MOMania

By Patrice

June 2, 2006 07:53 AM | Link to this

We are expecting our first child - a baby girl, and I wanted to give her a name that meant something. Not just a name that was popular or one that had a nice ‘sound’ to it. So, we decided to name her Samantha Perri, after both of her grandfathers. One is deceased, so since she’ll never get to meet him, I wanted her to have his name so that she’ll always know of him.

By beth

June 2, 2006 07:57 AM | Link to this

Of course it is up to each family, but my hubby and I prefer “old-timey” names. I like Betsey for a girl and he’s stuck on Jack for a boy. Very “Dick and Jane.”

Patrice, I think Samantha Perri is the perfect way to honor the Grandpas.

By Nickelbelle

June 2, 2006 08:22 AM | Link to this

We wanted something that was good for our boys when they were young as well as older(they are now 15 and 13) and good no matter what they choose to become one day so Samuel (Sam) and Lucas (Luke) fit for a lawyer (God forbid!) doctor, surfer, beach bum…whatever!

By Anne

June 2, 2006 08:39 AM | Link to this

We named both of out children ‘old family’ names, something that would sound good should they grow up to be professionals. We joked that with these names they have to live up to them; doctors, a judge maybe. On the flip side, the trendy names become cliche after a while and some names are just so confusing and strange sounding, you’re putting your child through unnecessary ridicule. I don’t want anyone to have a preconceived notion about my children based on names.

By Heather

June 2, 2006 08:48 AM | Link to this

I’m currently pregnant with twins (boy/girl) and like our other children, we will name them after family members. We made this decision when I first got pregnant with our oldest and it’s worked for us. Consider my husband and I two more who like classic names (Joseph, Madalene, named for grandmother hence spelling, Lauren and now Johnathan and Julia). They’re timeless and you can’t tell what year they were born based on their names.

By Eric

June 2, 2006 08:49 AM | Link to this

Just do what so many people do… name it after a car, name it after some religious figure you know nothing about, or just make something up complete…

By Pronouns

June 2, 2006 08:54 AM | Link to this

For the sake of your childs future, stay away from the names that will label them before they come through the door. I have my own business so trust me whem I tell you names do matter. I will hire a Sarah or an Emily over a Shakeeka or a LaQuanita any day. Don’t name your kids names that say…” Look at me, I am ghetto.” It’s your business to name youir child whatever you please, think pronouns long and hard. These ridiculous so called African sounding names, especially when they have never been researched and the person has never even been to Africa, sound just done right stupid. Why do that to a child? Same as Dakota and Montana..they sound like porn actors.

By Old Fashioned

June 2, 2006 09:02 AM | Link to this

When my 5 year-old son was born, I named him Henry. I figured there were enough Dylans, Tylers and Codys in the world for now. My parents weren’t crazy about the name, but now they couldn’t imagine him being called anything else. And I still get compliments on such a classic name.

By julie

June 2, 2006 09:05 AM | Link to this

My children are named after grandparents and great-grandparents. I have an affinity for Biblical names but also simplicity, hence, Ruth Elisabeth (Lisa) and Samuel John-Ezra (Sam).

By michelle williams

June 2, 2006 09:16 AM | Link to this

When my daughter was 9 years of age I became pregnant. Me and my spouse didn’t think that I could have anymore children. So when we found out that it was a girl and being that the siblings were going to be 9 years apart I named my daughter Midestin’e. Pronounced my destiny.

By Classics

June 2, 2006 09:22 AM | Link to this

When naming your child always be mindful of people recreating to insult him/her (ex. don’t name a boy Smellonius)which will be known as Smelly. And we all know children are masters at reconstructing of there peers names. Also, what happens in their professions and as they become elderly??? Remember the trendy ones’ like Sunshine and Dimples expire when the child turns about 10. Think on these…..

By Lola

June 2, 2006 09:25 AM | Link to this

I agree with Pronouns 100%. Do NOT name your child something that sounds ridiculous and ignorant (i.e., Lexus, Miracle, Precious, etc.) or something that sounds thugish or ghetto (LaTavius, Shaquiqua, D’Narious, etc.). All you’re doing is condemning them to a difficult life of trying to get a job. With that name at the top of a resume, they’re immediately considered unqualified, with an entitlement mentality and with a big racial chip on their shoulder. Whether that’s fair or not, that’s the way it is. Those names aren’t unique. They’re stupid and destructive to your child’s future. And stop with the stupid spellings of traditional names (i.e, Kristee, Ashleigh, Alix, etc.). Speaking as someone who had a very difficult to spell last name until I got married, it really gets old having to constantly spell your name out for people. I can’t imagine having to do that for a first name as well. Just be smart when naming your children, people. A name says more about the parents of someone than the actual person, and if that name says “IGNORANT”, it’s a reflection on the lack of intelligence of your child’s parents.

By Lola

June 2, 2006 09:28 AM | Link to this

Oh Michelle, I already feel sorry for your daughter. She’s double screwed with a name like Midestin’e. The spelling and the ghetto-ness of it are going to be a permanently negative label on her for the rest of her life. Maybe she can go by her middle name?

By past50mom

June 2, 2006 09:34 AM | Link to this

We named our first daughter after my sister Susan, second daughter after husband’s sister Ann, and our son after my husband John, and an old mentor friend of my husband, who never had children of his own. None of the names were on the most popular lists, and we and our kids have been happy with the choices.

