Names fascinate me. Of course, there have always been fashions in naming children. Those fashions rise and fall and speak about the passing march of history mingled with culture. It is a topic I have blogged about before. For example in 2016.
This morning I was lying in bed as per usual listening to the "Today" programme on BBC Radio 4. An item on names suggested that the boy's name Jaxson is on the rise in Great Britain - not Jackson you understand but Jaxson or even Jaxon. With baby girls the name Ariana is shooting up the popularity charts - no doubt aping the Italian-American pop singer Ariana Grande.
The three most popular names for girls in Britain in 2018 were apparently Olivia, Amelia and Isla and the three most popular names for boys were Oliver, Harry and Jack. I don't mind any of these names.
You may have heard of two British "celebrities" - David and Victoria Beckham. Those two much-photographed people have, in my view, solid unpretentious first names. If their parents were trying to say anything when choosing those christian names it was all about steadiness and fitting in with the rest of society.
Fast forward to the naming of their four children and we have got Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper Seven. What wacky names - at least in my opinion - and what a crazy self-indulgence to saddle children with daft names like that which speak of flimsiness and ephemeral stardom. I much prefer the first names of David Beckham's parents - Ted and Sandra or Victoria Beckham's parents - Jackie and Anthony. They are proper names.
Several of our children's peers have been bearing children recently. A number of them appear to have referred to "The Beckham Book of Silly Names for Children" when picking baby names. I won't give you examples here as I would not wish to cause any of these young parents offence. After all, they were just going with the flow of modern fashion. However, kudos goes to Richard and Cindy in Perth, Australia who recently named their baby son Alexander William. When she gets married our Frances will be this little boy's auntie for Richard is Stewart's brother. Lucky little Alexander William has a splendid brace of names to accompany him on life's twisting journey.
If any visitors to this blog are looking for an even better name for a baby boy, may I suggest the first name Neil. Neil means "champion" in Gaelic and is a very rugged, masculine name. Well worth consideration but only if the baby is handsome and robust with a fine pair of lungs.
Some names go round and round my head, like earworms. It's something to do with the name and its rhythm, e.g. the guy who often used to be quoted on the Today programme, Chapman Pincher. And those puppets on the kids programme: Jelly and Jackson. But "Jaxson" no way.
ReplyDeleteTasker is an unusual first name. I wonder what it means Probably something to do with setting tasks - like a slavemaster.
DeleteMore like a dogsbody who carries them out.
DeleteOnly the other day I was commenting to a friend that I love some of the names the Americans have...I love reading the credits etc., on movies and series to see the variety of names.
ReplyDeleteOf course, there are some parents that go overboard and cause future embarrassment for their kids....e.g. "Callum Murray".... ;)
I once taught a boy called George Lee. Needless to say he was a cheeky little fellow.
DeleteYour post has inspired me to look up the meaning of my own name. I wish I hadn't now. Apparently it is derived from an old Hebrew name originally meaning supplanter. That doesn't sound very nice.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that a lot of Hebrew names mean "supplanter". I am guessing that your name is Jacqueline - like Jackie Kennedy. Am I right or am I wrong?
DeleteDammit, my cover is blown.
DeleteMy first two children have very traditional names, Matthew and Jessica. My third child was named by my husband as Riordan. He hated it in his late teens but now, as a thirty something, he quite likes it. It means "The kings little poet"
ReplyDeleteDoes he shorten it to Rio - like Rio Ferdinand?
DeleteSometimes......
DeleteI completely agree with you on the subject of names. I hate the trendy names with weird soellings...Jaxon (even when spelled correctly I have a low tolerance for names that should be surnames!) Jaden, Jayden, Caden, Cayden, etc. There's a trend here for girls to have names that I call the "dead presidents" names....Kennedy, Mckinley, Madison, etc. The most popular girls names in our area seem to be Olivia, Savannah, and Emma. They're just tired. I like solid traditional names, like you. I have a slight aversion to trendy names, having grown up as one of dozens of Jennifers. My middle name is Marie which is close to mom's first name, which is Mary.
ReplyDeleteYou were named sensibly Jennifer. I wonder why Gregg's parents insisted on a double "g" at the end. I bet he has had a lifetime of correcting that.
DeleteGregg is actually a Gregory. I'm not sure why he spells the short version with two "g"s.
DeleteNothing that is meant to last a lifetime should be subject to a fast-fading fad or temporary trend. It is similar to people who choose a garishly bright modern colour for their living room walls only because it is "in" this season - ask them how they feel about the same colour one or two years later, and in an honest moment they will probably confess that they actually can't stand it anymore but have not had the time yet to redecorate. Or someone who has the name of a love tattoed on their skin - what if the relationship does not hold?
ReplyDeleteI have gone back to see whether I have commented on your 2016 post about names. Yes, I have, and also on your 2014 post, with a link to a post of my own about the same subject.
Still very interesting, isn't it!
My American friends' two daughters (born 3 years and 9 months ago) are Claire and Natalie. I like both.
Yes. Claire and Natalie are good names but not as nice as Meike!
DeleteMy second son's name is Sean spelled in what to me is the traditional spelling. However today they seem to come up with all sorts of different ways of spelling that name. It seems like trying to spell names differently is a "thing" too.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention Frank Zappa who has a son named Dweezil and a daughter named Moon Unit!
DeleteI am glad you didn't call your second son Dweezil! It sounds like a garden pest.
DeleteIt's funny how names go in circles. There is no way I would have named a baby George or William or Lily or Daisy, as they were so Victorian or Edwardian. But now they are all fashionable again. Give it a few decades and the Waynes and Traceys will be back. But I must agree some names are ridiculous. Cheryl Cole's baby is called Bear and his father's surname is Payne. What were they thinking!!
ReplyDeleteThey weren't thinking. Cheryl was being Cheryl and Liam Payne was being Liam Payne. If you don't mind me saying, ADDY is a peculiar name - especially as you always insist on capital letters.
DeleteYou won't get any argument from me :)
ReplyDeleteThat's good Ermintrude.
DeleteFinlay
ReplyDeleteI quite like that name. A good friend of my son called his baby boy Finlay.
DeleteI think that we've been through a period of being very traditional naming. If you look at old gravestones you see some very unusual names. I like individual choices, as long as they are not ridiculous! Dweezil - I ask you!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for calling by SMG. I guess there were some odd names in the past but most English gravestones I see seem to have traditional names upon them - often biblical like the apostles or for girls - Mary, Sarah, Rebecca, Abigail, Judith, Elizabeth, Hannah etc..
DeleteWell, I gave all of my children very "traditional" names and each of them had meaning to me. And my daughters have given their children names that are pretty solid-citizen-sounding. I'm very glad that I did not name any of my children "Rainbow" or "Waterfall" or something like that. People think that I made my own name up- Mary Moon. It does sound a bit hippie-ish but Moon is my husband's name and I love it. I'd rather carry his name than the name of my father's people. Having said all of this though, I try very hard not to criticize others in their children's name choices. Not really my business although sometimes I do wonder what it's going to be like for the child.
ReplyDeleteYes. That is what bothers me too. It is the child that matters and that is why children's names should be picked with care and real forethought.
DeleteNames come along with fads. Fortunately most people , even today, are given more or less common names. Say, are many people called Keith today? It's a nice name but not in style today.
ReplyDeleteKeith is a little town in north east Scotland. It has a population of 4,734. I doubt that the town council are planning to change its name to Dwayne or Jaxson.
DeleteIsla? That's interesting. I don't think I've ever met or heard of an Isla. I would never have guessed that's a popular name.
ReplyDeleteHow many babies do you meet these days Steve?
Delete