What's with the names? (Full Version)

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backrowbaptist -> What's with the names? (8/25/2008 12:37:41 PM)

I just blogged the other day about the names people give their children these days.
Here's what I said;
quote:

Okay, pet peeve time. WHAT is with the names people give their children these days? My new bride and her late husband picked solid, biblical names for their (our) two beautiful children. However, most of the other parents of kids at our school, church, little league, brownies, etc., have given their kids trendy, new-agish names like Madison, Hunter, Caedin, Talon (TALON!), Jade, etc. One couple's especially troublesome choice was hung on a little girl in my daughters first grade class; Allura. Honestly, do parents nowadays view their children as status symbols and/or novelties? Are they on the same level as pets? Is naming a child a personal statement of one's chic-ness, a way to out-do your neighbors? What ever happened to solid, biblical names like Jonathan, David, Stephen, Mark, Timothy, Mary, Sarah, Deborah and Rachel? How 'bout Faith, Joy, Hope or Grace? A biblical name gives a child an anchor of identity as a child of God as they journey through life in a world that is increasingly ambivilent, if not hostile, to Judeo/Christian values and faith.
There may be hope, though. In doing a little research for this post, I found this article that says Biblical names are making a comeback, even with celebrities.
http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/baby-names/themes/biblical-baby-names/;jsessionid=A0EXTSCLSWMILQFIBQNR42Q?page=2
If it's true, it's a welcome trend. Maybe this is one way the Lord keeps a remnant of His people.

Am I alone on this? What are y'all naming your man-cubs?



csl7037 -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 12:46:47 PM)

I prefer family names. My dh named our dd after a cartoon character - no joke! But her middle name is Bethini which is a combination of my two best friends' names - Beth and Tiffini. Like a family name anyway. Ds has my dh's first name and my father's middle. None of them are biblical but, except for the cartoon character connection, they are real, honest-to-goodness names, people names! But people make fun of me because my dogs even have people names. My last dog was Melinda. This one is Bauer - after Jack Bauer.



Sideways -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 1:19:51 PM)

We've used Biblical names for our first child, the second one hasn't been named yet. I think many Biblical names are quite lovely.

But, I certainly don't believe that a child needs a Biblical name in order to firmly rooted in their faith. Some of the "trendy" names you listed have been given to children here at CW, and their parents are very devout, strong Christians. Giving a child a non-Biblical name does not mean that the parent view their child as a status symbol or a pet. That's a somewhat offensive suggestion, in my opinion.

Some people choose names because of family history, or personal history (to honor a good friend), some simply think it's a beautiful or compelling name. Honestly, the people in the Bible were named for all those reasons. There's nothing in a name that makes a person more Christian, more special to God.

The name you took special offense at, Allura, mean "divine counselor". The name is quite beautiful and powerful in it's meaning.



3cappuccinosmom -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 1:28:18 PM)

I do find some of the trendy names a little annoying. I like Biblical and old-fashioned names as a matter of preference.

We have gone with my husband's culture, where all names are pulled directly from their language, and all names have meaning. There is one particular tribe that is very adept at giving their children's names really neat meaning, especially as they are stringing together the father's and grandfather's names as well (they don't ahve "family names").

Two of our three children's first names aren't Biblical, their middle names are. There are some Biblical names which dh wouldn't even consider (Athalia was an evil Queen, Asher was the son of a slave, even though "Asher" has a nice meaning, etc.) The meanings of our sons names are "tithe" (that's the oldest), "servant of Jesus", and "blessed". [:D]

I've always kind of liked one girls name I heard in dh's country. It meant "fruit of life" [:)]. But the actual name really, really wouldn't fly here in the States.



Georgia-Peach -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 1:40:12 PM)

We named our son Hunter because that is a name that we both liked for a little boy, not because it was assumed trendy. Maybe I am being a little sensitive because my son's name was one used as an example for being trendy, but whose business is it what someone names their child. I don't think having a child with a strong biblical name makes those parents more spiritual/better than someone (like myself) who goes with a trendy name. Nor do I think it makes that child any better than another. This is the kind of legalistic junk that Christians pull that makes me sick to my stomach.



garsyt -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 1:49:21 PM)

My husband and I gave our children their names SOLELY based on what we liked in a name. Quite honestly - who else's business is it? I have one name that could be considered trendy, one name that folks often think is is short for something else, one name that we have to spell out for folks because it is a different spelling than normally heard off (but I didn't want to deal with the teasing she would have gotten based on her initials with the common spelling and her middle name was non-negotiable), and one name that, I guess could be defined as trendy, but it's just different enough to where there aren't 5 of them in her grade at school and 20 in the entire building.