By ga_tech_92

June 2, 2006 09:34 AM | Link to this

When we were deciding my son’s name, we started (probably like many people) before he was born. We had decided on Nicolas. I’m not really sure why, but we liked the name. Funny twist to the story which shows how planning works out sometimes is this: at my work my boss’s wife had a baby a month or so before my son was born. I did not care much for my boss (his name was Rick). They decided to name their little boy “Nicolas”. Wow, well every time I thought of saying the name Nicolas, it always seemed to come out with a negative twist and I would say “Rickolas”. Needless to say, we scrapped that name, because I didn’t want any negative attachment to the name for obvious reasons. Well we didn’t really settle on anything until he was born, but we spent many hours looking through names and considering things. We wanted something old, something new, something original, something classic all at once…no small task right? Well we heard the song “Hey Jude” and I told my wife (at the time) that I felt the story was about John Lennon’s son. She said, Julian is a cool name. I agreed. We found that if we spelled it Julien, it would reflect the older Latin/Spanish version of the word…thus satisfying the “something old, something unique, but something modern too” criteria. We spent the rest of the time deciding a middle name. She was very fond of Juliet Lewis (odd characters, but good actress), and we liked the flow of the name Julien Lewis Stone…we also felt that were he to grow up to be rich and famous that his monogrammed towels would look nice with a JLS (haha). And so it was that we decided on the name. The irony (perhaps foreshadowing) is that the name we picked…was from a song about a boy who lost his mother and is being encouraged to let the new woman into his heart and life…and here today my son lives with just his father and his mother is no where in the picture. Life is odd sometimes.

More on “Hey Jude” it (I feel) was written for Julian because of John leaving his mother for Yoko. Like any child, there would be resistance to letting this new person in your life. Here are the lyrics, knowing the background, maybe you can get a little more depth from the song….

Hey, Jude, don’t make it bad Take a sad song and make it better Remember to let her into your heart Then you can start to make it better Hey, Jude, don’t be afraid You were made to go out and get her The minute you let her under your skin Then you begin to make it better. And any time you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders Well don’t you know that its a fool who plays it cool By making his world a little colder Hey, Jude! Don’t let her down You have found her, now go and get her Remember, to let her into your heart Then you can start to make it better. So let it out and let it in, hey, Jude, begin You’re waiting for someone to perform with And don’t you know that it’s just you, hey, Jude, You’ll do, the movement you need is on your shoulder Hey, Jude, don’t make it bad Take a sad song and make it better Remember to let her into your heart Then you can start to make it better

Sorry to be long winded…I’m a chatty person sometimes…

By emily

June 2, 2006 09:36 AM | Link to this

The name of the child can set the tone for his and her life. Children are very cruel when rediculing anything different than what they know or what they think is cool. Some people think that ethnic names are the way to go, while others move to the middle of the road and want accomplishments to override ethnicity (see Bill Cosby). To me, names aren’t all THAT important. It’s merely a tab to let them know who is being addressed. Some of the names that celebrities give their children are just dooming them to a childhood of redicule (unless they are the football captain or a cheerleader). The bottom line is if you want to name your child whatever you want, that’s OK for you. Just be conscious of the possible repercussions from their school yard aquaintances. Dad’s tend to go “whatever” for the child’s name and Mom’s tend to act like it is the naming of a future soap star. It’s just the nature of the beast.

By Kelly

June 2, 2006 09:45 AM | Link to this

My husband and I don’t have any children yet, but we do have names that we like. My husband has a very gender nuteral name…Mackenzie, unfortunately, that name has boomed in recent years. But hopefully by the time we start having children, it won’t be so trendy and we will be ok. Our boy name is top secret for fear of it becoming too popular.

By Rich

June 2, 2006 09:50 AM | Link to this

Michelle……..triple screwed with a name like Midestin’e. Hate it for her. What is her middle name?

By Swangirl

June 2, 2006 09:52 AM | Link to this

I always find it fascinating how certain names become popular over a few years and then others replace them.

Disclaimer before I continue: If you or your child’s name is Ashley, please do not take the following remarks as a personal insult to you or your child. I am simply relating something that happened to me. Ashley is a fine name.

Back in the late 80s, Ashley seemed to be the big girl name. I was working at the now defunct Southern Linen for the summers of ‘87 and ‘88 while I was on college break.

I kid you not, I think I heard a shopping mother calling for her “ASHLEY!” at least once a day. After a while, it got to be comical and my friends would ask me how many “Ashleys” I’d racked up that day. Some days it got as high as five.

I am still amazed at how many women chose that name for their little girl that year. I think by the next summer, Jessica had replaced it.

Then there’s the famiy who has 16 kids, all with names that start with a J. Their story comes on TLC from time to time. Wow.

By deegee

June 2, 2006 09:54 AM | Link to this

I am part of the Debbie, Kathy, and Susan generation. I really feel old when at work I am dealing with the Ashley’s, Tiffany’s and Josh’s that are now coming of age. Sometimes I feel like telling them to please just do what ask because someday they will understand. Can’t do that, very not PC. I am sure that the Mildred’s, Evelyn’s and Doris’s that came before me struggled with the same feelings.

By mrsbj

June 2, 2006 10:16 AM | Link to this

My kids names are Jasmine (15), Jalen Joseph (3), Jared Anthony (1) and, if there’s a next one: Joelle. What do you think. Our names are Bryan and Debra, also part of the (Debbie, Kathy and Susan generation—I like that). Note: the whole “J” think started with the first and second, then not wanting those that followed to feel left out.

By SNY

June 2, 2006 10:21 AM | Link to this

9 years ago when I was faced with naming my daughter my then boyfriend (now my husband) told me to make it simple. I wanted to name her Joyce after my moms mother who died when my mom was only 4 yrs old. He didn’t like that name so we compromised and gave her Joyce for her middle name. That still left us with the problem of a first name. It literally took us 5 months of everyday throwing names around. One day his 4 yr old daughter said the name Erika. I liked it so much and I thought that letting my daughters big sister name her would be a wonderful story for her later. The only change I made was to insert the letter “C” before the k. So her name is Ericka Joyce Young. Now, when people see her name on a resume, they have no preconceived notions about my child. Ericka Young works for an actor, a model, a judge, a teacher, or the 1st black woman president. (no pressure) Ha Ha!! She knows I’m kidding with her when I tell her that.

