HOT TOPIC: WHAT’S IN A NAME?
God’Iss Love, Heaven Love’on, Apple, Puma, Seven, Bronx, Messiah, Bamboo, Pilot inspektor, Million, Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha. Think those are weird celebrity kids’ names? How about Tulula Does The Hula From Hawaii?
In 2008, a judge in New Zealand ordered a name change for a nine-year-old girl named Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. “The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child’s parents have shown in choosing this name. It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily,” the judge wrote. The girl’s name has since been changed.
According to a blogger named Hermilando Aberia, “If a person makes a name, so does a name make a person. Names are said to be reflections of their bearers’ personality. A name works like magic behind one’s identity. The world sees through the totality of a person with his or her name. That shows how important names are, or should be (Source).
Do you agree with Hermilando? Should it matter what you name your children? What’s in a name?
61 Comments to “HOT TOPIC: WHAT’S IN A NAME?”
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I do think parents should chose children’s names with care. Doesn’t mean they will please everyone with the choice, not even the child in some cases but at least put a lot of thought into that choice.
Names do carry some weight. People do attach some other meaning or detail to certain names. Gertrude or Hortense for example has been linked to homeliness (right or wrong), sorry if I offended anyone. And I feel sorry for the few Chester’s out there, because molester seems to inadvertently get linked to it or some other nerdy imaginings. Get my drift.
There doesn’t mean all names need to end up boring, safe, traditional. I think there is a way to be creative with a name without throwing part of a child’s identity under a bus.
I do shake my head at some of the names I am increasingly seeing attached to some celeb kids. I didn’t really want to touch Master Ps clan, that thread I saw which I thought was a hoax as I couldn’t quite digest Hercy and some of the other shall I say indulgences?
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I think all of those names are unique. Now Tulula Does The Hula From Hawaii is way too long. Take off the last five names and it will be fine. But I don’t think your name defines you. There are people out there named Angel and don’t act nothing like one. Same with Princess,King, and Prince. And the most ghetto people I know are named Ashley and Kaitlin. Or the smartest people are named Chiquita,Teasiyah, and Duracel.Names don’t define you.
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I know names don’t define you but, unfortunately, we live in a world where people are judged by where they’re from as well as by their names. It’s wrong and unfair, but it happens, and the ones most guilty of the judging are often the ones in charge of hiring people. If two resumes came in for a job, the applicants remain faceless, and each person is equally qualified, I’ll bet hands down and with all my money that Ashley-Lynn from Buckhead would get it over La’Shandrellanique from Harlem. It’s sad, it’s disgusting, but it’s true. Your name doesn’t define you, but people define you by your name.
The celebrity children with the crazy names have one advantage over their lower-class counterparts – their families have money and some sort of influence, so they won’t suffer because of their names. Mummy and Daddy’s fame/money smooths paths for them. For regular children with eye-brow raising names? They’re not so lucky.
There are plenty of unique, rare yet cultural names that people can give their babies without getting super crazy.
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Leo,
That was so beautifully & eloquentaly said.
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Thanks, Sherley!
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Although we know that names should not define you or cause one to be socially handicapped, the truth of the matter is, is that they do, especially in the working world. I cannot take a ‘Shaquita’ or ‘Da’Quann’ or ‘LeShantellique’ seriously. I just can’t. Unfortunately, whenever I meet a person with a multi-syllabic name, I make judgments about their upbringing, their character, and their parentage.
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I think Taluah is a fine name but all that extra stuff was unnecessary. It’s sad to say but some people do judge others by their name. When an employer sees “Shondalaqueasia” or “De’Aquanesha” on a application or resume they do not take them seriously and they are less likely to get the job.
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Amber, I can’t even pronounce those. I tried once, going slowly, and I bit my tongue.
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They are pronouced Shonda-La-Que-Asia and De-Aqua-Nesha.
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LOL. Those names remind me of the YouTube video “Top 60 Ghetto Black Names” (is that where they’re from?)
