You might not need that baby name book after all. Pope Benedict XVI has put out a papal declaration on naming babies. And for once -- let's get this on record -- this celibate man is making good sense for most parents, not just his faithful flock.
The Pope has asked people to drop the "offbeat" naming trend in favor of "Christian" names, the sort that he says are an "indelible seal" on a child. I'm no fan of marking kids with something religious, but there's a root to this that makes good sense.
In searching for a name for my kid, I was plagued by the need to find something that would be acceptable to a priest at baptism. It's the height of hypocrisy, and I'll readily admit it. I'm a crappy lapsed Catholic. The driving force was more a sense of tradition ... and the knowledge that I'd have my mother breathing down my neck until she was washed of original sin.
In the Catholic faith, the "traditional names" get preferential treatment because they're linked to saints. Either the first or middle name should match that of a saint, who in essence becomes a child's sponsor in life. Call it mumbo jumbo; I don't care. It made life easier!
Because those baby name books are HUGE. And you need some sort of rubric to cut them down to something more palatable. Settling on so-called Christian names did not stifle our creativity; we were allowed for derivations from the original saint's name. So Jackson, our preferred boy name, would have been acceptable as a diminutive of John.
Don't want to take an easy way out on baby naming? Think of it this way: it's for your kids. You're not likely to have to worry about them being pronounced correctly, having them spelled correctly, having your kids be embarrassed by them (ahem, indelible seal).
It won't work for everyone; I can see that. Mohammed is an incredibly popular -- and normal -- name, and it's not likely to be categorized by the pope as "Christian." But you've got to start somewhere. Let the pope help.
Are you surprised to find yourself agreeing with the pope on something?
Image via Sergey Gabdurakhmanov/Flickr
Kim and Kanye's Baby Name Predictions!
Moms Love Birthday Parties, Too!
Father Knows Best - Happy Father's Day!
Are Cheaters Entitled to Privacy? - A...
Comments 31
I have to agree with the Pope on this one. I particularly liked the quote from Msgr. Faley: "Naming children after perfumes, bicycles and countries is putting a limit on their potential. They are not merchandise or commodities."
When I was naming my son, one of my main guides was what I called "a pile of humanity on the playground". We didn't know if we were naming a boy or a girl, but names like Anastasia, while a beautiful name, and one held by a Czarina of Russia, is also the name of an "ugly stepsister" in Cinderella. Little kids don't know about Czarinas, but they sure know about Cinderella, and it opens the door to torment. Likewise, names like Bartholomew (yeah, I know, Saint), can be shortened to Bart. Simpson kid, yeah, but it also rhymes with "fart"... so I had visions of Bart the Fart!!
I really feel sorry for kids today who are saddled with trendy names. I know a little girl named Abcde, pronounced "AB-sih-dee". What is she supposed to do with that??? What is that going to do to her when she grows up and has to write a resume?
There's plenty of room for creativity, tradition and sentiment, but parents who give their kids "trendy" names - Princess whatever, Apple - are naming them for themselves, and aren't considering the child's future. The Pope's right - names mean something. They carry weight and energy with them.
Yes they do, however, when considering names for my firstborn we both wanted something that wouldn't be carried by five other little boys in class. We didn't want something ridiculous, like naming our child after fruit, but we did want something unique. And while Preston may run into some with that name it will be unique enough. In high school there were at least six other katie's in my grade alone. Going through elementary school my brother was one of four nick's in his class. I like a little creativity in a name but also something my kids won't be afraid to put on a resume
Abcde? OMG. THat's dreadful. Almost as dreadful as Sugan Cane and Candy Cane that I grew up with. Or Brilliant Lee. Or SiPhyllis. Or Lark Blue Day (I only wish I were making this up, these were names of people that enrolled in the insurance company I worked for).
I'm not saying you have to name your kid after saints. But cars? Animals? Vacation destinations? UGH.
SiPhyllis?! My heart breaks for that child. I taught a pair of twins named comma and apostrophe - their parents were English professors ...
We decided a long time ago not only did we want our children to have biblical names but also family names so they had an closer connection to their name until they got older.
Once I had a friend named Blue. His middle name was Jean.
Yeeeeeeeeeah no. No thanks. I do think people are really pushing the boundaries of moronic (and some crossed it) with naming trends though. But there are plenty of older books with classic names to choose from -- not just the bible.
He's the Pope. Of course he advocates using Saint or Biblical names. But I think the overriding message - and one that I agree with - is "quit giving your kids stupid names". There's nothing wrong with using a family name or those from literature. But the example in the article makes the point that even that can cause problems - the family who wanted to name their child "Friday".
The thing is, so many people think, "oh, this is such a unique name, NOBODY else will have it!" Well, of course they don't have that name... it's not a name!! It's a FRUIT!!
Our daughter has a traditional Greek name...(Zoë) We're not Greek-but it means "life"...My daughter was conceived about the time my father started his downward spiral of health which led to his passing when I was 5 months prenant.
One life passed for another to be born.