Another story about my 3 yr old son after I do some work.

By linny

June 2, 2006 10:26 AM | Link to this

i was always told “don’t name your children or your dogs anything you would not be comfortable yelling from the back porch” … makes sense!!!

By Melissa

June 2, 2006 10:29 AM | Link to this

I was born in the mid 70’s, when Melissa was the most popular girl’s name. While I am biased and think it’s a beautiful name, it was tough being one of at least 3 Melissa’s in class as a kid. Now all I hear up here in North Fulton is Carlson, Cody, Taylor, and the dreaded Madison. I guess I was lucky. But I will name my children an older, more traditional name. You can never go wrong with the classics.

By Melissa

June 2, 2006 10:29 AM | Link to this

I was born in the mid 70’s, when Melissa was the most popular girl’s name. While I am biased and think it’s a beautiful name, it was tough being one of at least 3 Melissa’s in class as a kid. Now all I hear up here in North Fulton is Carlson, Cody, Taylor, and the dreaded Madison. I guess I was lucky. But I will name my children older, more traditional names. You can never go wrong with the classics.

By ga_state_92

June 2, 2006 10:48 AM | Link to this

Reading gatech92’s post made me ponder the reasoning behind the naming of my son, Dogmeat. The clever names like Chase and Brighton were all but taken and we looked all around us for inspiration for a name that would set him apart from the crowd and make us the envy of the soccer team. I had a passion for punk rock as a child and was a fanatic for the british punk rockers, Vomitclub. Their second lead guitarist only lasted about 2 months before he had to report back to prison, but in his short tenure with the band, made an incredible impact on me as a musician and a songwriter. His name was Dogmeat and below I’ve written a wonderful example of his talent as a songwriter, giving credence to my decision to name my only son after him.

I have a bladder full I have a bladder full I have a bladder full take me home

Get the crunchy kind Get the crunchy kind Get the crunchy kind wheres my hamster

I dont hate you as much please get off my chips you’ve broken them you’ve broken them ………..

The rest of the song I really cant understand, but I played this at my wedding and everyone cried, especially my ex-wife’s mother.

RIP Dogmeat! (prison love triangle, almost always tragic)

By April

June 2, 2006 10:51 AM | Link to this

It is just unblievable how many hypocrite’s there are actually trying to tell someone else that you would or would not hire someone base on a name and how dare you all say that the choice someone else made to name their son or daughter was a bad decission. I bet have you can’t even pronounce the Biblical Names in the Bible. My oldest daughter is Jazmin which was popular back then and my youngest daughter is Jania which means (Of Noble Birth) and I could really care less what anyone else thought of their names. To say that you wouldn’t hire based on a name that is African based - is just another way of saying you are racist. That’s what wrong with the world now and I would hope that you have better things to worry about and not what someone name is and more about the skills and interlect they posses. People get a life!!!!!!!!!!

By ga_tech_92

June 2, 2006 10:51 AM | Link to this

I think I just got dissed. Yo or something.

By Aaron's mom

June 2, 2006 10:51 AM | Link to this

When I was newly pregnant my husband and I started throwing out names. I said “Aaron” and my husband agreed. That was it. For the middle name we chose “Samuel” because it is his mother’s maiden name and a whole lot more interesting than his mother’s parents’ actual names (which she kept suggesting). We spent the next nine months arguing about a name for a girl. Thank goodness we had a boy! We never did totally agree on the girl name. I thought we were being a little more original by choosing “Aaron,” it didn’t seem very popular. I now know of two other “Aarons” his age, go figure.

By ga_state_92

June 2, 2006 10:53 AM | Link to this

I’m gonna git me some of that there interlect, yea man.

By Sarah

June 2, 2006 10:54 AM | Link to this

Old Fashioned, I had to chuckle to myself when you mentioned that your family hated the name”Henry.” When I was born 45 years ago (the “Debbie, Kathy Susan generation” and I think we need to add “Lisa”), my grandmother had a fit when my parents named me. She told them that they couldn’t “give that little baby and old ladies’ name!” Since then, my name soared in popularity. It was consistently in the top 10 from 1978-2002, peaking at #3 in 1993. It’s currently ranked number 15. I never had to share my name with classmates, but most Sarahs in the schools today are known by their first name and middle initial (so are Michaels and Laurens. My 8th grade son has had at least 2 Michaels in each of his classes and his pre-school class of 16 students had 3 Laurens). Who knows, the kindergarten class of 2020 may have Henry B., Henry L., and Henry W.

When my best friend was pregnant with her second daughter, she loved the name “Bethany,” but her husband was cool to it. They finally agreed on “Hailey.” The day she was born, the nurse asked them what they would be naming their daughter. When they told her it would be “Hailey,” the nurse laughed and said, “the couple that just left this room named their baby ‘Hailey’, the couple in the next door have a ‘Hailey,’ and the lady across the hall and two doors down named her daughter ‘Hailey’!” Her husband looked at her and said, “Bethany,” and Bethany it is.

By Dee Dee

June 2, 2006 10:55 AM | Link to this

Funny this topic should come up now…I’m actually in the midst of writing a book about the stupid names parents give their kids. I have come across some doozies!!! Tuezdae, Tia’Wanna, Brick and some names I couldn’t even pronounce if I had a universal translator. I have a child so I know about looking for unique names, but there is a difference between unique and a name that is so far off the wall your child will need therapy by the time he or she is 5.