Watermelondrea, Obamaniqua, and Guuuurrrrlll are my favorites. hahaha
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It does matter what you name your child, and I don’t care what anyone says. There is a fine line between alot of things in this world if not everything, and there is a fine line between a name being unique and it being just plain silly. Yes I understand that some people have different names depending on their culture, but people lets use our common sense okay, we know that Lisa Bonet’s husband was born in Hawaii his father is Hawaiian and his mother has a background of Native American, German, and Irish, so that explains his sons name, which isn’t for that matter unheard of (Nakoa I mean, the rest of the boys name probably isn’t unheard of in Hawaii). Now when you get to Million, Pilot Inspektor, Bamboo, Messiah, we know those are just plain silly names to name your child, and when they become adults how are people supposed to take them seriously. If they’re looking for a job they’re going to be judged by their name because people think silly name, silly person, ghetto-sounding multisyllabic name, employer thinks ghetto person. So you’re not defined by your name, but you’re judged by it. (BTW, and not to get all religious/spiritual on you guys, but to call a child Messiah to me is silly because whoever named their child that seemed to have missed the true meaning of the name which is actually a title. It’s jewish and it means a leader annointed by God, which if your Christian like I am, would be Jesus, and I think it’s safe to say that Messiah does not reflect this person’s personality.) That’s just my POV.
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Adding my two cents, although you didn’t ask for it… I like the name Messiah. You said it means leader appointed by God, which is a beautiful meaning to have to a name. I mean, Jesus isn’t the only leader appointed by God. Couldn’t teachers, or ministers, or Barack Obama or any leader be a “leader appointed by God”? Just my POV…
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@PlainMean….
Your Question: “Couldn’t teachers, or ministers, or Barack Obama or any leader be a “leader appointed by God”?
My Answer: No way, No how, No chance!!! Just a plain old resonding NO!!!
Teachers, ministers, Barack Obama are NOT Jesus!!!
There is only one true Messiah and it is Jesus Christ, the Lord and Saviour.
Now as for people naming there kid Messiah…well, I would never do it but to each his/her own! Thats between them and God.
Just my POV….
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“Teachers, ministers, Barack Obama are NOT Jesus!!!” —
No one said that they were Jesus! Messiah is a title, which has been translated to mean anointed, messenger, appointed, etc; you can be all of the latter without being Jesus. If we’re using Victoria’s definition of “leader appointed by God” then I think that many people would fit that definition, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King Jr, Harriet Tubman, Ghandi, etc. I’m not saying that these people are the Messiah referenced in the Bible – that would be Jesus, yes… I’d rather be named Messiah “leader appointed by God” than Quan’tanika Dejaun Courvoisier Johnson!
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@PlainMean….Well, you are entitled to your opinion and Im entitled to mines
Again, I would NEVER name my child Messiah.
It seems almost sacriligious.
Just sayin’…..
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I am a Christian and I understand that Jesus is the my messiah. But Messiah is, just as she was saying, a title. Its like if you honored your President. Calling someone else president doesn’t take away the meaning. Jesus is the Messiah. I think it would be foolish to name a child Jesus (but not like Latinos & how they pronounce). But if you actually understand what a Messiah is it isnt off base.
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I see where ya’ll are coming from but naming your child Messiah is way off base, like I said it’s a title not a name, it’s THEE title, it’s thee greatest title that can ever be held. Oh and I said annointed and not appointed. If you are annointed by God it means that the Spirit of God has come to you and given you a god given task. I have respect for our president and other leaders in the past and Plain Mean other than Barack Obama I can see why you referenced who you did and where you’re coming from and I can see the likenesses of the situations but Jesus died on the cross for us, mankind, God sacrificed his own son so that all of us could live. I guess the key word is sacrifice, and I hardly doubt anyone running around in this world today has gone to that great a sacrifice so why should they have that great a title. But like always that’s my POV and you and Say What and Emm are entitled to yours.
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The Messiah is the anointed one. If the Father himself didn’t anoint your child and if your child can’t explain what he/she was anointed to do, then perhaps they shouldn’t carry that name. We all know what Jesus was anointed to become.
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I am a Christian and I think that Messiah is a beautiful name. Just because a parent gives their child that name it does not mean that they are insinuating that their child IS the Messiah. It could be symbolic to remind their child that Jesus is the Messiah and to take on characteristics like Him.
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kjs, i agree. What better model of how to carry yourself than Jesus? I think that Messiah is a strong name with a strong message. Lol somehow I don’t think that God would be insulted at someone being named Messiah as long as they were not claiming to be Jesus.
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Well, in Eritrea (East-Africa) Million is considered a very common name. My cousins name is Million and I love the name. We don’t associate it with the number as Americans might do. I am not quite sure about the meaning but with that said I think you might also want to consider the heritage of the child and the meaning it may have in their native country. But I do agree, you don’t want to go overboard and burden your childs life with a foolish name..just saying!
