Posted on 06/27/2006 10:33:31 AM PDT by qam1
Many parents, especially celebrities, are choosing distinctive names or spellings to make their children stand out
Choosing a name for your newborn requires a certain level of sober reflection, contemplation and introspection.
Expectant parents consult relatives and friends, leaf through scores of books and scour the Internet for just the right handle to reflect their little cherub's shining personality, obvious brilliance and unquestionable character.
So it makes you wonder what the recent spate of Hollywood celebrity parents were thinking - or drinking - when they chose such distinctive names, to put it kindly, for their high-profile offspring. That goes for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who named their daughter Shiloh, and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, who named their girl Suri.
Sure, we've had a chuckle at some and scratched our heads over others, but before you go calling your sons Dilbert after your favorite cartoon character or christening your daughters Brangelina because you adore Couple-of-the-Moment Pitt and Jolie, give it some thought, baby and parenting experts say.
Like all parents, celebrities see their children as extensions of themselves and choose names that reflect their tastes and values, says Babytalk magazine senior editor Christina Vercelletto.
"What's driving this is this whole sort of Gen-X competitive parenting trend," Vercelletto says. "Parents who are now in their 30s, they have their children, and they feel that from birth it's practically a competition. You want your child to stand out. We live in a competitive society, and you don't want your child to blend into the woodwork."
"Names are really brands," says Rachel Weingarten, a branding and trends expert and the president of GTK Marketing Group in Brooklyn.
Take Brangelina's baby, Shiloh. "You're saying we have turned this into a money-maker from birth,"
"It's this whole, 'Look at me' kind of thing."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
I agree.
Vinny, Louie, and Mikey will kick little Forrest's ass and take his lunch money.
I think a great name for a girl is "Jillian Rose". It has a ceertain star-power to it, don't you think?
I went for Constantine Nicholas myself. I wanted the name to have a certain heft and authority.
Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social (and sometimes nostalgic) aspects that directly effects Generation Reagan / Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations (i.e. The Baby Boomers) are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.
Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.
My curent faves amongst the AA set is: (wait for it...)
LEMONJELLO and ORANGELLO
Pronunciation key:
Luh-mon-jelo and Or-ahn-jelo promounced as one word.
KILLER!!!
My newest granddaughter is named Sarah. I just love that name.
If I'd walked into an elementary school in 1996 and called for "Tyler", I think all of the kids would've turned around.
What is so bad with Little Barbara?
Not just gender-neutral ones, either. The "brand name" aspects of naming your kid are wayyyy overboard. I know a kid named "Talon." I mean, really ... what kind of criminal stupidity drives a mother to name her kid "Talon?" (She has another kid with an equally awful name, but I can't remember it.)
I knew of a kid that was named abcde
pronounced "absidy"
of course there have been some that I have known such as
Straight Crazy-real legal name, not a joke
james "billy the kid" Lopez
James "007" Bond
the list goes on
Larryshekoa Saltxxius MyAjhia Mays
We went with an Irish name for our new daughter (mr. elc is Irish) - Neave - and boy do we get some looks and boy does it get butchered. We didn't realize it would be so hard for people to understand.
But we still love the name. She will always be our wee Neave.
It's side-splittingly funny.
who named their girl Suri.
Suri is a very old name. I had an aunt who has been dead for many years now named Suri. When she died she was around 80.
Why do people give a damn what others name their kids? Oh wait, do we need the government to step in and make a law about this?
Shiloh......I believe means peace, I like it.
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