Oh and those with so called “normal” names aren’t off the hook either. I can’t stand it when parents take a so called ordinary name and try and make it different by adding 14 extra letters and an accent. There are only so many letters in the alphabet and you do not need to use all of them!!!

By Nia

June 2, 2006 10:56 AM | Link to this

To all you smug,pseudo elite,people..while you are bashing the weird names (mostly used by Blacks)..remember CONDOLEEZA was probably teased,a lot, as a child,now some of the Jacks and Jills are still on the hill waiting for their pail of water,SHE HAS MOVED ON!!! My own son has an ethnic sounding name,and he is a GS-14,at the age of 32…so If you’ve GOT IT..YOUR NAME DOES NOT MATTER!!!

By ksjoyner

June 2, 2006 10:58 AM | Link to this

I was, (and still am), a Kelly from the early ‘60’s. When my children were born in the early 80’s I didn’t want the popular names. My eldest is Carrie Michele - for her great grandmother. My youngest is Katie Frances - because it sounds so Irish. Both went well with the last name Sullivan and believe it or not, the youngest loves her middle name because it is classic and no one she knows has that name!

By ga_tech_92

June 2, 2006 10:59 AM | Link to this

I think I just got dissed. Yo or something….not by April (order of posts was confusing)…but by gastate92 :)

By Big Chief Hug-em-and-kiss-em

June 2, 2006 11:00 AM | Link to this

This story should give pause to any of you who are considering burdening the fruit of your loins with an “uncommon” name:

The last of my three children was crying when he came home from the first day of school.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

“All of the other kids were making fun of my name,” he replied. “Why do we have such weird names? Why can’t I be named Billy, or Tommy, or Bobby?”

“Well,” I explained, “it’s an ancient Native American custom to give our children a name that is relative to the circumstances of their birth. For example, a deer with huge antlers came bounding across the field on the morning that your brother was born. That is why he is called Running Buck. And your sister was conceived by a beautiful mountain stream. That is why she is called Babbling Brook.”

Gazing tenderly at my youngest son, I asked, “Now, does that answer your question, Broken Condom?”

Take heed, people. Take heed.

By Megan

June 2, 2006 11:09 AM | Link to this

I was named Megan just a few years ahead of the Megan/Meghan/Meagan phase (I was born in 1980). I was supposed to be Katie, but two of my mom’s friends had Katies the year before I was born, so they went with something that was - at that time - uncommon. I was the only Megan throughout elementary school and one of two Megans in my grade in high school. BUT…by the time I was a senior in high school, the younger grades (freshman, sophomore) had many Megans.

Now that I am pregnant with my first, I find myself thinking about names a lot. We’ve already decided on Tristan for a boy (the ancient Celtic myth of Tristan and Iseult is my favorite story) and Elaine if it’s a girl (my mama’s middle name - we’ll call her Laney or Lanie).

I totally agree with all y’all about those ridiculous names. Your child is going to have to live with your moment of stupidity! People try to get so cutesy and “creative” and wind up looking like idiots. And what is with putting apostrophes in your baby’s name? Sorry, but that’s just dumb.

While I like most of the names on the top-10 list, think about how annoying it is going to be in ten years when your kid is one of 10 “Emmas” or “Jacobs” in their grade or on their sports teams. When you yell “Go Jacob” no one is going to know who you’re talking about!

Just think about what you’re doing, people, please!

By T.I.E.

June 2, 2006 11:10 AM | Link to this

I think names should be left to the parents, of course…. but I don’t have to like some of ‘em! and whether you like it or not, the name at the top of the resume is the first impression — and subsequently hard to change. The kid better have a glowing resume, filled with academic and social achievements if the name at the top is (as one jokester suggested) DOGMEAT.

By Linda

June 2, 2006 11:10 AM | Link to this

With my first daughter I had chosen a name that I liked a lot, Johnna Raylen. My mother looked at me and said “Absolutely NOT” thus I was swayed to choose a new name. I decided on Heather Nicole. Now that my daughter is 21 I regret allowing my mother to change my first choice of names. I basically let my mother name my first daughter. With my second daughter her name came around before she was ever conceived. Stasha Kelly, or that is how we decided to spell her name. It is mispronounced all the time. Correct pronunciation is StAsha with a long A (as in STAYsha), everyone says STAHsha. She gets angry and so do I!! Now that Stasha is expecting her first child she has come out with some really outlandish names. While not insisting she come up with something more reasonable I have been able to encourage her to give naming her baby some thought and make sure it’s a name that is strong and sounds good. Something that will sound professional when the baby is a grown man or woman. She is pretty much set on using Peyton for a boy or Payton for a girl but the middle names she has chosen leave a bit to be desired. We’ll wait and see what she comes up with in the end.

By Jesse's Girl

June 2, 2006 11:10 AM | Link to this

Kate, Emmy, and Jax…..short for Jaxon ( my father’s name) Sweet and simple. No ghetto love, no silly Hollywood tributes here.

By Cindy

June 2, 2006 11:16 AM | Link to this

We’ve got a few stories regarding our children’s names. We named our first, a girl, Miranda Ivy. Miranda we got from a character’s name in a movie we watched right before she was born, and Ivy from the fact I had a severe outbreak of poison ivy when I found out I was pregnant with her! Our second, a boy, was named after my husband’s brother who passed away several years before my son was born. We gave him the full name, Michael Elwood II. Michael just also happened to be the most popular boy name at the time also. When I found out I was having another boy, we decided that since we had an Elwood, we had to have a Jake! (Blues Brothers). So we picked his name a long time before he was born - Lyman Jacob. Lyman coming from my only living grandfather’s name.

