Free Republic

Scoot over, Emma. Isabella is the new top baby name for girls. Jacob is the most popular baby name for boys, continuing an 11-year run at the top, the Social Security Administration said Friday. Emma's reign was much shorter, lasting just a year before slipping to No. 2.

Celebrities aren't the only ones giving their babies unusual names. Compared with decades ago, parents are choosing less common names for kids, which could suggest an emphasis on uniqueness and individualism, according to new research.

My name is ChaToyya Eryn ChaNayle. Through the years I've endured derision, cackles and mispronunciation. Let's ignore my middle names. Things might get a bit more complicated with those, but ChaToyya is pretty straightforward. Cha — as in Charlotte, Toy — as in a children's plaything, Ya — and if you can't figure that out, there is little help for you. An introductory mispronunciation is fine. I've done it too, but this continual ignorance of what is my name is not. The subtext is my name is merely a stereotype, freely available as someone's punch line, ignoring that my name...

Many parents want a distinctive, appropriate, special-but-not-too-special name for their children, and 58 percent believe the right name contributes to success. Some would even pay people to help find a name. Even with all the thinking that often goes into the decision, 3 percent of parents regret the names they chose and would change it if they could, according to a survey by BabyCenter. They often said they would make a switch because a name has become too popular or gets mispronounced. A few parents felt that the name just doesn't seem to fit their child, the company said. "Many...

Someone needs to sit our people down and have a healthy discussion about the names we as African Americans are giving our children. We are hurting our kids and putting their futures in peril from the moment they are born. That’s right, I said it. We are KILLING our kids and crippling their futures with the names we give them. Don’t you want your kids to get JOBS someday? Good jobs, and serious careers? With a name like Jaquez Ja’Quan Diante’, you’re dooming your sons to a life of drug dealing on some seedy street corner. Our Black men face...

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...

BOSTON, Sept., 28 — When Vonnessa Goode gives birth in a few weeks, one of her first decisions could be among the toughest: whether to give her daughter a distinctively black name.