I get that people tend to name their children after the popular trend. When we chose the name ‘Emily’ for one of our twins, it was at that time, the most popular name in the United States only to be beaten by “Emma”.
It seems to me that there is no rhyme or reason to what is popular at a given time. Some parents I think try to avoid trends. . .so I imagine Emma and Emily will go out of fashion in a few years just as Jennifer did. I suppose that there were lots of Madonnas in the 80’s and it does seem that for awhile there were Selmas and Penelopes floating around too. . .but then again I live in a mostly Hispanic neighborhood.
Some people on the other hand seem to take a more interesting approach to naming their children. New Zealand blocked a couple from naming their child “4Real”. And what could possibly be going through these parent’s minds, you ask? I believe the dad was quoted as saying, “When he came, it was like I realized, this is for real, you know?” No, actually I don’t know how you could miss the ‘reality’ of 40 weeks of gestation including morning sickness, heartburn, swelling and the ever burgeoning girth that is your child to be. New Zealand officials stepped in and insisted the couple name their child something more appropriate.
Apparently in Beijing, people are gearing up for the 2008 Olympics by dedicating their spawn to the games. Nearly 3,500 babies have been named “Aoyun” since 2000 (the year Beijing first put the bid in to host the Olympics) which in Chinese means “Olympics”. Perhaps it was better that they beat out New York City for the bed as I don’t see a lot of New Yorkers naming their children “Olympics”. Some couples in Beijing are taking a different approach and blessing their children with the same moniker as one of the five friendlies. (The five friendlies are animated characters that play in Chinese Olympic commercials.) The names are Bei Bei (880 people) Jing Jing (1,240), Huan Huan (1,063), Ying Ying (624) and Ni Ni (642). When put together, the phrase translates to “Beijing welcomes you!”
However, the moniker I really don’t get is this one bestowed upon some poor child: Urhines Kendall Icy Eight Special K. Forget that the first word looks like it’s a curse. . .it’s actually pronounced “Your Highness.” Special K seems to refer to ketamine. . .a recreational drug. Why on earth would you want to name your child after a recreational drug?
Suddenly, Beatrice, Gertrude, and Leonard seem like fantastic names to me.