Every child is unique, and every child should be proud of their name and heritage. But, I cringe everytime I hear a parent give a child a “made up” name or one that you know can’t be pronounced by anyone other than the immediate family. Imagine what children go through when they’re at school! The teacher goes down the attendance list that first day of school, calling out the names…..children can be cruel! And when it’s time for graduation, think about those officials calling out names as they walk across to receive their diploma. Imagine how long they have to practice to get the names right!

If you have a child in this country (no matter where you’re from) please give them normal American names! You came here for a reason - you must of liked the names too!

Thanks!

By Sabrina

June 2, 2006 11:23 AM | Link to this

The one thing I will not do, is to name my child to please others.

It’s sad that you are unemployable, because of your name. I work with people of many nationalities and their first and last names are very unique in this country. When I looked at their resume, I did not consider their names. It was their professional background and education that caught my attention. I must say, that Nirmeet has worked out well - I must thank India for this unique sounding name and person.

Just because your name is different, does not make you Ghetto. I was the only Sabrina in my school, until my senior year. The other Subrena would be considered ghetto today.

By Lola

June 2, 2006 11:24 AM | Link to this

Nia - Condoleeza succeeded in SPITE of her name, not because of it. And she’s one in a million. I hear a lot more “Africa-based” (which usually has nothing to do with Africa and everything to do with ghetto ignorance) names on the news that are describing criminals or 17 year old mothers of three than I do about successful people. It’s not racist. It’s life. And the sooner you realize that, and name your children accordingly, the better off your children will be later in life.

By Old Fashioned

June 2, 2006 11:26 AM | Link to this

My younger sister grew up with the name Teruko (pronounced Tera-ko), but we’ve always called her Teri. She was named after my Japanese grandmother and the name (so I’ve been told) means “happy sunshine” in Japanese.

While my sister DID grow up having her name made fun of, having to spell it or correct people on how to pronounce it, she’s very proud of her name. My grandmother even cried when she found out my mother named my sister after her, BECAUSE she didn’t want her to be made fun of. But I think it’s a beautiful name and people do compliment her on it.

My older sister used “Teruko” as her daughter’s middle name…just to keep it in the family.

By ga_tech_92

June 2, 2006 11:26 AM | Link to this

“no silly Hollywood tributes here.”

Let me clarify. In my “picking names” story, we weren’t trying to in any way do a tribute to anyone or anything. We were just brainstorming and tossing out names, from any source. I do not feel like my son is named after Julian Lennon or Juliet Lewis. They are just names which we decided we liked the sound of together. I also found the initial conversation about Hey Jude to just be a little ironic, all things considered. Again, tt doesn’t mean I named my son after Julian Lennon. I know very little of the man as a person, nor do I think ANY Hollywood person worthy of a tribute. I’m sure you made an honest mistake in your assumptions and as such, I will not call you or your child’s name “stupid” or “silly”. I would find that to be extremely rude. Do any of you think it’s follows the Golden Rule to tell people their child’s name is “stupid” or “a silly tribute”? We are talking about the most precious and treasured thing in the world here. Don’t forget the Golden Rule people, it’s a lost art.

To those of you who might respond with the classic: “I’m entitled to my opinion”

To you I would say, so am I and my opinion is it’s extremely rude and short sighted to call a child’s name stupid or silly. I might even say it’s something that school aged kids would do; however, they are children and thus immature. I should think anyone on this blog would not fall into the category of being children.

By msmvance

June 2, 2006 11:28 AM | Link to this

When my husband and I were expecting he was terrified of having little girls. So to make sure that their name sounded as innocent as possible we always practiced the name as if she would be a stripper. Like “Now coming on stage…”. It shut out some names. We ended up with two boys, but had one of them been a girl she would have been Virginia Gray (very big family name) and that doesn’t sound much like a stripper name!!! :)

By sobegape

June 2, 2006 11:34 AM | Link to this

My son was born in 1993. His first name is Christian and he shares a middle name with his father. I wasn’t concerned about the name being too popular or anything like that. That was not a factor at all. I chose the name myself, simply because I carried him for 9 months myself. There was no discussion. However, my son now wants to change his middle name. He would actually like his middle name to be the male equivalent of my mother’s middle name.

By linny

June 2, 2006 11:43 AM | Link to this

in 1970 when my son was born (in the days when “natural childbirth” was frowned upon, so i was doped up to the gills) my husband, who is of norwegian descent, and whose name is Eric… named our firstborn son while i was still — shall we say — indisposed … and what else would a proud norwegian name the son of Eric???? Leif is our pride and joy, by the way [even tho’ that garrett boy is a mess, ours is ok!]

By Dee Dee

June 2, 2006 11:43 AM | Link to this

@ Nia and Sabrina. I have to kind of agree with Lola. Like I posted earlier I am in the middle of researching a book about this topic and there are plenty of studies I can link to that say while names don’t affect your whole life outcome, they really are a hinderance in school performance (teachers treat kids different and set lower expectations for them), job searching etc. etc. It’s unfortunate, but it is the reality of the situation.

While I don’t believe “unusual” equates to ghetto either, I will clarify that there is a big difference between true ethnic names and ones that people just make up by tossing random Scrabble letters in the air and calling them “ethnic”. Just something to think about before giving a child a name THEY have to live with.

By CMaire

June 2, 2006 11:53 AM | Link to this

Since my son’s due date was on what would have been his great-grandfather’s 100th birthday, we briefly considered his name, Julius. I was actually relieved when my dad said that if I did that, Grandpa would rise from his grave and smite me! Turns out Grandpa always hated that name, especially the nickname of Julie he acquired in the army in WWI.

We ended up going with two family names, James William. He has always been called Jim. Funny thing, when I was growing up, there were as many as four kids named Jim in any of my classes, but now my Jim is unique. Though there are many boys named James, and some Jimmys, none of the others go by Jim. By the way, you should see the smiles of approval when I tell women of my parents’ generation his name is Jim. I guess everyone of them was in love with a Jim at some point in her life!

