Archive for February 2008

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  1. You might want to avoid when naming your baby (part II)

    Published 28 Feb 08 to 16:20 | by Elisia Bargelletti | no comment

    So this is Christian’s last entry on name giving. He also suggests avoiding:

    Playing word games

    My boyfriend called me up the other day and said he has a client named Myrtle Beech. I can think of no other reason for doing this to your child than you dislike your child. Have you done this? If yes, I am dying to know the reason. It’s not funny (OK, it’s not funny…for the person who has to bear this name). Now, I know what you’re thinking. At 18 the child can change his name. But by this time, the damage is done.

    Giving a childish name

    Kiki, Mimi, Baby are cute names when the baby is, well… a baby. But who is going to take Kiki seriously at 30?

    Choosing a characteristic as a name

    Remember when Cher named her daughter Chastity? What about the names Prudence, Constance, Belle? I agree with Christian here that I understand the intention, but I get the impression that by naming your child like this, you’re trying to set standards that your child will not be able to live up to.

    What was your criteria for choosing your child’s name?

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  2. You might want to avoid when naming your baby

    Published 21 Feb 08 to 14:47 | by Elisia Bargelletti | no comment

    Choosing the name of an ex

    Even if your significant other doesn’t mind, choosing the name of your ex could have repercussions. There are so many names out there, so unless you dated every name in the phonebook, move on. Do you really want to risk it?

    Choosing a celebrity’s name or a character’s name from a popular movie

    I’m not talking about naming your child Julia or Andy. I’m talking about naming your kid Bono or Madonna. My in-laws really didn’t follow this rule for their son. His name (first and last) is the name of a very popular celebrity. Any new person he meets makes a point about it, like he’s never heard that one before. It gets annoying.

    Choosing a brand name

    Come on! Do people really do this, Christian? Apparently Americans have begun naming their children Nike, Buick, Black and Decker and even Google! Maybe one day Printakid will get so big… I don’t even want to go there.

    To be continued…

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  3. Guidelines for choosing your child’s name

    Published 13 Feb 08 to 10:00 | by Elisia Bargelletti | no comment

    In his blog, Christian came up with 5 guidelines for choosing a name. He and Noemi used these guidelines when they were searching for their son’s name. As I’ve said before I’ve come across a lot of names and sometimes I wished for the child’s sake the parents would have followed them.

    1. Be original, but not too original
    If you’re a celebrity you may be able to get away with giving names like Apple, Kal-el and Coco. Here in Quebec, however the government can refuse any weird names, which I guess is good because apparently people would go around naming their kid Spatula.

    There are many sites you can visit to get ideas for baby names. Remember, it’s annoying to have to repeat your name to people; trust me, I know.

    2. Consider the spelling of your child’s name
    Some people try to be original with the spelling of the child’s name even when the name isn’t. But try to remember that more often than not the child’s name will be spelled wrong. Is it Megan, Meagan, Meaghan, Meggan, Meghan, Meghann, Maegan, Magan or Magen?

    3. Compromise
    It seems easy to veto your significant other’s suggestion for a name. It CAN still be a nice name if you didn’t come up with it. If the conversation on choosing your child’s name ends with, “Fine! Name him whatever you want!” You may want to reconsider.

    4. Names ending in A
    If you live outside Quebec, this may not apply. When speaking French in Quebec, we have the tendency to pronounce the final ‘a’ in a name very loosely. My name would sound something like Ee-lee-see-uh. My boyfriend is French Canadian so when we come up with a name, we have to watch out for this.

    5. Does the name translate well in another language
    Like I said, my boyfriend is French Canadian. We have to make sure our child’s same sounds good in English, French and (maybe) Italian. Take the name Madison. I love that name for a little girl, but it just sounds weird in French and I don’t even want to think of how my Italian grandmothers will pronounce it. Anyway, it got vetoed.

    Next time: 3 pitfalls to avoid when naming your child.

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  4. What’s in a name?

    Published 07 Feb 08 to 11:02 | by Elisia Bargelletti | no comment

    I’ve come across a lot of different names working here. A lot. When it was time for my sister and my brother-in-law to choose a name for their newborn, I spat out every name I could remember. They finally chose one.

    It’s hard to choose a name. It seems now every one wants to be original. But sometimes original is not always the best way to go (I’m talking to you Misses Paltrow) and should never be your only criteria.

    Christian and Noemi also went through this ordeal when their son was born. Christian wrote a small series of blogs about choosing a name for your child, and I would like to reiterate some of his points for our English readers. So here are some things to think about:

    Remember, a name is with you forever from the time you’re born until it’s engraved in your tombstone.

    Imagine all the times you had to give or write your name: It starts with the birth certificate, government papers, at the hospital. How many times were you asked your name at school? You learned to write your name in kindergarten and then wrote it down on homework assignments, exams, name tags. And now it’s on your licence, your credit cards, your bank card, library card… your name follows you everywhere.

    Giving a name is a hard task… but an exciting one at that!

    You want the best name for your child, the most original, the prettiest. Some people think of names they would like to give their child before their even in a serious relationship. You imagine a face, an attitude what their life will be like. You can’t make a mistake and there are definitely some pitfalls to avoid.

    Poor Me!

    Now I am not saying my name is terrible. I’ve grown to like it and I’ve become accustomed to spelling it out for people and repeating it over and over.

    “Hi, my name is Elisia.”
    “Hi Alissa, I’m Bob.”
    “Actually its Ee-Lee-See-A.”
    “Oh, I’m sorry, Alishia.”

    Before we dated, my boyfriend thought my name was Alisha. Some times I just don’t correct people. A previous co-worker called me Eliza for a long time until some one else corrected him. I was embarrassed and so was he. It just gets so tiring.

    To be continued…

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