I also don't think what you name a child has ANYTHING to do with their faith. My children's names were very thought out and mulled over and prayed over for weeks before we made the final decision usually in the delivery room. Their names were much more carefully thought through then ANY of my 300 or so pets over the course of my lifetime. I do find that offensive.

My children have names that fit them so well. They also fit together with our family name and as a family all our names work well together.

I agree Chelle! We might not like what someone else names their child or we might think they are off their rocker or whatever - But HOW DARE someone tell me that my child isn't going to have as good a foundation/connection with Christ because their name isn't in the bible! Good grief!

Blessings,

Garsy



Sideways -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 1:51:22 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: 3cappuccinosmom
I've always kind of liked one girls name I heard in dh's country. It meant "fruit of life" [:)]. But the actual name really, really wouldn't fly here in the States.


Ok, I did a search and couldn't find it. I'm dying to know what the name is.



isaacsmom -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 1:55:04 PM)

quote:

My husband and I gave our children their names SOLELY based on what we liked in a name. Quite honestly - who else's business is it?


Yup.

quote:

My children have names that fit them so well. They also fit together with our family name and as a family all our names work well together.


Same here.

quote:

I don't think having a child with a strong biblical name makes those parents more spiritual/better than someone (like myself) who goes with a trendy name.


I totally agree.



Brandy -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 1:56:41 PM)

I don't like the weird names like Apple or Espen (ESPN) or parents who simply name them the oddest thing they can think of to be 'different'.

Other than that I don't give a rats hiney what someone names their kid.

We have a Madison and Hunter in our extended family of cousins, it's not an odd name choice by any stretch. I like them both myself and if they weren't in the family already they'd be on our 'list'.

I do have a feeling we named our daughter a name that will be popular over the next few years. I cannot believe how many Isabel's and Isabella's there are in our Mommy group already!!



ta_mosquito -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 2:05:01 PM)

We don't have children yet, but my personal preference are for biblical names, but not the most popular ones.

Instead of David and Jonathan, I like Adam, Justin, or Jason.
Instead of Sarah or Rachel, I like ... come to think of it, I don't have strong preferences for girl names.

I've known a Talitha (Mark 5:41) and a Keren (Job 42:14). I've also known a family that have named their children all sorts if -iah names (Jeremiah, Obadiah, Zechariah, whatever) which to me are much more strange than Madison or Hunter. [8|]



Brandy -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 2:14:43 PM)

I have a half brother named Jeremiah and I cannot think of him without thinking of that song "Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine..."

I've always called him Bullfrog [8D]



firefightermama -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 2:16:42 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: backrowbaptist

I just blogged the other day about the names people give their children these days.
Here's what I said;
quote:

Okay, pet peeve time. WHAT is with the names people give their children these days? My new bride and her late husband picked solid, biblical names for their (our) two beautiful children. However, most of the other parents of kids at our school, church, little league, brownies, etc., have given their kids trendy, new-agish names like Madison, Hunter, Caedin, Talon (TALON!), Jade, etc. One couple's especially troublesome choice was hung on a little girl in my daughters first grade class; Allura. Honestly, do parents nowadays view their children as status symbols and/or novelties? Are they on the same level as pets? Is naming a child a personal statement of one's chic-ness, a way to out-do your neighbors? What ever happened to solid, biblical names like Jonathan, David, Stephen, Mark, Timothy, Mary, Sarah, Deborah and Rachel? How 'bout Faith, Joy, Hope or Grace? A biblical name gives a child an anchor of identity as a child of God as they journey through life in a world that is increasingly ambivilent, if not hostile, to Judeo/Christian values and faith.
There may be hope, though. In doing a little research for this post, I found this article that says Biblical names are making a comeback, even with celebrities.
http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/baby-names/themes/biblical-baby-names/;jsessionid=A0EXTSCLSWMILQFIBQNR42Q?page=2
If it's true, it's a welcome trend. Maybe this is one way the Lord keeps a remnant of His people.

