/27/2006 12:08:54 PM PDT by BeHoldAPaleHorse ( ~()):~)>)
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To: agooga

A freind of mine worked for an insurance company. Found kids named "Syphillus" and "Gonorrhea." I'm guessing they go by "Phyllis" and "Rhea." I once came across a Jesus (yes, Hey-Zoos) Moran. Not so funny? He was a rabbi.


159 posted on 06/27/2006 12:10:18 PM PDT by dangus
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To: marmar
Shiloh Pitt-- sort of sounds like silage pit
160 posted on 06/27/2006 12:11:20 PM PDT by bella1 (Support the Minuteman Project.)
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