By bluegrasschica

June 2, 2006 11:53 AM | Link to this

When we named our son in 2003, we chose the name Benjamin. We wanted something that would “stand the test of time”, so we chose a classic. If we have a girl, it will be Caroline.

As much as everyone says it’s wrong to judge someone by their name, it happens! Like someone else said, if it was between Jack and Daquavious, Jack would probably get the job.

I used to work for an elementary school and I can not tell you how many awful names I heard. My favorite one was Sh’Nautica :-)

By Neena

June 2, 2006 11:57 AM | Link to this

Wish children could choose their own names!! Instead of getting saddled with names given by others.

By Andrea

June 2, 2006 11:59 AM | Link to this

I opted for a plain name - Jordan Elise. Her grandmother’s name is Eloise and while I wanted to honor her grandmother, I thought naming her identically would be horrible. She is the perfect little Jordan!!

Michelle, you should be ashamed of yourself. I blame you for the ridicule and embarrasment the child will endure for many years to come. Thank goodness you included a pronunciation because I was totally lost on how to pronounce it (and 98% of the population will not know as well).

By Lola

June 2, 2006 12:07 PM | Link to this

http://inch.stormpages.com/

It’s nice to see there are people in the world who are looking out for those kids who have been the victim of their own parents’ ignorance and lack of education or common sense.

By Debbie

June 2, 2006 12:17 PM | Link to this

My son is named Wesley (Wes) because I had a friend named Wes who loved his own name, so I thought it would be nice to name a child something they would like. My daughter is Rebecca (Becca) because my husband and I each took a baby book and rated the names we each liked. Rebecca was 3rd on each of our lists - so that was it.

When I was in the hospital after giving birth to my daughter, the nurse came in, all happy, saying “it’s time to name your baby”! I was in a semi-private room with a 19 yr. old girl who had just given birth to her 5th child!!! I looked at the nurse and announced “Rebecca Denise” as my daughter’s name (Denise after my sister). She wrote it down and agreed it was a pretty name.

She then looked at the other girl and asked her for her decision. The girl just shrugged her shoulders and said she didn’t know. The nurse told her she still had another day to think about it, so she’d be back. The girl said “no, don’t leave. I’ll think of one.” Then went “ummmm, name him Eddie”. The nurse was surprised and said “Are you sure? Just Eddie?” The girl replied “ummmmm, Eddie Lamar, that’s it, Eddie Lamar”.

So what most of us struggle over for most of our 9 months, this girl picked her name in about 30 seconds!!!

By Carol

June 2, 2006 12:20 PM | Link to this

Nia it is your right to name a child whatever it is you choose to, however you may have to deal with the consequences of your decisions. If you’re a celebrity go ahead and name your child Apple or Rumor, you’ll probably have enough money and celebrity that your name will not matter. Most of us are not rich celebrities, we’re just regular working people. I work with a lady that named her twins Diamondella and Sparkelina. She chose the names becasue they are such a bright spot in her life. I can’t imagine doing this to a child, it borders cruel. Right or wrong, people will judge you by your name. Given the choice of looking in the phone book for a doctor I will go with a more common sounding name such as Emily or Sarah anytime over a Eboni’ or Shaquisha. If that makes me a racis, it makes the mother a fool to burden a kid with a target on their forehead, someday you have to leave da hood.

By beth

June 2, 2006 12:23 PM | Link to this

bluegrasschica, I love your names!! (Except my brother has already claimed Benjamin for his kids and he’s not even married yet ha ha)

I love Caroline.

Hey ya’ll I was thinking about naming a girl “Katie Scarlett” IS THAT TOO HOLLYWOOD weird? My hubby thinks so. We would call her Katie of course…

By Leia

June 2, 2006 12:29 PM | Link to this

As a teacher, I can tell you that you can always figure out what the “popular” names are for a specific year by looking at your roster! In 1999 - I had 6 “Ashleys” in one class! And - they all were spelled differently. Ashley, Ashli, Ashleigh, Ashlie, Ashlee, Ashlea. It was a nightmare because none of them wanted to be called by their last names! In a few years, I can imagine that in a few years, there will be about 10 “Emma Graces” in kindegarten!

Also - being a teacher “ruins” some legitimately lovely names for you! Because of a hellish experience with a student and his parents, I wouldn’t name a ferret “Ryan” now!

By OldSchool

June 2, 2006 12:32 PM | Link to this

I’ve been teaching high school for 32 years and have known a number of students with interesting first names including: Tenacious, Irish, Alabama, Magic, Rhett (Butler), twins Ethel and Methel. My all-time favorite was that of a young man who explained that his mom had gotten his name straight from the Bible. “Hallow be thy name” was his response.

By sue

June 2, 2006 12:33 PM | Link to this

I had a theater class in college. My favorite part of the class was when the teacher called the role. I was amused near the beginning of this exercise when Pandy Bahr’s name was called, but my favorite part was near the middle when the he got to “….Liota Hepple, Ylonda Hiss…” Neither was a horrible name, but the combination has stuck in my memory for 24 years (BTW Ylonda is still one of my best friends, but I never saw Liota after that class).

By bluegrasschica

June 2, 2006 12:36 PM | Link to this

Leia! You are so right about working with children and having names “ruined”. Shane and Jared are at the top of that list.

Of course, I wouldn’t consider any of the names on my “ruined” list as names for my children.

My husband reminded me of some great names he has found in his years of education. Our favorite is Female’… pronounced FE MAL E. CLASSIC!