Am I alone on this? What are y'all naming your man-cubs?



With over 6 billion people on the earth, don't y'all think it would get confusing if everyone was named one of the couple hundred names in the Bible?

Names have nothing to do with Faith... [sm=shakinghead.gif] Or maybe I should rephrase that, names shouldn't have anything to do with Faith.

Our little guy is named Chase. We like one syllable names. We liked Hunter a lot (my hubby is an avid hunter and we both love what the name means) but we know a few Hunters around here, so we decided on Chase, which actually means "Hunter"

We will raise our son to be a follower of Jesus whether his name was Spot, Chase, Noah, Joseph, Elijah, or Fluffy.



ta_mosquito -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 2:18:06 PM)

LOL!

Don't get me wrong - I think Jeremiah is a nice name. But linked with all the other -iah siblings, it got to be a little much. (And actually, I don't think Jeremiah was one of the names. I wish I could remember their actual names. They were all pretty obscure.)



Auben -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 2:19:24 PM)

I think we just got tired of being one of 3 Jennifers, 4 Lisas, and 2 Tammys (or 4 Robs, 2 Daves, and 3 Mikes). Now people feel more comfortable naming a child something unique which may not get approval from everyone. It's become an expression of creativity.

Obviously one person's [:)] is someone else's [:'(].

We went with more basic first names (but still not in the top 30) and more unique family names for the middle.



3cappuccinosmom -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 2:47:47 PM)

quote:

Ok, I did a search and couldn't find it. I'm dying to know what the name is.


lol. Someone else asked too. It's not a bad work or anything, just a tongue twister. Firiheywot (fee-ree-HAY-woht). As I recall, it was an unusual name even over there.

Tricia, I like unusual biblical names (either Bible characters or words) for girls--Zion, Keziah, Maranatha, Shalom/Salome. Although lately I've been seeing Zion as a boys name here. [&:]

I also know someone who named her *girl* Asher and said if she had another girl the name would be Judah.

Modern names don't bother me as much as gender-bending or gender-reversing names. [&:]



3cappuccinosmom -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 2:50:25 PM)

quote:

Don't get me wrong - I think Jeremiah is a nice name. But linked with all the other -iah siblings, it got to be a little much.


lol I have cousins who's nicknames were Zack, Jack, and Mack for a while (and Jack and Mack were girls!). Then their parents had a fourth baby and thankfully broke the pattern with an Abby. [8D]



OneOfHisJewels -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 2:55:50 PM)

My upbringing was very conservative and very christian. I grew up around others much like me, and went to christian schools most of my life. When you grow up like that, you get sick and tired of Bible names after a while, especially because people tend to reuse the prettier ones over and over and over and over and over again. Don't get me wrong, I think a lot of them are very pretty (including my own-Rebekah), but if and when I ever have daughters, I really have NO desire to use Bible names for them (although a lot of my favorite boy names still happen to be Biblical, lol).

I also to some extent, have a problem with names like Faith, Hope, Charity, Joy, et all. I think they are very pretty, but it could cause real problems if the child turned out the opposite. I remember a line from a book I read, "I can't abide the name Faith. You know why? Because I knew 3 sisters once, yes I did, and they were named Faith, Hope, and Charity. Faith turned out to be an aetheist, Hope turned out to be a pessimist, and Charity turned out to be a miser." So, I, personally think the christian character names are better used as middle names.

When I was in college, I told my roommates I thought the name Serenity was pretty, and they made fun of me, because they had seen that name in the personal products aisle in the grocery story.

Ultimately, it's each set of parents' own business. Although the Duggars having all 18 kids named J names does annoy me. I figure if your'e sticking with one letter with that many kids, you're not selecting the name as carefully, but most people won't agree with me on that, so that's ok.



Jenny-Fair -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 3:03:07 PM)

quote:

I think we just got tired of being one of 3 Jennifers,

No joke! There are three people with my full name at our little library alone! I once got a letter from the library in the last town demanding that I return a list of 30 books with titles like 'Captive in his Bed' and 'Once upon a Sofa' or face legal action...trust me, I never read any of the books on that list.[8|]

Jennifer is now a staple name, but when my mother gave it to me, it was not yet popular. I once said I wished I'd been named Kathryn and she said she had known too many of them, lol, so she named me Jennifer instead.

