EddaDear Edda,
My partner and I are expecting a baby. We are very excited and so far have agreed on everything. The color of the nursery, what nursery school he/she will go to, even the college we hope she/he will attend (we met in college)! Everything was going really well, until we got to names.
How can a person come up with such a lot of terrible names? My partner, “Lee”, keeps writing lists of names, along with meanings and sometimes, rationale, and showing them to me, saying the perfect name must be on this list.
To give you an example: Ocean, Skye, Kelp (these after a walk at the beach), Zephyr (what is that – wind? A skateboard company?). These are all, according to Lee, gender-neutral and “strong”. Really? Kelp?
This week’s list included Brooklyn (we’ve never been to Brooklyn), Atlas, and the last straw – Corona (means crown in Spanish). What?! Should seek psychological counseling? Legal advice? I’m starting to stress out. We decided to Ask Edda.
Signed,
Pat
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Dear Pat,
Congratulations! Parents-to-be have enough to stress out about without stressing out about names. However, this does often become a bone of contention during the time leading up to the happy day.
A name is very important. It conveys a first impression, and can even shape who the person eventually becomes. Naming a child is a huge responsibility, so you don’t want to get it wrong. That’s a lot of pressure.
So, here’s my advice. Check out the meaning and association of the name. Trust me, everybody you ask will have known someone with that name and will give you good or bad feedback. Write down the initials, so you don’t inadvertently spell out a bad word.
But above all, give the child a name that you can scream out, without irony or embarrassment, when said child is running full speed through the supermarket, chasing his or her little friend, Persephone, and they are knocking over displays and toppling elderly gentlemen on their walkers.
Edda
Edda is not a medical professional but a local lady who loves to give out advice, even when it’s not asked of her. Submit your question to ed@edhat.com for Edda to answer.
And please avoid Emma and Liam, and all the other exceedingly common names these days. Put those as middle names, if you must.
Or Gavin or Joe.
Did actually know someone whose last name was Flasher and whose parents gave him Richard as a first name, and inevitably, yes, he signed his name as Dick Flasher.