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People are unfortunately judged by their names. It’s unfair, but it is what it is. I believe parents should be very careful with the names they give their children. That person has to live a life-time with that name until, if at any time, they decide to change it when they become adults. If people can’t even spell or pronounce his/her name, they’ll be going through life correcting people on the pronunciation/spelling. Employers are now tossing applications based on people’s names. It’s not that person’s fault that their parent placed an untraditional name on them, but nevertheless, THEY are going to be judged by the name THEIR PARENT(s) gave them.
Lastly, so many children today are teased and ridiculed. Why add to the problems they all ready face in this world by giving them a stange name?
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People are definitely judged by names. I just don’t get why parent’s try to see what weird name they can come up for their kid that nobody else has thought about. I went to school with a January, Nike,(yes, the shoe), and a bunch of other weird names. The teachers can hardly pronounce the names and I’m sorry, but people with those types of names hardly are taken seriously. I have a good friend who is in HR. She says that resumes with weird names are tossed in the garbage before they even read past the name. Unfair, but it’s happening. Why even put your child through that? I have enough issues with people not being able to spell my name (Domonique) right. Can’t say I’ve ever had any ridicule or resume’s tossed (that I know of)since my name is somewhat common, but simple is usually better.
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Get a grip. January is not a weird name, you are only showing your own ignorance.
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“Nike” is actually the name of a Greek goddess, not only a shoe. Just as “Mercedes” is a Spanish name, not only an automobile brand.
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Yes, we know that. I’m pretty sure many of those naming their children Nike and Mercedes wouldn’t have known about them were it not for the shoes and the car.
That’s another thing I hate: Naming children after brands.
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th!$ i$ d33p thatz a11 !m g0!n t0 say
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yes people are judged by there names… i admit i judge people when i read or hear the crazy name that they have .. i thank God my mother gave me a normal resume friendly name (its Janelle). I have never met another black Janelle. there are so many things we as human beings get judged on, why are we letting the names we give our children be one of them..
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I heard about This awhiLe back toO! but they never mentioned the name. Smh..i see why! if those parents were trying to have fun with that name..they shouLd of thought about the consequences that wouLd come aLong with it. I wouLd rather be named “NAMELESS” than “TuLua bLah blah blah” LoL..
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When your parents are as rich as the parents of the kids named in the post, then it probably doesn’t matter what the child’s name is. I don’t think that Apple or Pilot Inspector will have problems finding employment; lol Puma and Seven might. No, but seriously… My son’s name is Joshua and I’m still sure that he’ll be judged just for being a black male. Regardless of your name, you have to work twice as hard and prove yourself. If your name is that bad, come up with a nickname or alias. Barack went by Barry!
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I love your son’s name, PlainMean. Joshua is nice and strong. I love names that are popular because they are noted in the Bible. so much history and fortitude. Thanks for sharing his name with us.
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bamboo is big boi son nick name so whats the problem his real name is antwan jr.
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Thank you! And King (TI’s son) birth name is Clifford Harris III.
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I CANT STOP LAFFIN AT MOST OF THE NAMES UP THERE…….JUST PLAIN STUPIDITY. APPLE, PILOT INSPEKTOR, ETC…..LAWDY. WE ALL KNOW THAT WHEN MAJORITY OF BLACK FOLKS NAME THEIR CHILDREN UNHEARD OF NAMES, IT IS SOMETHING MADE UP. WHAT IS A LAQUESHIA? LAQUANN? SHAKURIA? SHANELLNESHIA? HOW BOUT THIS ONE, DANYELL?LOL. NOT DANIELLE, BUT THE WORD YELL. GET A CLUE PEOPLE, A NAME MEANS ALOT, THAT IS WHY OTHER CULTURES PUT ALOT OF THOUGHT INTO THEIR CHILDREN’S NAMES. I SEE WHY CHILDREN IN OTHER COUNTRIES R SO MUCH SMARTHER THAN CHILDREN HERE IN AMERICA. ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS READ SOME OF THESE COMMENTS FROM ADULTS AND LOOK AT THE NAMES THE PARENTS HAVE GIVEN THEIR KIDS.
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They could have let them name her Talula and change the rest!
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My name is unique and will soon have a Dr. next to it.
