If I have a cardinal rule, it is this: thou shall not mock a child’s name.
I didn’t always follow it to the letter, and I regret my missteps. Being human and flawed, of course I sometimes I find myself wondering – wait, what!? Really?!
But mostly, I think parents have their reasons for choosing a child’s name. And I firmly believe that those decisions are made with love and good intentions.
Yes, even the Kardashians.
Based on recent news reports, the youngest generation will grow by three Kar-Jenners in 2018:
- Kim and husband Kanye will welcome their third, a sibling for North and Saint.
- Sister Khloe and boyfriend Tristan Thompson will bring home their first child together, joining Tristan’s son Prince.
- Word is that Kylie, the youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner siblings, and boyfriend Travis Scott are expecting their first in 2018, too.
So. That’s a lot of headlines, and plenty of reveals for Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Even if you’re not a fan, I suspect the names will be headline-worthy, and very possibly influential. (Sure, North has yet to catch on, but Penelope and Mason?)
It has me wondering: what is it like to name a child when you know the world is watching? Does it change your thinking?
I’ve defended Beyonce and Jay-Z’s name choices for their twins, noting that a unique name might be more easily protected from others wishing to profit from a famous child’s birth.
We can guess that Kim’s kiddo will answer to a bold word name. But the other sisters? We won’t know until the birth announcement, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the younger sisters choose something more in the Penelope-Mason range than North, Saint, and Dream.
Elsewhere online:
- Are you following #octobernamechallenge? It’s a month-long project created by the marvelous Alexia Mae of @namesdaily for October. Follow along – or join the fun, and add the hashtag to your posts.
- Speaking of October fun, I’ve run series on Goth Names and such for Halloweens past. This year, I’ve got something new up my sleeve. Check back – and get set to vote – next Saturday, in the first ever Witches versus Vampires Halloween name showdown.
- Is Boris a gender neutral name? A Dutch writer named Renske de Greef named her daughter Boris, but I tend to agree with vernoeming. It’s not unisex. (Since I was working on vampire names earlier this week, I can’t resist adding: Anne Rice was born Howard, named for her dad.)
- This letter from The Name Lady reinforces #2 on this list.
- Roy Orbison, Jr. is dad to Roy Orbison III and he and wife Asa Hallgren are expecting a second son to be called Bo. It’s a family name, too, honoring Asa’s dad, but also Roy’s mom, Barbara Orbison. Clever!
- Alexia Mae talks about naming her beautiful new daughter. It will resonate with anyone who has had to give up a favorite name for one that both parents could love together.
- I’ve (finally) watched Wonder Woman, and I’m now the biggest Gal Gadot fan ever. So I had to look up her unusual given name. It means wave. If Kai can be huge, why not Gal? Also, this list of character names from various takes on the Wonder Woman tale remains one of my favorites.
- The big takeaway from this list of names in the US Top 1000, but not in the England & Wales list? American parents are much more into surname names.
- The names you’re most likely to hear on a Paris playground. Raphael, Louise, Ines!
- Congrats to the Bower family on the birth of Ella Violet. Funny how you can take two Top 100 names, put them together, and arrive at something really lovely. Also, blogger Andrea Dekker welcomed daughter Clara Jo – two family names.
- A girl named Suzie Q Faye – fascinating! I’m not sure it’s a name I’d want for myself, but I do always like Q as a middle initial.
- Outstanding advice from Duana for an adult name changer.
That’s all for today. As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!
