I was talking to my pregnant cousin recently, and the topic of choosing baby names came up, as it invariably does when talking to pregnant people (they have such one-track minds).
To be completely honest and opinionated, I think this recent trend of annoyingly unique baby names has got to stop. As a mother, my job in life is to give my child a good start, and not cripple them for life. Girl has a name that is not really common (really, who names their child "Girl"?) but it's phonetic, and common enough that people will know how to spell it and pronounce it. We don't have an easy last name to start out with, but I have a lot of trouble with the fact that no matter what your name is these days, you HAVE to spell it outloud for everyone who needs it. There are too many variations of the exact same name that we might as well wear nametags to make life easier (with a phonetic spelling underneath of course)
I feel sorry for teachers. With a class list of Aymeighs and Maiyas and Khrises, how they struggle through roll call the first day is beyond me. They must get phonetic spellings. This doesn't even mention the names that aren't really names... like Pinstripe and Telephone and Orange. Are those boys or girls? I have no idea.
Remember in the 60's (heh, because you know I remember so well), there was a contingent of people who believed that naming their children Wind and Rain and Sunshine was a good idea. Why? No one knows, but those people have grown up now and are in their 40s, and stuck with a name that immediately dates them (and for some, may possibly embarass them).
I think the madness will stop someday. We will go back to more traditional names, (goodness, are there really not enough of them? The poor people writing baby-name books in the next 5 years...) if only because we run out of silent letters to add.
hahahahahhahahaha! It had to be said.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget all those people who choose names without it occurring to them how easily it will be for their classmates to pick on them.
A note from a teacher:
ReplyDeleteUsually we know the kids coming up to our class as they have been in the school for a few years already... but if you teach kindergarten, or the youngest grade in the school- then YES, it would be tricky!
This year when I was labelling all the students' school supplies that I buy, I was hesitant to label a pink frog name tag with the name Tyler... even though I KNEW she was a girl... but I still thought "how bad would that be if thre was some mistake??" But I also had to choose neutral colours for everything I labelled for a student named Alyric as I just could NOT remember what the grade 2 teacher had told me about his/her gender!! Turns out she is a very lovely and sweet girl, but I had to ask her mom how to pronounce her name (and where the heck she even got the idea for it!). My biggest irk was finding out on the first day of school that 2 kids actually go by their MIDDLE names- I had to scratch out the name on the pencil case written in permanent marker and write the "new" name underneath it... so esthetically UNpleasing to this perfectionist... but sigh... not the end of the world.
"Girl" has a beautiful name- and very meaningful at that!
I feel for the teachers among us. I will try not to become an irk if I can manage it!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I did forget to mention the easily teasable names... Astrid anyone? Just say no.
I'm sure Cooper's classmates will call him Pooper.. because his parents do. And because he is one, figuratively and literaly. ;)
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention that in Cooper's class there is a Carter and a Karter. Karter sometimes gets referred to as "Karter with a K" and his mom is mad about this and would rather it be "Carter S and Karter W"..
ReplyDeleteIn 2007 someone in Alberta named their child COWBOY.
Oh dear. STOP THE INSANITY!
ReplyDeleteI know a boy named Texan :). His sister's name is London. I'm with you on the crazy spelling business. A's teacher is about to have a baby and she's going to name him Jaxson. If you have an "x", what do you need an "s" for?!
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