What’s in a name?
I think absolutely everything. A name has power. It's your identity.
It always has amazed me how parents choose the most fitting name for their children. Well, most of the time.
Barring the kind of kooky ones like “Apple” (Gwyneth Paltrow) or Zillion Heir (for one of Nick Cannon’s 12 children), most of the time are relatively normal.
The Ontario government released its annual list of most commonly chosen names for newborns, before Christmas, showing most parents opted for familiar ones.
Girls Boys
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According to statistics, Olivia has been the top name for girls for more than a decade.
Sometimes, pop culture comes into play.
There were a few Mavericks this year with the new Top Gun movie with Tom Cruise.
BabyCentre.com suggests names from movies and TV shows were big this past year likely because we all watched so much television.
The names Keeley, Roy, Jamie, Bex, and Rupert from Ted Lasso were all on the rise.
Daphne and Eloise from Bridgerton went up.
A few royal names rose in popularity including Queen Elizabeth’s nickname Lilibet. Diana, Archie, Charlotte, Louis, and Phillip also made some gains.
It must be a daunting task to choose a great name when you don’t know a child’s personality yet.
Every kid probably hates their name at some point.
As a child, I decided I should be Star Marlo McMillan.
Star because it was really cool, Marlo because I thought Marlo Thomas was beautiful and McMillan because I loved the Rock Hudson series McMillan and Wife back in the 1970s. I still think it has pizazz!
Mostly, though, I think it's really important to love your name. It's essential to own it, make it something special and protect it.
How many of us have negative associations with certain names because we just never liked the person? That can last a lifetime.
Look how internet memes made 'Karen' into the cranky complainer who always wants to speak to a manager.
“Don’t be such a Karen?”
That’s sad for good Karens everywhere.
Also, there are times when names are changed, but we, as a society, revert to the original moniker.
I admit, I still call Rogers Centre the SkyDome. It was SkyDome for 15 years before the naming rights were sold.
Sadlon Arena, in south-end Barrie, is still referred to as the Barrie Molson Centre by many.
Maybe that has to do with what the name was when you grew up.
Decades later, if a person returns to their hometown they refer to buildings and streets as they once were.
“Turn left on old Highway 2 and go right where the former canning company was by the old school and head down the 4th concession or whatever its called now.”
There’s a lot of directions given like that.
At this point, so many radio stations, utility companies and a myriad of businesses have changed names so many times, I am completely confused.
You can change company names and logos all you like, but you can’t necessarily change the habits of your customers. A good name just sticks!
As we begin a new year and new babies are born, mom and dads be sure to give them a good solid name.
Don’t spell it some weird way that nobody will ever get right.
Don’t insist on an odd pronunciation forcing them to spent their entire life correcting people.
Give them a name they are likely to find on a keychain when on vacation.
To quote Morris Mandel: “You ask what’s in a name? I answer. Just about everything you do.”
