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"How to Name Your Baby"
Exact reproductions of a person's name, even if it is followed by Jr. or II, are often confusing to everyone involved.
Parents frequently vary the middle name of a son who carries his father's first and last names, and then call the son by his middle name to distinguish him from his father, but the potential for confusion still exists. What's worse, the child never gets the satisfaction of having a name and a clear identity of his own.
Namesakes can lead to unhappy choices of names for the child, too. Somehow the name Mildred just doesn't seem to fit a little girl comfortably, even though it fits 80-year-old Aunt Mildred perfectly. Generally, it's wiser to be certain a namesake's name is one you'd choose on its own merits, quite apart from the good feelings you have for the person you're complimenting this way.
2. Nationality
If you choose a "foreign-sounding" name, be sure it's not unpronounceable or unspellable, or the name will be a burden to your child. Combinations of names from different countries, like Francois Finklebaum or Marco Mazarowski, may provoke smiles. So if you want to combine names with different ethnic roots, try them out on lots of people (look at lists of popular foreign names) before making a final decision.
3. Religion
To some parents it is important to follow religious traditions in naming a baby. Roman Catholics have traditionally chosen saints' names, sometimes using Mary as a first name for each daughter and pairing it with different middle names: Mary Rose, Mary Margaret, and so on. Jews traditionally choose Old Testament names, often the name of a deceased relative, while Protestants choose both Old and New Testament names. Muslims turn to the Koran and the names of Mohammed and his family as traditional sources of names.
4. Gender
There are two opposing lines of thought on names that can be given to boys and girls alike, whether they are changeable ones like Carol/ Carroll, Leslie/Lesley, and Claire/Clair or the truly unisex names like Robin, Chris, and Terry. Some parents feel that a unisex name allows them to pick it with certainty before the baby's sex is known and that such names "type" children in sexual roles and expectations less than traditional boy-girl names do. Others argue that it's unfair and psychologically harmful to require a child to explain which sex he or she is (remember the song, "A Boy Named Sue"?). Finally, boys feel more threatened or insulted when they are presumed to be girls than girls do when they're taken to be boys.
5. Number of Names
No law requires a person to have three names, though most forms provide spaces for a first name, middle initial or name, and surname. When choosing a name for your child, you have several options: a first and last name; a first and last name and only a middle initial (Harry S Truman's S is just an S), initials for both first and middle names, or several middle names. Keep your child's lifelong use of the name in mind when you do something unusual -- four middle names are going to cause space problems for your child every time he or she fills out a form!
6. Sounds
The combination of letters in a person's name can make saying the name easier or harder. Alliteration, as in Tina Turner or Pat Paulsen, is fine, but such rhymes as Tyrone Cohn or Alice Palace invite teasing. Joke names, punning names, and other displays of your wit may sound funny, but living with such a name is no laughing matter.
7. Rhythms
Most naming specialists agree that unequal numbers of syllables create pleasing rhythms. Such names as Dwight David Eisenhower or Molly Melinda Grooms fit this pattern. When first and last names have equal numbers of syllables, a middle name with a different number creates a nice effect, as in Albert Anthony Cleveland or Gail Canova Pons. Single-syllable names can be especially forceful if each name has a rather long sound, as in Mark Twain or Charles Rath.
8. Pronunciation
Nobody likes having their name constantly mispronounced. If you pick an unusual name, such as Jesus or Genvieve (Hay-soos and Zhan-vee-ev), don't expect people to pronounce them correctly. Other names with high mispronunciation potential are names that have more than one common pronunciation, as in Alicia (does the second syllable rhyme with fish or leash?) or Shana (does the name rhyme with Anna or Dana?). And if you choose a unique pronunciation of a name (for example, pronouncing Nina like Dinah), don't expect many people to get it right.
9. Spelling
In his poem Don Juan, Byron writes, "Thrice happy he whose name has been well spelt," and it's true that you feel a special kind of irritation when your name gets misspelled.
Ordinary spellings have the force of common sense behind them. On the other hand, a new or unusual spelling can revitalize an old name. If the name Ethel only reminds you of Ethel Mertz in the old I Love Lucy show, but your mate is crazy about having a daughter with that name, perhaps Ethelle will be a happy substitute. However, some people think it's silly to vary from "traditional" spelling of names and are prejudiced against any Thom, Dik, or Hari.
10. Popularity
Approximately 39% of all baby girls and 54% of all baby boys born in 1999 were given one of the 100 most popular names. *(In 2004, for the first time in history, less than 50% of baby boys and 40% of baby girls have names in the top 50 baby names. Parents are choosing unique baby names, more than ever before.) Some names are so popular you shouldn't be surprised to find more than one child with that name in your child's classroom. A child with a very popular name may feel that he or she must "share" it with others, while a child with a very uncommon name is likely to feel that it is uniquely his or hers. However, a child with a popular name may be accepted by peers more easily than a child with a very uncommon name, which may be perceived as weird.
11. Uniqueness
Did you ever try to look in the phone book for the telephone number of someone called John Smith? You wouldn't be able to find it without also knowing the address. To avoid confusion, many people with common last names choose distinctive first and/or middle names for their children. However, a highly unusual name, such as Teague or Hestia, could be an even greater disservice to your child than Michael or Emily.
12. Stereotypes
Most names call to mind physical or personality traits that often stem from a well-known namesake, real or fictional. Some names -- Adolph and Judas, for instance -- may never outlive the terrible associations they receive from a single person who bore them. Because the image of a name will affect its owner's self-image, as well as the way he or she is perceived by others, consider what associations come to mind as you make your selections.
13. Initials
Folk wisdom has it that a person whose initials spell a word -- any word -- is destined to be successful in life. But it can be irksome, even embarrassing, to have DUD or HAG stamped on your suitcases and jewelery. So be sure your child's initials spell "happy" words -- or none at all -- to avoid these problems.
14. Nicknames
Most names have shortened or familiar forms that are used during childhood or at different stages of life. For example, Michael might be called Mikey as a child, Mike as a teenager, and Michael on his college application. So, if you don't want your daughter to be called Sam, don't name her Samantha.
If you are thinking of giving your child a nickname as a legal name, remember that Trisha may grow weary of explaining that her full name is not Patricia. And consider the fact that names that sound cute for a child, as in Missy and Timmy, could prove embarrassing later in life. Can you picture Grandma Missy and Grandpa Timmy?
15. Meanings
Most people don't know the meanings of their names -- first, middle, or last. But most names do have meanings, and you should at least find out what your favorite choices mean before giving them to your child. A name that means something funny or embarrassing probably won't overshadow your child's life, but if you have to choose between two names that are equally attractive to you, meanings may help tip the balance.
Comments in red have been added by Glennys R. Savage-Moore
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"The Best Baby Name Book
in the Whole Wide World"
by Bruce Landry, pages 1 to 3
©1996
www.featuresource.com
This work is licensed
under a
Creative Commons License.
