Saturday
Week of odd names & insults
Another Day, Another Unusual Baby NameBizarre baby names have become a cliché. Lisa Bonet either didn't get the memo or doesn't gave a darn. The former star of "The Cosby Show" gave birth to a healthy baby boy this week and, along with her husband, Jason Momoa, named the child "Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa." An article from Us Weekly explained that the unusual name is a tribute to the father's Hawaiian heritage. Nakoa means warrior and Manakauapo is a combination of mana (spirit/strength), kaua (rain), and po (dark). Considering the baby was born on a stormy night, the name actually makes a lot of sense. Searches on Ms. Bonet soared 542% this week and related lookups for "bonet baby name" and "lisa bonet pictures" also surged.
Wednesday
Your parents named you what? The pros, cons of unusual names
(CNN) -- When you hear the name "Indiana Jones," you think of an archaeologist carrying an idol and dodging a giant boulder. When you hear about "Dow Jones," you might wonder if it's up or down that day. However, in this case, Indiana and Dow Jones are siblings, 12 and 7 years old, respectively.
Dow and Indiana Jones participate in many sporting events. Indiana says, "announcers love to say our names."
Indiana Elizabeth Jones shared her story with the iReport community, and we spoke with her mother, Jennifer Jones. The Port Deposit, Maryland, resident says Indiana got her name simply because her husband's family is from that state.
As for Dow Joseph Jones, there was serious talk of naming him Jack Ryan Jones, to keep the Harrison Ford theme. (Jack Ryan is the character Ford played in a series of action movies.) Instead, her husband named their son Dow on a dare while Jennifer was asleep in the hospital bed after giving birth.
She said she cried when she found out and even thought about having Dow's name changed.
CNN.com asked users to share their unusual names after a 9-year-old New Zealand girl named Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii won the right to change her name. (Full story)
Dozens of members of iReport.com community explained the stories behind their odd names, as well as what they've experienced in their day-to-day lives.
Some names might not seem problematic until they're actually used on a daily basis. Open Weaver Banks of Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey (speaking of odd names), says that she shared her story with iReport.com in hopes that parents would think twice before giving their children an unusual name.
Open is an unusual name, but it's not necessarily a name that one might expect to cause regular difficulties. Weaver Banks, however, says that she often has problems with it.
"I have a hard time using my credit cards for personal items, because clerks will accuse me of using a business card. I cannot tell my name to someone without having to explain it. Some days, it is exhausting, and I can't even disguise the annoyance in my voice."
Banks' childhood was "painful" because of her name, too. "I still give my mother a hard time about the name choice, and she tries to explain that she was young, she liked how it sounded, it was 1970 and various other reasons," she explains. "I actually tried going by another name for a year, and I realized that as much as I truly hate my name, it is embedded in me and so much a part of my experience."
Some people avoid the use of their name altogether to avoid questions, confusion or embarrassment. "At times, for the sake of avoiding an uncomfortable conversation or throwing someone off guard, I answer to the names of 'Mary' or 'Kelly'," says Bluzette Martin of West Allis, Wisconsin. At restaurants, "the thought of putting an employee through the pain of guessing how to spell and pronounce 'Bluzette' just isn't worth it to me."
Martin was named after "Bluzette," an up-tempo jazz waltz written by Jean "Toots" Thielemans. Despite her daily problems with this name, it certainly has its perks, like when she met Thielemans in 1987 at a club in Los Angeles. "When I met [him], he thanked my mother," she says.
She called her mother in the middle of the night and told her that she had a surprise for her. She gave the phone to Thielemans, and he started doing his famous whistling, to the tune of "Bluzette."
Even celebrities aren't immune to the use of unusual names. Take boxer George Foreman's children, all named George. (Or actor Jason Lee's son, Pilot Inspektor, or comedian Penn Jillette's daughter, Moxie CrimeFighter.) These are just-plain bizarre names, like that of iReporter Holden Holden.
Holden, a sophomore at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, says that having a double name has its pros and cons. He says he has a face people will remember because his name is easy to remember. Unfortunately, he says, he's not very good about remembering names himself, so it can lead to some awkward moments.
Holden's grandfather died a month before he was born but was always called by his last name as a nickname. "My last name is my mother's maiden name, which she reverted to after she divorced," he explains.
