Celestial name...

Today, my daughter graduated from high school. It was a large class -- over 300 -- so I sat and watched the grads cross the stage one by one, as their names and photos were displayed on the big screens.

Jaclyn, Amanda, Thomas, John, Chantal, and then ... Heaven Leigh!

Wow! Now there's a name that will stop you in your tracks!

Some people choose their own last names, too

I know a woman who, when she was divorced many years ago, didn't go back to her maiden name. She didn't enjoy good associations with her birth parents, so she chose a different name altogether.
If I remember correctly, the new last name she chose came from a grandparent.

Choosing your own name

I have met some immigrants who have chosen their own English names. Sometimes their birth names are just too difficult for English speakers to pronounce.

Many years ago, I knew a woman from Holland. She gave herself the name Helen, just because she thought it was beautiful.

Recently, I work in a company with a couple of men from China.
One uses the first name Francisco, and the other uses Lester.

I really should ask them how they came up with these names!?

Unique here, and common elsewhere

Following on the common names story:

I have talked about growing up with a unique name -- Anita -- but I learned that Anita was the most common name for baby girls in Hungary a few years ago.

I think it might be an interesting experience for me to hang out in Hungarian nursery schools with all the other Anita's!

Common or unique?

Thinking about those stories coming out of Sweden makes me think about how hard many of us try to choose a unique name.

I grew up in a classroom of Lori's that followed me up the grades.
Moving to another province as an adult, I found myself surrounded by Cathy's and Robert's my age. Clearly, those names were in fashion here in about 1960.

When my children were born, every other baby was named Jennifer or Christopher. (One of my friends actually had one of each!)

So what do you think? Should you choose common names so that your child feels right at home, or names that will make them stand out?

And another interesting naming story from Sweden

Found on http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/20/swedish-couple-fined.html

"A Swedish couple has been fined for failing to register a legally approved name for their seven-year-old child, who is presently called "Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116" (pronounced "/ˈalˌbin/"). They've offered to change the kid's name to "A," but the Swedish government says that won't do, either.
Because the parents (Elizabeth Hallin and an unidentified father) failed to register a name by the boy's fifth birthday, a district court in Halmstad, southern Sweden, fined the parents 5,000 kronor (US$682 at the time). Responding to the fine, the parents submitted the 43-character name in May 1996, claiming that it was "a pregnant, expressionistic development that we see as an artistic creation." The parents suggested the name be understood in the spirit of 'pataphysics. The court rejected the name and upheld the fine."

I think this may be in the realm of torturing your child with a name...

Yes, but Lego?

This naming story comes from Sweden:

"Oh, those wacky Swedes and their hilarious kids' names! Okay, I had no problem with a girl being named Elvis and even Metallica is plausible, if you like the band's music, I suppose. And while I would never think to tell another parent what they can or cannot name their kid, sometimes even I have to ask, "Why?" Such is the case with the latest naming news from Stockholm, where a couple has won the right to name their son Lego. The parents say they have been calling the boy Lego for a year now and that if there had been any embarrassment, they would have chosen something different. They were initially turned down when they submitted the name for approval, but the latest decision from the Administrative Court of Appeals allows them to continue using the name."

So, is this a victory for freedom of choice in using copyrighted words for names, or is has global branding one again?

http://www.parentdish.com/2008/06/08/another-swedish-childs-name/

Names from the angels

I just read a webpage about naming your child. It says:

"The naming of a Jewish child is a most profound spiritual moment. The Sages say that naming a baby is a statement of her character, her specialness, and her path in life. For at the beginning of life we give a name, and at the end of life a "good name" is all we take with us. (see Talmud - Brachot 7b; Arizal - Sha'ar HaGilgulim 24b)
Further, the Talmud tells us that parents receive one-sixtieth of prophecy when picking a name. An angel comes to the parents and whispers the Jewish name that the new baby will embody. "

I am not Jewish, so I have no idea whether this is a widely held belief, but it seems to me a lovely way to think about naming a new baby.

http://www.aish.com/literacy/lifecycle/Naming_Your_Child.asp

Religion plays a role

I have noticed that in some old Roman Catholic families, there are many Marys and many Josephs.
Did religion play in a role in naming children in your family?

Can babies "look like" particular names?

When my second daughter was born, I was even more convinced I was having a boy. When the delivery room nurse asked me what I would name her, all that came to me was the boy's name we had chosen. I said, "Ian?"

That got laughs.

With a little sober second thought, we settled on Gillian, but after three days of getting to know our new daughter, both my husband and I felt that Gillian just wasn't the right name for her.

We went back to our list and settled on Elizabeth. We are all still very happy with that old and beautiful name, and I don't even mind so much anymore that most people call her "Liz"!

Makes me wonder ... do babies have personalities that you can see very early, and that affect their naming?
Apparently our daughter did -- or maybe it was all in our heads...?