What's in a name? Perhaps not very much after all

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Anthony
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What's in a name? Perhaps not very much after all

Post by Anthony »

I recently came about a old newspaper, and saw a intresting article one of the writers did. It was about naming of people.

I thought I would post it here, and see what you guys think.

This ran in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle on July 22, 2003:
Mark Hare wrote:Source=DC; Date=07/22/2003; Section=Local_State; Page=1B; Id=2003072208468548;
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What's in a name? Perhaps not very much after all

MARK HARE

Every new parent's first job is a tricky one: naming the child. Here's my advice: Don't overthink it.

I believe that words are powerful. I believe that language helps shape and define reality. Names matter and - in some way - names may influence the person we become. Exactly how is a mystery.

Could Stone Philips be anything other than a square-jawed network anchor? Could F. Lee Bailey be a truck driver? On the other hand, how could "Jimmy" Carter become president?

The whole act of naming is something of a mystery. Last year, according to the Social Security Administration (which keeps track), the most popular boy names were (in order) Jacob, Michael, Joshua, Matthew and Ethan. The most popular girl names were Emily, Madison, Hannah, Emma and Alexis. Who'd have guessed?

In a recent New York Times Magazine story, Peggy Orenstein offered several explanations for how names become trends. Over time, she says, it's clear that parents tend to favor family and conventional names for boys (Michael, John, James and Robert are always high on the list), while they tend to favor style and beauty in selecting girls' names.

The people who watch these things can see the trends coming. Place names emerged a few years ago (Dakota, Paris, Asia). Old Testament names cycle into and out of popularity. Sometimes names return after "the generation that bears them dies out," Orenstein wrote. So all of a sudden, names like Max and Sophie seem quite charming.

Sometimes a sound will catch on, she says, like the "a" sound at the end of Emma, Hannah or Anna. Or like the hard "k" sound of Kaylee or Caitlin or Courtney.

"Race clearly influences naming," Orenstein wrote. "So does class, especially among whites highly educated mothers are more likely to give daughters names that connote strength (Elizabeth or Catherine as opposed to Tiffany or Crystal). Yet when it comes to boys, the trend reverses, with the more bookish moms going for Julian over Chuck."

As I said, don't overthink it.

If you are soon to be a first-time parent, I suggest you pick a name that meets two tests:

A name should work with the surname to which it will be attached. It should roll off the tongue.

It should not create some obvious and unrealistic expectation - like "Rock star" or "Fortune" or "Saint." However, some names that may suggest lofty expectations ("Lincoln" or "Shaquille," for example) are so common now that they imply nothing in particular and therefore pass this test.

That's it. Don't make the name a burden. Don't be too clever. Kids deserve names that will let them fly beneath life's radar until they are ready to spread their wings and reach whatever height they can reach.

That's not an argument for a universe of Johns and Marys. It's a reminder that naming a child is not supposed to be an expression of parental fancifulness. A name should fit like a glove. A name that calls attention to the parent (as in, "what kind of parent would stick a kid with a name like that?") is a bad name.

If you are tempted to think your child deserves a unique name, ask yourself how happy you'd be going through life as "Moonbeam" or "Sunspot" or "Picabo"? (Oh, yeah, that one's taken.)

Every child is unique, not because of his or her name, but because of potential waiting to be nurtured by loving parents.

As I said, don't overthink the name. Save your energy for what comes next. Enjoy that baby.

Contact him at:

Democrat and Chronicle

55 Exchange Blvd.

Rochester, NY 14614
In short I very much agree with this article. I have as long as I can remember (and actually thought about it) thought that people are affected by their names.

At times I'll even look at a person, and try to figure out how they got their name - because they are nothing like what I think they should be (based on the name).

Blah I had more to say, but I wanted to clear this through the author before I posted (Seeing as I originally rewrote it, for lack of a public online source).
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