Those names wouldn't occur to me but names like Leslie are popular for boys in England and the Caribbean. I want to name one of my girls Giovanna but Petronski disagrees. I am half Italian and love Italian girl names but people STILL think mafia. Doesn't matter to me. My father used to resent the famous Italians who would change their names just because of anti-Italian prejudice. Back to the thread topic at hand though. I've lived in a predominantly black neighborhood where there ARE people actually named Laquita. I'm used to it and so I don't get the whole 'black names indicate social disease' mentality considering many of the names are from the bible.
I think Giovanna is a gorgeous name. It means "gift from God."
I also like Adriana, Alessandra, Cara, Elena, Fiorenza, Francesca, and Serena.
"many of the names are from the bible."
Then you know that Jemimah and Keziah were the names of Job's daughters. Kerenhappuch hasn't quite caught on as much, though.
Giovanna is a beautiful name : )
My neighborhoods in adulthood have always been populated by Hispanic names. They're beautiful names like Socorro or Esperanza, but they just don't go with our last name, lol!
I'm sure your father resented others trying to hide, instead of having some kind of ethnic pride. My maiden name is Irish, and Dad related how when he was a boy, there were signs in Fall River, MA stating "no dogs or Irish allowed". Didn't change his name, though.
No, Laquita, LaToya...those aren't the names coming up. Some of these names are bizarre, make no sense, and injure the child. Some of the yuppies trying to be original are just as idiotic. It is rare that teachers will recognize a Biblical name, and the parent should take care.
I think the first rule of thumb for parents is that you shalt not subject your child to ridicule. Now if Giovanna doesn't exactly fit with her last name, why not Joanna? How about a middle name choice? Compromise is one of the glues that keeps a relationship together : )
"I want to name one of my girls Giovanna but Petronski disagrees."
How about Allegra? I love that name. And it is in the great (well, not great, but old fave) Longfellow (I think) poem, "The Children's Hour". Giovanna is nice too, I love Italian names.