A few days ago, I took my teenager to see the latest Spider-Man movie. One of the previews reminded me that another installment in the Terminator franchise is coming soon, and I still haven’t seen them all. (Catching up on a long series feels intimidating. I mean … five movies plus 31 television episodes just to start? That’s a project!)
But if you go back to the 1984 original, you’ll recall that the killing machine played by Arnold Schwarzenegger was tracking Sarah Connor – ALL the Sarah Connors. He’d already hunted down a few before Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor foiled his plans.
And so, let’s consider The Sarah Connor Opportunity.
If we’re concerned with privacy in this wild world of ours, then perhaps the answer is easy. Choose a first name that verges on the anonymous. A Top 100 name. Or maybe a classic, used for so many generations you might hear it in seventeenth century as easily as the twenty-first.
Because Sarah Connor managed to be quite extraordinary, even though she was one in the crowd.
Elsewhere online:
Everything about this story is fascinating. If you’re wrestled with changing your child’s name, here’s one tale of what happened, many years later, when the daughter debated reclaiming her discarded name.
Krysten Ritter named her baby boy Bruce! Names, they are a-changin’. His full name is Bruce Julian Knight Granofsky. Dad is musician Adam Granduciel; Granduciel is a stage name. Here’s hoping she talks about names in a future interview. I’d love to know what inspired their choice. All I can think of when I hear Bruce is this, but I suspect the name will grow on me.
Sure, there’s John and Joan, Henry and Alice. But most of the Top 50 Names from England in the late fourteenth century? They’re un-guess-able. Felice, Mariot, Godelena, Giles, Gervase, Hamond. Okay, the boys’ list feels far more familiar in 2019. But neither set of names is predictable, and both might inspire parents after an unexpected name with history. Meet my kids, Reginald and Clemence …
Isn’t Cosima just gorgeous? It’s one of those names I wonder why we don’t hear more. Kate has some background, including a discussion about possible nicknames.
Some of these flower names might work best in the middle, but the list of romance language flower names is worth a read. Which reminds me … I namespotted a woman named Flower. It wasn’t the kind of situation where I could ask about her name, but oh … how I would love to know the story!
That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!
I totally empathize with encountering someone w/a unique name and being unable to ask — makes me think of experiences I’ve had hearing parents talking to kids in the grocery store. Crimson (b), Sentry (g), Rowdy (b)… yeah, I’m a sucker for word names (though I’ll likely never use one for my own kid).
SENTRY! That’s a great name. And there must be a story …
What a thought, to try on a name completely different from your own for days or weeks, instead of just your Starbucks order… What’s the opposite of “Kerri”? Ophelia, perhaps? Or Margaret? Perhaps one day I’ll try it, just to see how it feels.
Ritter means knight in German, so maybe little Bruce’s name is also meant to honor his mom! 🙂
Ooh … I didn’t get that at all. I hope that’s true, because you’re right – it’s awesome!
Hi, just thought while I was here I’d let you know that you only need to watch The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day before Terminator: Dark Fate. Dark Fate is a direct sequel to T2, ignoring the three non-Cameron (and non-Hamilton) movies and the series. 😉
Excellent – thank you! I’m putting them on my to-watch list …