Bishop: Stop With the Silly Names!
I knew a couple that was trying for years to have a child. One night he told me they were feeling quite desperate about the whole thing and it was even affecting their marriage.
I suggested praying to the Blessed Mother and they both told me they did. Often. They said they held hands and prayed just about every night to the Blessed Mother for their marriage and a child. And guess what? It helped their marriage and they got pregnant. Hooray.
Due to some minor complications, they continued praying to the Blessed Mother for their child's health every day and night. The night before they delivered they told me they prayed to the Blessed Mother. And the next day they had a baby girl. And they named her...well let's just say not Mary. Not Maria or any variation of Mary. In fact, I looked up the name later and there's no saint at all with that name. I asked where they got the name and my buddy's wife said they just liked the sound of it. I, of course, smiled and said the baby was gorgeous.
Monsignor Bassano Stafferi is clearly beyond just smiling through it:
An Italian bishop has called on parents to stop giving their children "ridiculous" names and revert to traditional Christian names instead.The last few years we've seen an influx of silly baby names in direct proportion, I guess, to the number of silly adults running around. I think less silliness and more seriousness is my prescription for this foundering age. (This blog is of course excluded)
Monsignor Bassano Staffieri, retired bishop of La Spezia in Liguria, said that of the 500 girls born in the city this year, "not one was registered or baptised with the name Maria". He added."A name is not just a sound, it has a profound meaning."
Mothers and fathers "should return to using a name like Maria, which is inspired by the Virgin Mary", instead of opting for "exotic or strange names of which their children will later be ashamed", the bishop said. There were signs that parents were reverting to traditional names for boys, "but this is still not the case with baby girls, alas".
He said the reason was not so much that Italian families were abandoning the Catholic faith but rather that they did not give enough thought to baptismal names. "The problem is they do not think about what they are doing".
God bless the good bishop for saying the truth. Maybe it'll give some folks pause and prevent another kid being named after fruit or some name that essentially begs for a hellish high school experience.
58 comments:
Amen!
We have one on the way, and it will either be Bernadette or Vincent.
Well I've been banned from the whole naming thing by the future Baroness. She didn't like my suggestions of Nicodemus, Constantine or Charlemagne for sons.
On a side note I have a friend who was recently married that wants to name his sons after the twelve apostles, adding "I always wanted to field my own football team." His wife just rolls her eyes.
Okay. Maybe I'll name my next son "Bassano."
As the Baron demonstrates, you can give a child a Christian name and still be wacky too! Go Charlemagne!
Latin America is notoriously guilty of this. This is especially pronounced when the countries experience a revolution/revolutionary movement which seeks to distance the next generation from the previous. In Cuba, you would be very hard pressed to find anyone born within the last 30 odd years who has a "normal" name (witness the Elian Gonzales family). I remember Argentina had this problem until about 10 years ago until the bishops finally but the smack-down saying they would no longer be baptising any babies without "Christian" names.
I have a friend who named her little girl "Autumn Storm"
We tried to talk her out of it. She's not religious in any way, but my goodness...that poor girl!
My personal favorite baby name remains Jermaine Jackson's son, Jermajesty.
is that real?
Though it has not been a stunning drop, it is interesting how the name "Mary" has fallen out of first place since 1962.
http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Mary
I know this gal, a fine upstanding Christian woman, who named her five children Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig.
What's up with that?
When my son was born, it happened that both his grandfathers were named Paul. The choice was easy.
I wrote about the name Mary on our blog a few weeks ago:
http://homeschoolingmythreesons.blogspot.com/2008/09/draw-your-own-conclusions.html
Decade - Rank - Percentage of baby girls named Mary
1880's - 1 - 5.6%
1890's - 1 - 5.6%
1900's - 1 - 5.2%
1910's - 1 - 5.6%
1920's - 1 - 5.7%
1930's - 1 - 5.2%
1940's - 1 - 4.3%
1950's - 1 - 3.2%
1960's - 2 - 1.9%
1970's - 15 - 0.8%
1980's - 35 - 0.5%
1990's - 39 - 0.4%
2000's - 58 - 0.2%
For decades, over one in 20 girls were named Mary. And these are nationwide statistics; among Catholics it was probably one in ten, or more!
It is a tradition in my family, all of the girls are named after Mary. My great-grandmother, Mary; my grandmother,Rosemary; my mother Mary Colette; myself Mary. I've continued it. All five of my daughters have 'Mary' in their name. Rebekah Marie, Mary Elizabeth, Victoria Mirjana, Angela Marie, and Katherine RoseMary. Great post.
I think part of the problem is that people no longer read the lives of the saints--- there are some AWESOME names there!