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Is Virgie your real name? I know 2 Virgies. One was my Uncle’s ex-girlfriend and the other is my Mother-in-law (short for Virgilene although her dad wasn’t named Virgil).
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Really? Good for you! Bravo and congratulations.
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A person’s name does not define who they are, however, they will be judged on it when applying to a college or job sadly. A girl with a name like Shantaniqua could be a very smart young lady apply for a top college in this country. More than likely, the folks who screen the applications will look at the name and toss it in the garbage with no regrets. Does anyone here remember the Tyra Show episode on the same subject? I think she did it last year or the year before.
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I remember someone saying that a name was just a collection of sounds (I think it was Gwyneth Paltrow’s husband?) Which is downright stupidity. If that were true, there would be absolutely nothing wrong with the name Gonorrhea or Syphilis for a child.
I’m not saying it’s RIGHT, but names *are* more important than just what someone calls you. If you are not independently wealthy your name can be the deciding factor for employment, college applications, etc…and it’s hard enough out there for kids as it is. Why would you want to name your child something like “Peanut” anyway? Parents should definitely think about their baby first (aka don’t choose a crazy name just to get attention from other people) when choosing a name.
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All of those children with wierd names have celebrity parents. Now Talula is another story. I hope more judges force parents to legally change their child’s made up names!
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Whats in a name? Well, here must be a great deal to a name since God’s name has several meanings reflectling His glory and power. Also, corporations spend lots of time and money finding/researching the right name for their products to represent the mission and goals of the company. Cities take extra special care in naming streets and neighborhoods. Celebs spend the same time and money naming their groups, tours and cds. Should there be less care in naming/branding your child whose life will quickly expand beyond the safety of your arms, crib, family and home? It would be different if you lived in a closed community/compound with like thinkers. And, I don’t think there needs to be set rules for naming your kids. That should always be your right. But, you must consider the childs feelings and the world he will be stepping into and what the brand you have given to him says about him to the world. Kids are cruel and the world is cold and cruel to those who are outside of the norm. So, why make your childs life more difficult than it has to be? Aren’t nicknames designed for creative license?
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Well, the difference is that some of the ones you mentioned are actual names, names with a history behind it like Daniel and Ezekiel. Yara, Sayeed, Kenzo, Ming, Aoki, Zahara and even Nakoa are culture-specific names. Those names have been around for maybe even centuries, and they have meanings attached.
A good chunk of the rest, though? You have a point. I’m not going to say which, lest I invite the armies of hell upon my neck, but there is one name that I think should only be used to christen puppies.
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Ming, Aoki, Kenzo – are Chinese & Japanese names that are not unheard of in the Asian community. Especially Ming which is very common, and Kenzo (the baby) now shares the name of a internationally known designer also named Kenzo.
Jaden & Chance are common names, Willow isn’t unheard of
Nakoa is Hawaiian but it’s not a strange name to hear. It’s really similar to Noah.
Ezekiel is a rather common name though kids catch hell for it. It’s a bible name (all bible names are common names)
Daniel Juelz are common names, you should remember that Daniel is his first name and Juelz is the middle just like Miley is her first name and Justine is her middle name.
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Ummm… Ezekiel is in the Bible, Ming/Aoki/Kenzo are names to go with their background and few other of the names you mentioned are common names. I don’t see whats wrong with them.
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Some of the names you mentioned here are normal or common!
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I think some people go overboardwith the unique/different name thing. The apostrophes or wild spellings is too much. Now if the name is a little different its fine i think.
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Unique names are ok but ridiculous names like Pilot Inspector is just plain silly..Pilot is fine but why Inspector…
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I agree, Pilot is cute. Kind of similar to my daughter’s name which is Sailor and you should see the looks I get. “LIKE A BOAT!?!?” is the main question people ask lol. No, not like a boat. I chose names for my three kids (Coultyn (g), Sailor (g), and Sascha (b)) that you wouldn’t hear in their classroom. I was sooo sick of being the 5th Melanie in class and graduating with 40 other Melanie’s. I wanted my kids to feel unique, but not to the extreme like some names.
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They say first impressions count and that includes your name. People should consider that their kids will go to school where children are generally cruel. Profiling in jobs is rampant and your name does a lot to make an impression on an application form.
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I think parents should defintitely be thoughful about what they choose to name their children.
