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 ...
No kidding. My parents didn't realize how common that name would be when I got that name. :)
"We went with an Irish name for our new daughter (mr. elc is Irish) - Neave - and boy do we get some looks and boy does it get butchered. We didn't realize it would be so hard for people to understand."
And you spelled it the easy way. The only person I ever knew with that name -- which I think is a great name, BTW - spelled it the traditional way -- "Niamh".
I forgot to add that I knew her 3rd grade teacher! Her parents would come early every day and try to have their daughter paged over the school-wide PA system, but the principal put a stop to it. Other kids would tease her about her name.
Sweet! Thanks.
Yep. And if there's a sibling they can name him Bull Run.
some of the random scrabble-tile names I've seen ought to be automatic excuses for parricide.
some tips for the expectant:
1. do NOT ask your harried overworked underpaid OBGYN resident/intern to suggest a name for your kid. BAD idea. Don't do it.
2. do NOT try to make a foreign-sounding name. If you want Swahili, do the research. If you want Islamic, do the research. If you want Froggie, do the research. et cetera. Do the research and find a REAL name you like.
3. do NOT take a traditional western name and nancify it.
If you do any of the above, you are preemptively punishing your kid and increasing the chances little Johnnie or Jane shall wind up an antisocial basket-case.
DON'T DO IT.
Jermajestry???????Is that a JOKE???
Watch out for Ricky Bobby!!
Cairistìona? or Ciorstaidh?
Look at this remake...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430357/
Can you believe this?
Some of my favorite fads:
- Krystle (Dynasty)
- Farrah (Fawcett)
- Madison (currently the #3 girl's name, but wasn't in the top 1000 before the '80s -- I think it goes back to "Splash". )
- Ché
- Sunshine
Every president's name in the 20th Century had a spike in popularity -- Theodore, Woodrow, Warren, Calvin, Herbert, Franklin, and Dwight all show the pattern. More common names like John, Richard, James, Ronald, William and George were always popular, so the presidential effect is impossible to gauge.
There was an annual contest at the engineering firm where I worked years ago for the strangest name in the telephone directory. (people with too much spare time) Alouishis Boudreaux Glockenspiel won for many years in a row. Guess he went on to his greater reward, he's no longer listed in the book. I think he suffered enough.
I like Gabriella, Reiko, Brooke, and Michelle for girls and Kyle, Dan, and Michael for boys.
"I met a young man named Ford"
My husband knew a guy named Ford Lincoln Mercury.
MORGAN is another family name. All these people are using family names that aren't even THEIR family.
My daughter was Karen Tudor (another family name). When your last name is very common, as ours is, one MUST use a family name to differentiate from the all the others with the same name!!
Can I change the subject and tell you a funny story about my son Weston William?
Our pastor's best friend from the Korean War days was named Winston. I was so nervous before his baptism because he was forever getting their names confused. I just knew he would say "Winston" at least once.
The ceremony was perfect, and my son made his very first friend at 8 weeks old.
I do believe we should be a bit more thoughtful when naming our children.
And what about George Foreman, naming his sons George Jr, George III, George IV, George V and George VI?
Talk about ego! Sheesh. Not to mention having no understanding of how to use a generational suffix properly.
So I guess that means you wouldn't approve of naming a son "Dirk Bohunk?"
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