Few will object to this week's New Zealand court ruling that freed a nine-year-old girl from being officially known as Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. The judge made the embarrassed child a ward of court and took a sideswipe at other invented appellations he'd heard of - including Number 16 Bus Shelter, and, for twins, Benson and Hedges.
Gratuitous wackiness has its dangers, but so too do attempts at control. France has ditched the traditional list from which every name once had to be picked, but officials can still object to the weirder ones, and the lingering propensity of Jeans, Jean-Pauls and Jean-Lucs makes for bland conformity. Distinction can bring advantages: Madonna's unique profile surely owes something to her unusual - and genuine - name. Celebrities Peter André and Jordan mixed up their mothers - Thea and Amy - to come up with Princess Tiáamii for their daughter, achieving a neat feminist counterbalance to patrilineal surnaming (though they may not put it that way).
The reflexive rebranding of thinktanker Perri 6 may have been cringe-worthy, but by cheating the alphabet he has topped many a list of academic citations - and he still uses the name. In A Boy Named Sue the father explains: "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". Would Big Daddy have wrestled so well if he'd never had to fight his way through school after having been named Shirley?
Saturday
What’s in a name? Your future may depend on it
Parents want their children to have names that will impress the world and are experimenting with unusual possibilities. Aastha Atray Banan reports
To ancient Egyptians, the name of an individual was of prime importance. They were of the opinion that “like the shadow, the name was thought of as a living part of each individual, which had to be assigned immediately at birth, for otherwise it was felt that the individual would not properly come into existence”. It seems that the Egyptian wisdom may have rubbed off on many parents today who are spending a lot of time researching for just the right name for their children — a name that just might be the name of the next Prime Minister of India, best cricketer or Miss India.
“It might be. You never know really,” says Rubert Fernandes. “I have actually named my son and daughter keeping all this in my mind. I have given them names I want them to be proud about when they grow up.” What are the names he has chosen? Well, his daughter’s name is Rossa, which means beautiful in Spanish, and his son is called Rameses, from the Ten Commandments of course. “I named my daughter Rossa because I thought it was a sexy name and she just might be the next Miss India, if she has a beautiful name like this,” he says.
His son’s name proved to be a bit of a problem for him as most of his family opposed to it by saying that King Rameses was an evil and cruel man. But Rubert did his research and found out that there were actually 12 Rameseses, and except for Rameses II, all of the others were kind and good people. “I think it will be a name that people will find impressive,” he says.
It is what a lot of parents want — a name that will impress whoever meets their child. It will be a name that a child will carry all through his life. At school and college, it should be a name that will not be susceptible to easy teasing. And at a later stage of life, it should be a name that will impress. You never know, it could get them that job when they walk into a boardroom and announce their grand name.
That’s what Sandhya Menon kept in mind while short-listing three names for her new-born baby girl. When she was looking for inspiration, she turned to the scriptures, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, where most characters have at least three different names. Take for example the goddess Sandhya chose — Parvati. Her options are Shailja, Shymali and Kalandi — all names for Parvati. A bit old fashioned? That’s the trend, Sandhya assures us. “I wanted a name that she was going to grow into. I don’t like these modern names such as Muskaan or Smile, and anyway, they are not in vogue any more.
These names are a perfect mix of tradition and mysticism,” she says. Naming a child has always been a long procedure for any Indian family. There is either a consultation with an astrologer or numerologist or some people just choose the cheaper, simpler option — they get a book of names.
To ancient Egyptians, the name of an individual was of prime importance. They were of the opinion that “like the shadow, the name was thought of as a living part of each individual, which had to be assigned immediately at birth, for otherwise it was felt that the individual would not properly come into existence”. It seems that the Egyptian wisdom may have rubbed off on many parents today who are spending a lot of time researching for just the right name for their children — a name that just might be the name of the next Prime Minister of India, best cricketer or Miss India.
“It might be. You never know really,” says Rubert Fernandes. “I have actually named my son and daughter keeping all this in my mind. I have given them names I want them to be proud about when they grow up.” What are the names he has chosen? Well, his daughter’s name is Rossa, which means beautiful in Spanish, and his son is called Rameses, from the Ten Commandments of course. “I named my daughter Rossa because I thought it was a sexy name and she just might be the next Miss India, if she has a beautiful name like this,” he says.
His son’s name proved to be a bit of a problem for him as most of his family opposed to it by saying that King Rameses was an evil and cruel man. But Rubert did his research and found out that there were actually 12 Rameseses, and except for Rameses II, all of the others were kind and good people. “I think it will be a name that people will find impressive,” he says.
It is what a lot of parents want — a name that will impress whoever meets their child. It will be a name that a child will carry all through his life. At school and college, it should be a name that will not be susceptible to easy teasing. And at a later stage of life, it should be a name that will impress. You never know, it could get them that job when they walk into a boardroom and announce their grand name.
That’s what Sandhya Menon kept in mind while short-listing three names for her new-born baby girl. When she was looking for inspiration, she turned to the scriptures, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, where most characters have at least three different names. Take for example the goddess Sandhya chose — Parvati. Her options are Shailja, Shymali and Kalandi — all names for Parvati. A bit old fashioned? That’s the trend, Sandhya assures us. “I wanted a name that she was going to grow into. I don’t like these modern names such as Muskaan or Smile, and anyway, they are not in vogue any more.
These names are a perfect mix of tradition and mysticism,” she says. Naming a child has always been a long procedure for any Indian family. There is either a consultation with an astrologer or numerologist or some people just choose the cheaper, simpler option — they get a book of names.
Thursday
From Sunday to Knox: Moms ponder unusual names
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban recently named their newborn daughter Sunday Rose. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are the proud parents of twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline.
