Makes Barak Hussein Obama look pretty pedestrian, doesn't it?
The story goes on to relate how some new converts to Christianity often named their children after the missionaries that converted them, and then chose other names from words, phrases, and expressions they'd heard in other languages, but often didn't quite understand. As a result, many people sport names like Britainwar Dan, Admiral Sangma, and Bombersingh Hynniewta.
What's in a name, as Juliet might have asked?
Some years ago, country singer Johnny Cash recorded a huge hit song written by Shel Silverstein called "A Boy Named Sue" that told the story of a man who spent his life searching for the father who abandoned him after naming him "Sue." In the end, they meet and the father explains that he named his son Sue to make him tough (since he'd have to fight all the people who made fun of his name)...and Sue, realizing the wisdom of this plan, declares that if he ever has a boy, he'll name him "...Bill, or George, anything but Sue!"
Like Sue's dad, many people, particularly celebrities, seem intentionally to inflict bizarre names on their helpless children. Rocker Frank Zappa has daughter Moon Unit and son Dweezil. Gwynneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple. The Phoenix family of actors includes River, Liberty, and Rain, in addition to Joaquin. My mother, when she worked as an executive secretary for an insurance company many years ago, started a collection of the bizarre names she ran across in company documents: Rusty Pipes, 7/8 Smith, and Cigar Stubbs, among several multi-column pages of others. It's not a wonder that many people go to court each year to change their names.
What's in a name? What's in some parents' heads? When I was growing up in the Pittsburgh of the 1950's and 60's, boys were named John, Peter, George, and Fred; girls were named Kathy, Sandra, Donna, and Mary. Today, parents seem to delight in selecting odd names, or twists on traditional ones - consider the number of black men named "Antwan" rather than "Antoine," and the number of black women with names beginning with "La" - Latasha, Latoya, Lashonda, and so on.
What's in a name? I leave you with this cartoon to help you ponder the question:
Have a good day, no matter what your name is. More thoughts tomorrow.Bilbo
9 comments:
Justin Hayward's daughter is named Doremi Celeste poor thing
My mother (inadvertently, I'll admit) caused me years of misery and bullying at school by imaginatively naming me one ancient Cornish name and one ancient Scottish name - added to an unusual surname.
Since I found my beloved late granny, who was a proud Cornishwoman, gave me my Cornish name I have relented slightly, but not much.
My names were moved, changed and turned around at 16 as I had got tired of all the teasing.
cq
Just popped back to say - I hope Agnes is improved...poor love! :-(
cq
The book "Freakonomics" has an interesting section on how names have changed over time. The two stories that stick in my mind from that book:
1). a woman who mistakenly named her daughter "Temptress" (wanting to copy the name of the actress Tempestt Bledsoe)... The daughter went on to have an affair with a man while she was still a minor, and the judge ruled that she had seduced the man.
2). a grandmother who was appalled at her new grandaughter's name... It was explained that her name was pronounced "Shi-theed" but of course was written "Shithead"...
This was a fun post! Carrying on from point 2 from zero_zero_one, I once met a girl whose name was 'Shi Tee'. Its a Chinese name of course and sounded quite sweet if you pronounce it correctly but ... what about when foreign people read it?!
I had a big problem when it came to naming Aaron. We are Catholic but also Chinese so why did I need to have a Christian name for him. I couldn't get my head around it but in the end he got one anyway just because its whats one. I don't think the priest would have baptised him 'Renxu'. That is his Chinese name and I put it in the middle instead of after the surname as is usually done for Chinese names. All this to avoid confusion in this very Western world.
Craziequeen: Agnes is slowly getting better; thanks for asking. She actually ate most of her dinner last night and can speak in more than a croak, but still at low volume, and is coughing a bit less. Your name must be very interesting...Cornish and Scottish must be quite some combination!
Zero_zero_one: your #2 comment leads me to a great joke that's been making the rounds of the office...but is WAY too dirty to share here.
Amanda: I always found it interesting that my Chinese friends had both Chinese and English names. From my perspective, of course, it's much easier to keep track of and remember English names; I'm sure that it's likewise easier for a Chinese person to remember Chinese names. That's probably one reason I never was able to get as interested in Oriental history as I am in European history. "Renxu" is an interesting name...does it have a particular meaning?
I am the only Serina that I have ever known. In honor of that I wanted to give my kids names that were relatively unique. Super Z, Zane, is named for western writer Zane Gray, my Granddaddy's favorite author. Although I know that Zane is a fairly common name, he is the only one that I know personaly. Princess H, Henna Reese, is named for my Mamaw Henrietta. People, who are unfamiliar with Henna as a name, often call her Hannah. At least three times a day Randy and I have to say, "No, Henna, like the ink."
I wouldn't changer her name for the world, as it has so much meaning to be. But somedays..I am so tempted to just let people call her Hannah.
What I love is when people have a name that is amusing when one considers their profession. I fondly recall one of my instructors at Summer Camp, MAJOR Payne (who was...) And then there was the shock my brother had, upon meeting his doctor in the emergency room (and it wasn't a minor emergency, but he was conscous): Dr LeMorte. Not at good sign!
The chapter in Freakonomics is very enlightening, especially about the transfer of names from one economic strata to another.
Katherine (one of those many, many Kathy's in the 60's)
All of you may also want to add this of your things not to do with your kids name. Don't name him(her) "Robert Michael (lastname)" and then call him by his middle name. It's a life long pain in the ass.
"Name and middle initial please."
"It's first initial and middle name."
"That's not how our form works sir."
"Well your going to have to figure something else out!"
I get a lot of mail addressed to "R. (lastname)"
And I can't count the times I've gotten, "Hey Bob, how's it going?" And then they can't figure out the blank stare they're getting back from me.
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