Holden also says that he plans to run for president in 2036. "Since my name is pretty easy to remember, it'll be easier to garner votes that way."
As for Dow Jones' mother, she didn't go through with changing his name. Now she sees it as something unique for someone with the very common last name "Jones." And perhaps that's the bright side to having an unusual name: It sets you apart from the crowd.
Dow's sister doesn't seem to mind.
"There is a new Indiana Jones movie out this year, so all my friends think it's pretty cool," she says.
Dow and Indiana Jones participate in many sporting events. Indiana says, "announcers love to say our names."
Indiana Elizabeth Jones shared her story with the iReport community, and we spoke with her mother, Jennifer Jones. The Port Deposit, Maryland, resident says Indiana got her name simply because her husband's family is from that state.
As for Dow Joseph Jones, there was serious talk of naming him Jack Ryan Jones, to keep the Harrison Ford theme. (Jack Ryan is the character Ford played in a series of action movies.) Instead, her husband named their son Dow on a dare while Jennifer was asleep in the hospital bed after giving birth.
She said she cried when she found out and even thought about having Dow's name changed.
CNN.com asked users to share their unusual names after a 9-year-old New Zealand girl named Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii won the right to change her name. (Full story)
Dozens of members of iReport.com community explained the stories behind their odd names, as well as what they've experienced in their day-to-day lives.
Some names might not seem problematic until they're actually used on a daily basis. Open Weaver Banks of Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey (speaking of odd names), says that she shared her story with iReport.com in hopes that parents would think twice before giving their children an unusual name.
Open is an unusual name, but it's not necessarily a name that one might expect to cause regular difficulties. Weaver Banks, however, says that she often has problems with it.
"I have a hard time using my credit cards for personal items, because clerks will accuse me of using a business card. I cannot tell my name to someone without having to explain it. Some days, it is exhausting, and I can't even disguise the annoyance in my voice."
Banks' childhood was "painful" because of her name, too. "I still give my mother a hard time about the name choice, and she tries to explain that she was young, she liked how it sounded, it was 1970 and various other reasons," she explains. "I actually tried going by another name for a year, and I realized that as much as I truly hate my name, it is embedded in me and so much a part of my experience."
Some people avoid the use of their name altogether to avoid questions, confusion or embarrassment. "At times, for the sake of avoiding an uncomfortable conversation or throwing someone off guard, I answer to the names of 'Mary' or 'Kelly'," says Bluzette Martin of West Allis, Wisconsin. At restaurants, "the thought of putting an employee through the pain of guessing how to spell and pronounce 'Bluzette' just isn't worth it to me."
Martin was named after "Bluzette," an up-tempo jazz waltz written by Jean "Toots" Thielemans. Despite her daily problems with this name, it certainly has its perks, like when she met Thielemans in 1987 at a club in Los Angeles. "When I met [him], he thanked my mother," she says.
She called her mother in the middle of the night and told her that she had a surprise for her. She gave the phone to Thielemans, and he started doing his famous whistling, to the tune of "Bluzette."
Even celebrities aren't immune to the use of unusual names. Take boxer George Foreman's children, all named George. (Or actor Jason Lee's son, Pilot Inspektor, or comedian Penn Jillette's daughter, Moxie CrimeFighter.) These are just-plain bizarre names, like that of iReporter Holden Holden.
Holden, a sophomore at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, says that having a double name has its pros and cons. He says he has a face people will remember because his name is easy to remember. Unfortunately, he says, he's not very good about remembering names himself, so it can lead to some awkward moments.
Holden's grandfather died a month before he was born but was always called by his last name as a nickname. "My last name is my mother's maiden name, which she reverted to after she divorced," he explains.
Holden also says that he plans to run for president in 2036. "Since my name is pretty easy to remember, it'll be easier to garner votes that way."
As for Dow Jones' mother, she didn't go through with changing his name. Now she sees it as something unique for someone with the very common last name "Jones." And perhaps that's the bright side to having an unusual name: It sets you apart from the crowd.
Dow's sister doesn't seem to mind.
"There is a new Indiana Jones movie out this year, so all my friends think it's pretty cool," she says.
