A Brief History
On October 21, 1995, Spanish illustrator and author Jesús Blasco died at age 76. Although largely unknown in the United States, he worked extensively on British comics in the 1960s and 70s.
His parents had seen fit to name him after the son of God, something that is not so common outside of Catholic Spanish-speaking countries. Granted there are many Mohammeds, how many people who go by the first name of Buddha, Allah, Jehovah or God do you know? You might have better luck meeting someone named after a mythological god such as Zeus, Thor, Odin, Aphrodite, Athena, Venus, etc. History and Headlines has already featured 6 articles dealing with names (the most recent one on October 2, 2014), and here we list some more names you should be wary of burdening your child with.
Digging Deeper
Names influence identity.
Unless you know for certain that your newborn baby son will grow up to be confident and tough and able to hold his own regardless of any name you might give him, do not name him: Judas; Sherlock; Shlomo; Poindexter; Mortimer; Felix; Stacy; Tracy; June; Seymour; or Benedict. Not all names drawn from literature, television and movies are a good idea, as anyone named Ishmael, Urkel, Doogie or Spanky will tell you.
If you have a girl, people might think you want her to become a stripper when she grows up if you give her a name like: Silky; Jade; Buffy; Bubbles; Blaze; Desiree; Jazzy; Candi; Lolita; Trixie; Foxee; Cayenne; or Fanny. If you name your girl Hortense, what do you think mean classmates will call her for short? Do you truly want a Jezebel for a daughter? Names like Cookie or Precious might be cute for a child (or dog for that matter), but your daughter runs the risk of not being taken seriously as an adult if you saddle her with one of them. Girls with old-fashioned names such as Bertha, Ethel, Mabel and Jemima are probably going to be made fun of. Think carefully when selecting a name because even a relatively normal name like Peggy is going to be turned into “Piggy” by little kids. Was the actress Butterfly McQueen (from Gone With The Wind) called “Butt” for short?
Remember to also consider your last name when naming a baby. If your surname is McCracken, do not name your son Phil. Do not consider Buster if your family name is Hyman. Last name Dover? Please, not Ben. Do not even consider the name Hugh if you come from the Janus family. And lastly, carefully review your last name before naming your boy Harry.
Still, an unusual name might benefit your child. In the U.S. Congress you can find names such as: Sherrod; Saxby; Rand; Steny; Lindsey; Filemon; Tulsi; and Beto, not exactly everyday fare. Perhaps being uncommon makes a name stand out on the ballot. In these politicians’ cases, their parents certainly ensured that their offspring would have a catchy and distinctive handle and could be instantly recognized by their first name alone. It is the luck of the draw for your child, but you as a parent could certainly help ensure your baby’s start in life is a smooth one, and that begins with its calling card – its name.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What real life names do you think belong in a “Name Hall of Fame” (or Shame)?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Elsom, G. A list of verbs that could be used as baby names. 2014.