Of course, this means I will NEVER get to have a Peccata -- (Peccata Mundy would be an AWESOME name--she'd hear it every time she went to Mass!)
And my husband won't let me have a Gloria either.... even though we could say "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi" every time she left the room. =)
My kids keep picking out their favorite baby names, and then make me check to see if there's a saint attached. We've trained them well!
Deirdre,
What a shame that your daughter will never get to be name "Sin of the World"
I am sure it would have made her very popular with the boys.
oh my, this post is awesome and these comments are awesome. Responding to a few:
Nicodemus is pretty cool, but I don't know about Charlemagne.. European kings had a habit of not practicing what they espoused.
I don't know about Latin America, but my favorite (cringeworthy) post-revolution name is the popular 1920s/30s Soviet name Vladlen - it has that lovely ring of Comintern, you know, where they made a new word by smushing together two or more others? It has a certain ring to it, but being named for VLADimir LENin isn't really so cool.
Anon at 2.14, I love that tradition. I also love the Slavic name Mirjana. As someone with that Slavic J that sounds like a why except 98% of the time when Americans try to say it, I say, brava.
Deirdre, I LOVE the Gloria joke!
--
In my family, I'm the only one not named specifically for a saint, but I am named for a theological virtue! Plus my middle name refers to angels, so I think it works. :-)
gosh, I'm in homophone typo mode today - sound like a why? I meant like the letter Y... luckily, I don't make that mistake when I write out the pronunciation key - you wouldn't think five letters could be that puzzling, but they are.
When my husband and I talked about getting married, we talked a lot about children and came up with good, solid names.
Our son is Charles John. The other names we have for boys are:
Kenneth James
Ronald Jack
Stephen Daniel
Martin Richard
Geoffrey Rhys
For girls, we have:
Ellen Josephine
Genevive Marie
Madeline Collette
Elizabeth Clare
Lillian Rose
And a sixth name I can't remember right now (argh!)
Good, solid names. We even went so far as to check the initials so they wouldn't have an...unusual lettering.
Patrick -- yeah, we imagined conversations with the liturgically and latinically illiterate would be great.
Old Lady; What's your name, little girl?
PM: Peccata Mundy.
OL: How lovely! Does it mean anything special.
PM: Yeah. "Sin of the World." I hate my parents.
----
On the other hand, since most of the Hopes we know are depressed and um.. lets not talk about the kids named Chastity, maybe a girl named Peccata would strive to be a saint!
On a related note, when we named our son "Benedict", half the family wanted to know why we named a kid after a traitor...
The previous pastor at my parish said that the strangest name he ever encountered at a baptism was Usmail. The father worked for the postal service (U. S. Mail)!!?!
My daughter, Rebekah, teaches ballet and has heard all manner of trendy names but "Abcde" (pronounced just as you say the alphabet) takes the cake. Ever heard of that one? Mary L.
"I am sure it would have made her very popular with the boys."
HAHAHA! My non-Catholic coworkers don't get it. Sorry for the interruption. Back to your spreadsheets.
Geez, Lourdes, that's terrible! I think I heard something recently about a judge refusing a request to change a name to profanity..? Made me think of it.
Deirdre, not all Hopes are depressive! That's what my name means, and I like to think I'm rather cheery. Maybe using it in translation helps? The Spanish version is Esperanza, and that is very beautiful.
In the same article I referenced above, a judge ruled that a couple could not name their child "Friday."
As much as I don't like the name I really don't like the idea of the government deciding names like the Weather Service hands out names for hurricanes.
"Autumn Storm"
Don't stone me, I actually think this is a super awesome name for a girl!
I read an article this morning (can't remember which news service it was, darn it!) where in an African nation, there have already been 6 newborn boys with the registered name of Barack Obama. Oh the humanity!
That's a good name for a donkey...
Oh, by the way - worst name EVER for a baby: Moxie Crimefighter.
That's the name of the daughter of the speaking half of Penn & Teller.
We named our second son John Paul (after JP2-duh). We had a friend and a family member each ask if the next one was going to be George Ringo.
We have a John Paul and a Benedict. My non-Catholic family thinks I'm nuts. My mom thinks I named the youngest after the egg dish. Hello?!
Bravo, Bishop! Honestly, try putting names like Britney, Dakota, Montana, Cheyenne, Laramie or Cooper/Hunter/Trapper/Tanner into the Litany of Saints with a straight face...
Our son's name is Ian Heath. You can guess what his monogram is going to be (HINT: there are worse fates, but I hope he doesn't end up a Jesuit).
Our soon-to-be newborn daughter is Emma Caroline. The missus wouldn't go for Charlemagne.