Anyway, it isn't a biblical name but it has a beautiful history, as do many names.



revbob4God -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 3:16:50 PM)

Fruit of Life is more commonly referred to as Flower of life, and pertains to something that falls within the realm of the Kabbalah, and also a truly new age sort of transcendentalism. I am not sure which name you may be speaking of that would not fly over here.

Hyman is the greek male name for fruit, and Pyrenia would be a feminine form of tat particular word.



spitzu -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 3:17:47 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: CoeurdeLeon

quote:

have given their kids trendy, new-agish names like Madison, Hunter, Caedin, Talon (TALON!), Jade, etc.

New-agish????


Exactly what I was thinking. What exactly do you think "new-age" is and why do those names fit your definition of it, and why is that a bad thing?

Why do people freak out over what someone else names their child? Unless it's a foul word or has some horrible meaning, why do you care?

My name is Crystal, which I'm sure was "new-age" at one time or another. I like that not everyone and their dog is named Crystal. My parents chose it solely for its meaning. It's nice being different sometimes and not just another "Mary, Sarah, or Deborah".



Mrs.Wifey -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 3:23:14 PM)

quote:


I do have a feeling we named our daughter a name that will be popular over the next few years. I cannot believe how many Isabel's and Isabella's there are in our Mommy group already!!


It is in the top 10 girl names[8D]

We have a Gabriella, which was # 50 when we named her and something like #32 a year later. We aren't into gender ambiguous names(Jaden, Kyle, etc...) and our children will always have decidedly gender specific names. We also aren't huge fans of the trendier names, mostly because the majority of them don't make good adult names but we don't think they hinder your walk with the Lord.

FWIW, we would have used Bible names, except all the ones we liked are already in use. That's what we get for having 12 siblings and countless cousins between the 2 of us.



OneOfHisJewels -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 3:25:51 PM)

quote:

We named our son Hunter because that is a name that we both liked for a little boy, not because it was assumed trendy. Maybe I am being a little sensitive because my son's name was one used as an example for being trendy, but whose business is it what someone names their child. I don't think having a child with a strong biblical name makes those parents more spiritual/better than someone (like myself) who goes with a trendy name. Nor do I think it makes that child any better than another. This is the kind of legalistic junk that Christians pull that makes me sick to my stomach.

[sm=thumbsup.gif][sm=thumbsup.gif]

And by the way, that son you mentioned in that post..IS ADORABLE!!!



bzirk -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 3:25:56 PM)

Barring someone naming their kid a vulgar word, I think it's completely personal what people name their kids. So it doesn't bother me if someone has a weird name. We actually have a friend named Tater. I'm not kidding. I don't get it, but hey, no one forgets his name. [:D]

Frankly, it can be annoying to have a common name. Me and about 14 jillion other people have my first name. Oh, I like the name, but it can get confusing when everyone shares it. [8D]



10SNE1? -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 3:30:14 PM)

64 kids in my graduating class and 5 "Debbies"....[8|]

I can remember being in grade school and thinking how cool it would be to have a name that didn't need an " initial" . You know how the teacher would decorated the classroom door for Open House , with the little apples or fall leaves, one for each student's name?

Mine was always "Debbie T." because I was never the only Debbie in the class. [&o] [;)]

When I was in high school this drove me into rebellion. I decided that I would stand out from all your garden-variety Debbies and started insisting that my name would now and forever forward be "DEBBI".

My mother ( remember this was long before the parenting experts routinely advised 'picking your battles') insisted that she had named me and she named me Debbie and that would be my name.

Of course, being your typical mouthy teenage girl, I would reply "No, you named me Deborah and since you don't use my real name anyway..why do you care how I spell my nickname?"

It was at this point that my mom apparently agreed with me and not only started using my "real" first name but even added my real middle name for good measure [8D]

But seriously, those of us born in the 50s and 60s and given "real Biblical names" were rarely, if ever, called by those names. Everyone had a formal name and a nickname. Today, parents just don't seem to see the need for a formal, "real" name and just name their children the name they want to call them.



Jenny-Fair -> RE: What's with the names? (8/25/2008 3:36:18 PM)

You are lucky, because my mom's name on her birth cert. is 'debbie' and she had to legally change it in order to have a grown-up name in her workplace, lol.



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