What’s in a Baby Name?
“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Apparently, Shakespeare would not understand the current “baby naming” obsession. Today name selection is seen as an important part of a child’s life, even perhaps shaping their future.
And so, a once simple element swirling around the universe of giving birth, is now a complex and anxious process for new parents, as they are presented with a diverse array of choices and must face the fall-out from a bad decision.
In the past, there was a much smaller pool of names from which parents could choose. Family traditions, religious names, and biblical standbys comprised the majority of the list of suitable selections.
But that ship has sailed.
Part of the blame for the changes that have altered people’s perception in this area can be attributed to the media-hyped buzz generated by celebrities, who have apparently mistaken their children for thoroughbred racehorses.
Their choice of trendy or outrageous names for their offspring, seems to have struck a chord with the “X” generation who have taken to copying them, for better or worse.
And so, the celebrated provide the notoriety and the internet presents the opportunity. Web sites specializing in baby-name selection have been growing rapidly. (Baby names.com claims 1.2 million monthly unique visitors).
Just how sites like Google can raise the stress level of hapless parents, is best illustrated by the experience of High School teacher Julie Tiedens, who , after finally deciding on Zoe Rose for her newborn daughter, searched the web and found that the name was happily being used by a well-known British porn star, and so Ms. Tiedens found herself once more scanning her list starting at the “A’s.”
Eighty baby-naming books have come to market over the past few years, and consultants are now available to assist parents with this big choice.
Sean and Dawn Mistretta, threw in the towel after failing to agree on a name, and sought the help of consultants, who put together their own extensive list of potential names. Then together they and the consultant went over the potential choices, paying attention to a name’s popularity, composition, and positive vibrations.
The list was then pared to fifteen pages from which the final choice of “Ava” was chosen. In the hospital, soon after their daughter was born, still apprehensive, the Mistretta’s worriedly asked the doctors, nurses and interns what they thought of their decision. When this process was complete they finally felt secure and breathed a sigh of relief.
The following list is offered as a testament to the brilliance of celebrities:
Baby Names of the Famous
| Gillian Anderson (actress) | Piper Maru (daughter) |
| Erykah Badu (musician) | Seven Sirius (son) |
| David Bowie (musician) | Zowie (son) |
| Christie Brinkly (model) | Sailor Lee (daughter) |
| Cher (musician) | Chastity (daughter) |
| Elijah Blue (son) | |
| Tom Cruise (actor) | Suri (daughter) |
| Bob Geldof (musician) | Fifi Trizibelle (daughter) |
| Shannon Sossamon (actress) | Audio Science (son) |
| David Carradine (actor) | Free (son) |
An example of how things have changed, is seen in the fact that the name”Mary,” which was the country’s most popular selection for girls during the 1950’s, is now ranked #84, and believe it or not, “Nevaeh” is at the present #43. (By the way, “nevaeh” is heaven spelled backwards).
Albert Mehrbian, who wrote “The Baby Name Report Card,” in addition to being a professor emeritus of Psychology at UCLA, has found that simple names elicit positive and up-beat reactions from strangers, while the far-out names garner negative feedback. And, he adds, that children with given names that sets them apart from others is akin to dyeing their hair blue.
His conclusion then is, “You can have someone stand-out by being bizarre but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a good thing.”
Lisa and Jon Stone, of Lynwood Washington, sought out a baby-naming consultant as their quest for a “cool” name was proving fruitless. They wanted something that would make their son be noticed by the world.
An unusual name gets people’s attention when you’re looking for a job or you’re one in a field of many,” says Mr. Stone, who liked “Finn” Stone or “Flynn” Stone, but came to realize that they sounded too much like the cartoon character from the Stone Age.
At their wits’ end, they finally contacted Laura Wattenberg, who authored “The Baby Name Wizard,” and begged for help.
Together the three of them finally settled on “Evander Jet.”
Then at a gathering of family and friends, they publicly announced their choice for the first time, which elicited blank stares from the assembled crowd. Ms. Stone then relates that after speaking to the people individually later on, they all basically said, “Oh, you named him after the boxer.”
And thus, with the trend toward raising the perfect baby showing no signs of abating, it can be assumed that the allure of that one name that will give a child a head start in life will not be fading anytime soon.
In fact, according to “Hitwise,” a firm that compiles data on internet traffic, the phrase “Baby Names” was among the top ten generic internet terms searched this past year.
And finally, before you decide to give the name “Skyblue Highway” to your newly arrived bundle of joy, please pay close attention to the following lyrics, penned by Johnny Cash for his Country & Western classic song:
” A Boy Named Sue”
My daddy left home when I was Three
and he didn’t leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze,
Now, I don’t blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing he ever did
was before he left, he went and named me “sue.”
Well, he must o’ thought that is quite a joke
and it got a lot of laughs from a lot of folk
It seems I had to fight my whole life through,
Some gal would giggle and I’d get red
and some guy’d laugh and I’d bust his head
I tell ya, life ain’t easy for a boy named “Sue.”
Well I grew up quick and I grew up mean
my fist got hard and my wits got keen.
I’d roam from town to town to hide my shame,
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
that I’d search the honky-tonks and bars
and kill that man who gave me that awful name.
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
and I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I’d stop and have myself a brew,
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
there at the table dealing stud
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me “Sue.”
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture my mother’d have
and I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye,
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
and I said: “my name is ‘Sue!” How do you do!
Now you’re gonna die!”
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
and he went down, but to my surprise,
He came up with a knife and cut a piece of my ear,
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
and we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a’ gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer
I tell ya, I’ve fought tougher men
But I really can’t remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile,
I heard him laugh and I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin’ at me and I saw him smile
And he said;”Son, this world is rough
and if a man’s gonna make it, he’s gotta be tough,
and I knew I wouldn’t be there to help ya along
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye,
I knew you’d have to get tough or die
and its the name that helped to make you strong.”
He said: “Now you fought one hell of a fight
and I know you hate me, and you got the right
to kill me now, and I wouldn’t blame you if you do
But ya ought to thank me, before I die
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I’m the son-of-a-bitch that named you “Sue.”
I got all chocked up and I threw down my gun
and I called him my pa and he called me his son,
and I came away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win.
And if I ever have a son, I think I’m gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!
THREE STEPS TO PICKING A BABY NAME
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