***I will never forget this teacher talking about how there was this little girl in her class, Who’s name was MISTAKE!!! And she couldn’t bring herself to call her that b/c she thought it was so cruel & the girl was so sweet. She called her Missy instead.***
I personally like don’t like tradintional names and prefer what is now defined as “OUTLIER NAMES” names that are that somewhat unique, and not as common but without being over the top. Like Sheridan, Ansel, Avery, etc.
You’re probably not going to walk into a classroom and find more than a few of the kids are named that (like w/ really common or popular names), but won’t have people thinking “Are you serious, that’s their REAL name?! either”
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I agree. A friend gave me a baby name book for when I need to find names for new characters, and there are a ton of actual names for both genders that are uncommon. There’s no need to go overboard with craziness like Picabo (pronounced Peek-a-boo), Thumper and Teddy Bear. Those are names given to white women, btw; just in case people think only black people saddle their children with fuggery names.
You think ‘Mistake’ is bad? Another teacher I speak with on-line says that there is a brilliant girl in her class, but there is no way she can say the child’s name out loud. What’s the name?
Mo’Najah’Toi.
Yes, you read that right and YES, it is exactly what you think it is. The teacher calls her ‘Monie’ instead.
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See I think that is so f’ed up, and cruel!
To me that is worse than naming your child something crazy like Pilot Inspektor, Audio Science, Peanut, Tu Morrow, Reign Beau, Moxie Crimefighter (all real celeb baby names BTW).
To let your child’s name be a constant reminder that “Guess what baby, you were the result of Mommy’s indiscretions with TWO other people- Ménage à trois.” Or “The only reason you exist is because Mommy and Daddy made a mistake, that’s how you got your name.” is so unfair to the kid.
I can’t say that having an TERRIBLE first name [like those] will ruin their self esteem, but I’m sure it doesn’t help!!!
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WELL, MY NAME HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION WHEREVER I GO, AND IN MY EARLY YEARS IT WOULD BOTHER ME. I WOULD ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE TO CALL ME BY MY NICKNAME, BUT AS I GOT OLDER THAT DID NOT SEEM RIGHT TO ME YOU KNOW STILL BEING CALLED BY A NICKNAME AFTER 30. SO I LEARNED TO EMBRACE MY NAME AND LEARNED TO LOVE IT. I DO NOT KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM OR WHO NAMED ME(BETWEEN MY GRANNY AND AUNT) BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT I AM NOT ONLY REMEMBERED BY MY PERSONALITY BUT ALSO BY MY UNIQUE NAME. AND WITH ALL THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY WITH THE INTERNET NO ONE HAS MY NAME AS A DOMAIN. MY FAMILY HAVE A LOT OF UNIQUE NAMES LIKE KIDADA, DYMICA, AND SHAMONTA ARE JUST A FEW OF MY FEMALE COUSINS NAME. I ALSO HAVE A MALE COUSIN NAMED DENORIS, AND WE ALSO HAVE A DALON(R.I.P.) AND EVEN MY OWN SISTER MIHIA WHICH IS PRONOUNCED SIMPLY MAYA(NOW THAT WAS MY MOTHER DOING)
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I know a man named Kunta Kente and he has a son named Kunta Kenta JR REAL TALK!!!! I also have ran into a Shambrica,Ladarriyous, and all kind of other crazy names.LOL! Amerie is not my name I have a common name from the 80′s and people have the nerve to tell me that I have a white girl name..
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yeea i dont UndersTand what you dont Like about haLf of those names when some of them are based on their Race and what not. Like Ming, Yoki, Yara, etc.. those are names from Like the Asian cuLture and Persian cuLture. Now if they had a name Like “TATITANIQUA” that wouLd be a probLem! LoL.. (yea she was in my dance cLass smh lol)
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I don’t think some parents really think about their child’s future when they name their kids. I know so many women who are just so embarrassed of their names with all the apostrophes and marks here and there. The decision ultimately is up to the parent, but they really need to think about how their child will be perceived in the future…
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Some parents go way overboard with the names. I like unique names…but Rai’Onya Lehfay (yes its real) will not work for me. The names I hear at school, oh my goodness. My parents are teachers and they have some students that’ll tell them “Just call me by my nickname”, which is something like JAY or NET. I remember meeting this little girl not to long ago… and she told me her name…and when she told me her name all I could do was smile…I got in the car and I was like.. “Yakcreona?” and they call her YAK. smh.
- Cheyenne, Kailani, Noah, Saige, and Kai. I love those names.
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