Is there some unwritten Hollywood law that states you are not an A-list celebrity unless you give your child an unusual name?
We posed the question on WisMoms.com. Some WisMoms deliberately chose unique names for their children — usually with a story behind the symbolism.
"I have two children with unique but strong names," says Attacus and Andalyn Mom of Green Bay, who adds that her son was named after the father in "To Kill a Mockingbird." "We were going to name my daughter Cosette after a character in 'Les Miserables,' but decided to name her Andalyn. It is a combination of my first and middle name."
"My toddler is named Edison, which means 'son of Edward,'" says Raising M.E.N. of Manitowoc. "It honors his great-great grandfather Edward, who passed away before he was born."
"We named our daughter Gwenhwyfar (that's pronounced Guinevere) and decided to spell it the traditional Welsh way," says Mara1138 of Appleton. "I'm sure she will hate it for awhile, but I think in the end she will appreciate having a unique and beautiful name that reflects her heritage."
"My daughter's name is Anndrayah (pronounced Andrea), but I call her Andi for short, as that is always a name that I just loved," says Mommy2Andi of Fond du Lac. "I wanted it very different than the traditional spelling."
"I have two girls: Keegan and Caitlynne," says Cmoran2007 of Green Bay. "Children (all of them, not just mine) are unique, and their names should reflect their personalities."
Other WisMoms report having friends or students with such monikers as Precious, Ember, Cold, Ender, Toy, Storm, Story and Draven, just to name a few.
"I, too, wanted something different but with meaning for my children. I also wanted something people could understand and not mispronounce," says 24/7 Mom. "My daughter I named Alannah Nicole, which is Irish for 'beautiful girl,' and (for) my son, my husband picked Landon Thomas, which is English for 'running river'"
"My daughter's name is considered unique, although it's a traditional Welsh name," says Aquadonia of Green Bay. "Rhiannon is a simple name, but so many think I say 'Brianna' that I spell it for them."
Other moms take a more conservative stance to names that will follow their children for the rest of their lives.
"Not a fan of bizarre names, or taking a simple, traditional name and spelling it goofy," says Chandla of Green Bay.
"It drives me nuts when parents name their kids after Disney characters," laments Julie Genisot of Sherwood. "No more mermaid names!"
"Just always remember that your kids will grow up and become adults. Is the name that was cute for your 2-year-old going to be appropriate for a 30-year-old applying for a professional job?" asks NJosephs of Oshkosh.
"They have to live with their names for the rest of their lives," adds 24/7 Mom. "I am so glad my dad put his foot down and named me Melissa instead of my mom's idea of Skye Blue."
"I am all in favor of unique names," says Cmoran2007. "But that's not to say that there aren't people out there who go overboard and name their kids something completely off the wall like Moon Unit or Dweezil."
"As for names like Morning Dew, Apple and Pilot Inspektor, don't force names like that on your kids," adds Aquadonia. "It's cruel."
Is there some unwritten Hollywood law that states you are not an A-list celebrity unless you give your child an unusual name?
We posed the question on WisMoms.com. Some WisMoms deliberately chose unique names for their children — usually with a story behind the symbolism.
"I have two children with unique but strong names," says Attacus and Andalyn Mom of Green Bay, who adds that her son was named after the father in "To Kill a Mockingbird." "We were going to name my daughter Cosette after a character in 'Les Miserables,' but decided to name her Andalyn. It is a combination of my first and middle name."
"My toddler is named Edison, which means 'son of Edward,'" says Raising M.E.N. of Manitowoc. "It honors his great-great grandfather Edward, who passed away before he was born."
"We named our daughter Gwenhwyfar (that's pronounced Guinevere) and decided to spell it the traditional Welsh way," says Mara1138 of Appleton. "I'm sure she will hate it for awhile, but I think in the end she will appreciate having a unique and beautiful name that reflects her heritage."
"My daughter's name is Anndrayah (pronounced Andrea), but I call her Andi for short, as that is always a name that I just loved," says Mommy2Andi of Fond du Lac. "I wanted it very different than the traditional spelling."
"I have two girls: Keegan and Caitlynne," says Cmoran2007 of Green Bay. "Children (all of them, not just mine) are unique, and their names should reflect their personalities."
Other WisMoms report having friends or students with such monikers as Precious, Ember, Cold, Ender, Toy, Storm, Story and Draven, just to name a few.
"I, too, wanted something different but with meaning for my children. I also wanted something people could understand and not mispronounce," says 24/7 Mom. "My daughter I named Alannah Nicole, which is Irish for 'beautiful girl,' and (for) my son, my husband picked Landon Thomas, which is English for 'running river'"
"My daughter's name is considered unique, although it's a traditional Welsh name," says Aquadonia of Green Bay. "Rhiannon is a simple name, but so many think I say 'Brianna' that I spell it for them."
Other moms take a more conservative stance to names that will follow their children for the rest of their lives.
"Not a fan of bizarre names, or taking a simple, traditional name and spelling it goofy," says Chandla of Green Bay.
"It drives me nuts when parents name their kids after Disney characters," laments Julie Genisot of Sherwood. "No more mermaid names!"
"Just always remember that your kids will grow up and become adults. Is the name that was cute for your 2-year-old going to be appropriate for a 30-year-old applying for a professional job?" asks NJosephs of Oshkosh.
"They have to live with their names for the rest of their lives," adds 24/7 Mom. "I am so glad my dad put his foot down and named me Melissa instead of my mom's idea of Skye Blue."
"I am all in favor of unique names," says Cmoran2007. "But that's not to say that there aren't people out there who go overboard and name their kids something completely off the wall like Moon Unit or Dweezil."
"As for names like Morning Dew, Apple and Pilot Inspektor, don't force names like that on your kids," adds Aquadonia. "It's cruel."
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