By Lola

June 2, 2006 12:43 PM | Link to this

I went to school with a girl named Penny Nickel, and used to work with a girl named Tuesday Knight. While those names may be cutesy in school, they are absolutely ridiculous in the context of real life. Penny may have married and gotten a break on her last name, but Tuesday is screwed for life. My daughter’s previous daycare had a lot of kids in it with “ethnic” names that are absolutely made up, and it was really obvious who their parents were when they came to pick them up. They were the ones who spoke horrible ebonics-like english, sometimes still had rollers in their hair (!!!), or thought it was appropriate to put their 2 year old boy’s hair into 15 braids on his head, making him look like a girl. Needless to say, my daughter no longer attends that daycare and is now happily placed in a montessori school that shares more of our social, moral and achievement standards. The day I heard they were teaching the kids about Kwanza was the day I decided to move her. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that, it just isn’t consistent with what I think my child’s learning environment should be, and the bizarre and made-up names of a lot of the kids should have been my first clue.

By John

June 2, 2006 12:43 PM | Link to this

True Story: A waitress I had wore a name badge that read: Preshundra. I asked her if that was indeed her name. Yes, she replied. I asked her what the significance was of the “shundra” portion of her name as by English naming conventions, her name indicated that she came before “shundra”. When she said she had no idea.

I asked her if she would name her daughter “Shundra” and then her daughter would name her child “Postshundra”.

I got a blank look.

Parents really need to think before they give children names. They need to remember that one day those “cute” or “ethnic sounding” names are going to be used by full grown adults in search of jobs.

By Leia

June 2, 2006 12:49 PM | Link to this

John - that poor waitress was probably thinking, “Why is this jackass needling me about something I had nothing to do with. I can’t curse him out; I need the tips. Perhaps after he’s done trying to belittle me based on my name, he’ll give me his order and I’ll fight the urge to spit in his food!”

By Dan

June 2, 2006 12:53 PM | Link to this

When you read the paper, keep an eye out for the names of the murderers. You’ll start seeing some trends there. It’s not often that you read about a John, Mary, Stan, Sue, or Jennifer shooting up a house. Nor do you hear about robberies committed by Mildred, Louise, Edna, Pearl, or Ruth. However, in both cases you’ll read a lot about Quantravarious, Quatramaine, Trevanious, Shallandra, She’quan and D’Juwan committing crimes. I’m not saying that all children with made up ethnic names are going to become criminals, but why saddle the kids with a hardship before their life even gets going?

And if you’re a teacher, ya’ gotta know it’s murder trying to keep up with all the freaky deaky spellings and pronunciations of these made up names.

By John

June 2, 2006 12:55 PM | Link to this

Touche Leia!

(Of course I didn’t really ask her all that stuff about her name, but I sure wanted to)

:-)

By anne

June 2, 2006 12:57 PM | Link to this

Lola: thank goodness you moved your little precious away from those awful people who talk funny, celebrate weird made-up holidays and braid boys’ hair. Whew. They might have been scarred for life by this encounter with inferior people.

Yes, I am kidding, you pathetic racist.

By sue

June 2, 2006 12:59 PM | Link to this

As pre-teens, my friend and I had names chosen for our firstborn children. Her child would be a girl named Holly, and my son would be Justin Joel. Neither of us used those names. In between the time I was 12 and the time I actually gave birth, I got to know a crazed Justin (another example of a ruined name). My friend will always love the name Holly, but she married a man whose last name is Woods. She couldn’t bring herself to name her child Hollywood(s).

By sue

June 2, 2006 01:02 PM | Link to this

Dan, What about Ted Bundy or Charles Manson? You can’t get much more normal or traditional than Ted and Charles.

By John

June 2, 2006 01:05 PM | Link to this

Anne - Is it racist to want your children to associate with others who share the same values as you do? If you are black and choose to live in an all black neighborhood and you speak a dialect and wear “black attire” are you not acting racist by not intermingling and immersing yourself in a multicultural environment? If an Arab insists on wearing a burkha in the U.S. to public school is that racist by not conforming? If you marry someone of your own race or religion are you not racist?

Anne - you’ve got a lot to learn about racism. There’s a saying, “Like likes like.” It means that similar people gravitate toward each other. I’ll assume you are a woman and thus that most of your friends are women - isn’t that sexist?

I think you owe Lola an apology. She was simply stating her situation. No different than you or anyone else. She has a right to raise her kids the way she wants - the same as you have to do so with your own kids.

And since the past couple of weeks we’ve discovered that DeKalb County’s black elected and appointed officials are RIFE with racism, I don’t think it needs to be restated (but I will) black folks can be just as/if not moreso racist than whites!

By Dan

June 2, 2006 01:09 PM | Link to this

Too true, Sue.

But those are serial killers and mass murderers. They have a different set of identifying credentials:

They’re normal to see and know, but on the inside they’re freakier than a Stephen King novel.

By Regina

June 2, 2006 01:10 PM | Link to this

I am also part of the Debbie, Susan, and Cathy generation. Through all my school years, the only other Regina I met was in my 8th grade science class. Our teacher said she could not have two Regina’s in her class, and made me go by my middle name (Darlene). (I was called Regina in all my other classes). When I started 9th grade, somehow all the teachers had my name as Darlene and I had to get them to change it back.

Though my husband and I haven’t been lucky enough to have children, I did get to name one of my nieces—Erin, a name I still love

I went to a dance recital of another niece, Taylor, several years ago, and probably 80% of the girls in the program were named Taylor.

Sometimes parents think they are coming up with a different or original name, only to find that many others have come up with the same name.

By Leia

June 2, 2006 01:11 PM | Link to this

Anne - you owe Lola nothing! She will be moving “Heather” from school to school for the rest of her life if she’s trying to avoid her interactions with Black people! Poor kid - not being able to learn about people who vary from her and her hood-wearing mother!