Friday
Sarah Palin: 'I always wanted a son called Zamboni'
As Alaskan governor, its should come as no surprise that Sarah Palin has a particular fondness for all things ice hockey-related.
And with boys already called Trig and Track, the Republican’s vice-presidential candidate has certainly shown she isn't shy of giving her children unusual names.
But even by her standards, naming a child 'Zamboni' - after the machine that makes the ice smooth during hockey matches - is perhaps taking things a little too far.
Room for a Zamboni? Sarah Palin (C) surrounded by her family members. From L-R back row: son Track and husband Todd, second row: daughter Willow, Governor Sarah Palin, daughter Bristol, at front daughter Piper. Palin has suggested that Zamboni might be a good name for a future child
Palin was quizzed about future names for children during a wide-ranging interview with People magazine in the US.
When asked whether she and her husband had any more unusual names up their sleeves, the politician said: ‘We did. We never got to get our Zamboni in. I always wanted a son named Zamboni.’
Her husband Todd, however, seemed less than impressed with the suggestion. ‘I don't think that would have flied,’ he said.
Luckily, the possibility of Palin inflicting the bizarre name on any future offspring seems unlikely as she also admitted that her current brood of five is enough.
Zamboni is the brand name for the large machines that smooth and condition the ice during ice hockey games.
A Zamboni machine smooths the ice during an ice hockey match
Palin’s five children all have unusual names. A dedicated runner, she named her 18-year-old son Track because he was born during the athletics season.
Her eldest daughter, Bristol, was named after Bristol Bay, the area where the Palin clan goes fishing.
The youngest of the clan is four-month-old Trig Paxson, whose first name is Norse for 'true' or 'strength'. Paxson is one of his mother's favourite spots in Alaska.
Her other daughters Willow, 14, and Piper, 7, also believed to be named after places in her home region.
Experts have said the offbeat names suggest Palin wants to give her children an edge in life.
'A lot of times when parents choose unusual names they're looking to make their children stand out above the crowd,' said Albert Mehrabian, a professor emeritus of psychology at UCLA.
‘Short names like these are given by people who want their kids to be masculine. She's athletic, she's coached kids, so maybe that's part of her value system.’
It is unclear what message naming a child Zamboni might give.
And with boys already called Trig and Track, the Republican’s vice-presidential candidate has certainly shown she isn't shy of giving her children unusual names.
But even by her standards, naming a child 'Zamboni' - after the machine that makes the ice smooth during hockey matches - is perhaps taking things a little too far.
Room for a Zamboni? Sarah Palin (C) surrounded by her family members. From L-R back row: son Track and husband Todd, second row: daughter Willow, Governor Sarah Palin, daughter Bristol, at front daughter Piper. Palin has suggested that Zamboni might be a good name for a future child
Palin was quizzed about future names for children during a wide-ranging interview with People magazine in the US.
When asked whether she and her husband had any more unusual names up their sleeves, the politician said: ‘We did. We never got to get our Zamboni in. I always wanted a son named Zamboni.’
Her husband Todd, however, seemed less than impressed with the suggestion. ‘I don't think that would have flied,’ he said.
Luckily, the possibility of Palin inflicting the bizarre name on any future offspring seems unlikely as she also admitted that her current brood of five is enough.
Zamboni is the brand name for the large machines that smooth and condition the ice during ice hockey games.
A Zamboni machine smooths the ice during an ice hockey match
Palin’s five children all have unusual names. A dedicated runner, she named her 18-year-old son Track because he was born during the athletics season.
Her eldest daughter, Bristol, was named after Bristol Bay, the area where the Palin clan goes fishing.
The youngest of the clan is four-month-old Trig Paxson, whose first name is Norse for 'true' or 'strength'. Paxson is one of his mother's favourite spots in Alaska.
Her other daughters Willow, 14, and Piper, 7, also believed to be named after places in her home region.
Experts have said the offbeat names suggest Palin wants to give her children an edge in life.
'A lot of times when parents choose unusual names they're looking to make their children stand out above the crowd,' said Albert Mehrabian, a professor emeritus of psychology at UCLA.
‘Short names like these are given by people who want their kids to be masculine. She's athletic, she's coached kids, so maybe that's part of her value system.’
It is unclear what message naming a child Zamboni might give.
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