I just read this interesting article on how naming of children has changed - particularly recently- with an emphasis on "unique" names. It says that one reason this may be happening is the cultural trend towards standing out as and individual vs. past cultural trends that advocated sameness.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35561285/ns/today-parenting_and_family/?gt1=43001
It got me thinking about the "why" in my naming strategy for kiddos. I'm not TAMN- I don't think I feel a compelling need to "name my kids all unique" just for the sake of being "unique". However, I have been known to reject potential names that are "top 10". Maybe it comes from DMP and I both having very common names. I work with no less than 5 men who have DMP's name. I just don't want my kid to be one of 3 Sophie/Sophia's in her class, you know?
On the flip side, I also don't want my kid to be the one who, years later, people are saying "I knew this girl once and her name was..." So we try to strike what I hope is a middle ground in our naming- less-commonly-used-but-still-legitimate-name names. I don't know if we accomplished that with Birdy, though, so maybe I'm guilty of trying too hard, too! At least people can spell it, right?
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4 comments:
I'd like to suggest "dinner plate" or "sparkle-shiver-shiver" or "Igor" (sam's pick for janie.) Any of those would be fine...
we don't have a system either. Ours re; trendy, super popular, grandma era name and religious name. I guess if we have any more kids our options are either acolor as a name or something else equally as obscure. :-$.
Love the baby naming discussions. What is on your list?
Wasn't it you that wanted to name Jeff "Kitchen"?
I read an article very similar to that. It was kind of interesting the trend that is happening.
See Matt and I are totally at odds (usually) when it comes to names. I prefer traditional, classic names and he likes more modern sounding names. It took him a long time to warm up to the name Amelia, he didn't hate it, he just didn't love it. He does now of course.
Just last night I was telling him a name that has really started to grow on me, if we have a boy next (or actually next because I still love our boy name we've always had) and he rejected it for being too 'traditional'.
I'm also curious to know what names you're considering!
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