By jg

June 2, 2006 01:14 PM | Link to this

I guess I am a romantic…

I named the kids after the place where they were conceived….

Hence the names Caravan, Delta and Quik-Trip!!!!

By jg

June 2, 2006 01:17 PM | Link to this

Okay that was a joke….

But my beautiful daughter decided she did not like her name anymore and wanted to be called - Neutrogena…

By anne

June 2, 2006 01:28 PM | Link to this

John: You’re darned right. In fact, after I write this I am going to build a shed out in the back yard where I can home school my children. Not only will I save them from racist government officials, I will protect them from all those other un-American types like brown and black people, Muslims and gays. I’ll let them out once a day to pick up sticks in the back yard, watch “Veggie Tales” and go to church.

After they graduate from shed school I’ll send them to Patrick Henry University, where they can interact only with other white, Christian conservatives, perhaps one day obtaining the ultimate glory of a job with our Republican government….where they can legislate our Patriotic American Values including banning brown people and gays. Maybe they can even write a law to Ban Unpatriotic Surnames like Laquiesha.

I’ll be so proud.

God Bless America.

By LJ

June 2, 2006 01:33 PM | Link to this

If you have several children, don’t name them with a theme. When I taught school, I had two sisters in my class - Passion and Sparkle (yes, that was their real names and the youngest one coming into school was Cherish.) And Poppy Montgomery’s (from the CBS series Without A Trace) real name is Poppy Petal, and her sisters are Rosie Thorn, Lily Belle, Daisy Yellow, and Marigold Sun. Promise that if any of you have triplets you won’t name them April, May, and June.

By bluegrasschica

June 2, 2006 01:34 PM | Link to this

I am praying that you are not serious Anne.

One of my favorites I have forgotten to mention is the name, Jihad. I mean, seriously, are parents not thinking about what these names mean?

By Dee Dee

June 2, 2006 01:35 PM | Link to this

@Dan actually most serial killers share a common name—Wayne.

By Swangirl

June 2, 2006 01:35 PM | Link to this

Leia, thanks for the Ashley update. That’s a hoot. ;-)

A friend of mine was in Georgia’s all-state chorus years ago and she met a girl whose name was, I kid you not, Urethra. That poor child…

I went to school with a guy named Charles Brown. I always felt bad for him because he got the “Charlie Brown” routine all the time.

By bluegrasschica

June 2, 2006 01:40 PM | Link to this

My husband and I thought of every playground/schoolyard nickname my child could get with a name before we decided on one.

By lt

June 2, 2006 01:41 PM | Link to this

chuckles you all remind me of the name that the Native American tribe, person, group [whatever it was] gave to Hillary after one of her long-winded visits…. “Walking Eagle”…. and the explanation behind it … “one so full of it that [s]he cannot fly”

nuff said?

By SNY

June 2, 2006 01:42 PM | Link to this

First let me say that it is really sad that in the year 2006 we cannot have a decent conversation without someone white bringing up the race issue. For some reason, SOME white people seem to think that ONLY black people do silly or out of the ordinary things. Trust me that is not true.

No one owes anyone an apology on this blog because we are all speaking about how we feel. Personally, I’m glad to know how Lola feels. It takes her hood off and lets us see her true face. People, of all races, we have to stop acting shocked that people believe that black people are stupid, lazy human being who care nothing about their families and friends. Let white people think what they want to think. You only have to be happy with who you are as people. I am black and proud!! So are my husband and my children. I don’t let them act like the kids in my neighborhood (suburbs) because their parents do not raise them the way that I believe children should be raised. I also do not live in “da hood” as white people call it because I got a great price for my house not far from my daughters black private school and my job.

People just remember a name is a name. My name is Shauna. I have had people butcher my name since I was a child. I just correct them and move on. My mother taught me a long time ago that some people are just ignorant. Black and white people!! Names are important but they don’t tell other people who you really are.

By Nan

June 2, 2006 01:42 PM | Link to this

I have always been sensitive about my name - Nannette - because it is fairly unusual. What has always irritated me about my name is that it was difficult for others to pronounce and spell, but there have been many advantages that outway any problems with my name. For example, I am the only Nannette anywhere I go. I never had problems with being one of 5 kids in a classroom with the same name. I always know if someone calling knows me or not - if it is a telemarketer you can bet they will mispronounce it and identify themselves immediately as a stranger. And as for the above concerns regarding resumes, I always found that the interviewer would ask about the origination of my name and give me a chance to let that person get to know me a little better. I have never had problems getting hired for any job, ever. And in turn, I tried to pick an original name for my son that had nothing to do with popularity lists, but rather had to do with my family’s heritage. Therefore he has a strong American first name and Scottish middle, Caden Grant. Unfortunately, Caden has now entered the top 100 boy’s names list. Oh well.

By Cosmo

June 2, 2006 01:44 PM | Link to this

I had the unfortunate luck to be named Renatha. Parents please do not do something like this to your children.

Several years ago I submitted a resume to a company where a friend worked. I was well qualified for the job but never received a call - it actually took them several months to fill the position. Later I found out the HR manager didn’t call me because of my name, she thought I was ghetto. While it might not be right, people do form opinions based on a name so why stack the deck against your kids from the very beginning……

By John

June 2, 2006 01:44 PM | Link to this

Anne - I’m not worried about any of the people you named….just you! You seem to be quite unhinged….

By Leia

June 2, 2006 01:44 PM | Link to this

SNY - You are absolutely right! Being named “Oprah” sure didn’t stop her success, now did it??!!

By What?!

June 2, 2006 01:44 PM | Link to this

Just a comment - it seems an awful lot of thought is going into what black people are namin