Thursday, 28 June 2012
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Is There A Wrong Way To Name A Child?
Looking through baby names just now, I was struck by the variety of them out there, and curious about the limitations society seems to put on names. Even though we've got celebrities naming their children after colors and fruit, there still seems to be a big hesitation about naming a baby something unusual, unless it's "trending" (let's hear it for "Brielle," I know two born this year already
).Personally, ethnic names, Biblical names, family names, and unusual names that others are able to pronounce and spell fairly easily are on my "okay" list.
Names of close family or friend's children, names that are colors, foods or just don't even sound like names are on my "not okay" list.Do you think some names should not be names? How do you decide? Are there hard and fast rules to naming a child? Does the old excuse of "they'll always be made fun of in school" still hold true?
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About the Author
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- From: PreMommy@xanga
- Name: PreMommy
- About Me: I am a fairly-newlywed with a heart for kids. I blog about the things I'm thinking about and doing to prepare for becoming a mommy, and welcome readers who are in the same boat, and also experienced parents! We are now expecting our first baby in May 2013!
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Comments (54)
The most beautiful name in the world that I ever heard was "Stacia-Fe'." That's supposed to be an accent over the "e". And pronounced "stay-sha-fay." I honestly wish more people would name their children that. It sounds quite beautiful--to me, at least.
Both of my parents come from families where it's a tradition to have 3 generations with the same first and last names. Middle names can be different. This applies to both boys and girls. My mom wanted to name me Megan but my dad said no. My last name is Italian so my first name had to flow according to him. So, I am named after my mom. I was the only Linda in a majority of my classes. Lots of students would comment, "My mom's/aunt's/etc name is Linda!" It never bothered me though. The only problem I had with having the same name as my mom was when I would try to apply for a loan or credit card. I always was denied first because I was told I had "too much credit." After I explained the name situation and was able to point out my credit from my mom's I was approved.
I told my mom that if I ever have a daughter of my own I am breaking the tradition and not naming her after me because I don't want her to go through all that crap. I would give her my middle name, Rose, as her middle name. Or a first name if I can't think of a good one that I like.
Don't give them names of truly horrific and inhumane people like Hitler. You're just asking for child services to come knocking on your door.
I'm a fan of unique names. I don't usually like names that are trendy or over-used. There are exceptions there, but not many. Most of the unique names that I like are either very old, or they're names that haven't been used in the United States for a very long time, if at all. Just so you get a good look at what I mean, there are my favored names that I really am considering for any future child(ren) I may have:
Girls: Vivienne, Margaretta, Saga, Brigid, Lenore, Odette, Seraphine
Boys: Cassius, Kane, Corvus, Rhys, Finias, Aksel, Xavier, Tobias
They're all actual names. Some of them have been out of circulation for a very long time, such as Finias. A couple of them are more common, like Xavier. It really all depends on what your standards are. Also, I wouldn't mind if my best friend and I had a child with the same name. We have the same name, so we know first hand that its not a big deal.
I love names though. They're so interesting! I don't think there are many rules to naming a child, other than the fact that you have to think about if your child will like it. Almost all kids are teased or picked on for one reason or another. If your child is targeted, even a name as simple as Sue can be used against them. That's the cold, harsh truth. I don't think you should give the bully's excessive ammo, such as giving your son an overly feminine name or allowing them to have initials that would spell something like F.A.T. or D.U.M.... I think parents have to go with their gut when it comes to names. Does it feel right for your child? If yes, go for it.