I am NOT a trendy name person as you can tell from my kid's names: William, Mary, Margaret, Charles, Timothy and Baby Sunshine.(we do an in-utero name before birth and baptism, she will be Julia)
When we were in Italy all the nonnas (grandmothers) were thrilled that we had a "Maria" but they couldn't get our first son's name down because Italian doesn't have a W in it it. "Eeeeliam" was the closest they could say, it was was funny to hear!
In Australia we had a brothel-keeper called "Stormy Summers":
http://www.abc.net.au/compass/s283249.htm
She even ran for Mayor once; then she went bankrupt...
Years ago I lived near a couple named Lear. Their first daughter was born amid great rejoicing, and they gave her the following name: Krysta Shanda Lear. Try saying that a few times, and you'll see why I thought it was rather odd, to say the least, (I'm guessing that this now grown woman needed some therapy at some point to deal with this curse laid upon her by well-meaning folks)... Closer to home, my husband was thinking about naming our first-born son Gilhooley (surname Gonzalez). After heated debate, we settled on Carl Gregory. He is now a well-adjusted young man with a steady job. I don't know what happened to Ms. Lear. Hopefully she married and was able to change her name.
I like Candace Barr.
Our boys are William Charles (Confirmation name Mark), and John David (planned Confirmation name is Gabriel -- at HIS request). If I ever have another and she is a girl, her name will be Mary Elizabeth.
Can't get much more trad than that!
Regards,
Jenny
Several hours later, and after racking brain with hubby, I remembered the sixth name:
Evelyn Margaret OR Margaret Evelyn. I like them either way.
Hubby also wants me to mention he came up with a fair portion of the names (he did).
By the way, Amy G., I snorted when I read about John Paul...
The princess in my life is named Sarah Elizabeth Hall. For confirmation she adopted Maria Goretti, and so her full name is Sarah Elizabeth Maria Goretti Hall. Did I brag that she's a doctoral candidate?
As for me, well, I'm stuck with Mack. What were my Methodist parents thinking? Sigh.
The names Amy won't let me use:
For girls:
Radegunda
Cunegunda
Waldetrudis
Walburga
Gomer
Begga
For boys: Nice ones like Florence, Laverne, Beverly, Lorraine, and Shirley...
And if we ever had fraternal twins: Hermione and Kermit. We could call them Hermie and Kermie.
I swear the following is true: I had a friend in elementary school whose name was Candy Cain...tall, redheaded girl, too...oy!
People have been arrested for less.
kat: "I am NOT a trendy name person as you can tell from my kid's names: William, Mary, Margaret, Charles, Timothy and Baby Sunshine.(we do an in-utero name before birth and baptism, she will be Julia)"
Great choices! Very dignified - and very royal. ;)
I recall one BBC article that reported the names a man gave his five daughters: Candy, Caramel, Cookie, Peanut, and Popcorn. Sadly, the man in question was from my corner of the world - the Philippines - where giving odd names to children is something of a national pastime. One of our most senior senators bears the lofty moniker of "Joker" - and that's not even a nickname!
It's really sad that the venerable practice of naming girls "Maria [x]" (e.g., Maria Catalina, Maria Elena, Maria Caridad), in honour of our Blessed Mother, appears to have died out after my generation (and I'm only in my mid-twenties!), supplanted by a predilection for faux Western names that no self-respecting Westerner would dare curse his offspring with.
My wife and I named our daughter Mary, and I can't tell you how many people are startled by it. The wierd is the norm now...
Yeah.. our Anne Marie and Cecilia Rose either get "How unsual!" or "That was my grandmother's/Aunt's/Cousin's Name! I didn't know it was still around!"
Except among our normal millieu (Catholic Homeschoolers).. Where old fashioned saints names are... normal.
Where did they think the names went?
We have a stained glass window in our church in honor of St. Cunegunde and her husband St. Henry. In fact, a friend of my grandmother's was named Cunegunde Messenschlager. I guess that works in Germany!
A few years ago, my wife and I went to England with our 2 boys when they were aged 3 and 1. My wife was newly pregnant with baby # 3.
Traveling with toddlers is challenging enough, but you have to know my 2 boys to know that this trip quickly turned into a mistake. Boys are ... well ... boys, and my boys take that to an extreme. We needed a break from boys with baby # 3.
During my pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk, England, I prayed to the Blessed Mother that baby # 3 would be a girl (I realize now that it was selfish to pray for a particular sex for the child, and I should have been satisfied with a prayer of thanksgiving that we had been blessed with children at all). Now, I know that the sex of the baby had already been determined at that point, but I nevertheless promised that if the baby turned out to be a girl that we'd name her after the Blessed Virgin.
Baby # 3 did turn out to be a girl ... her name is Mary Virginia.
Also, I have another story on this subject. The very orthodox priest who baptized my boys had a rule that if the parents didn't give their child the name of a saint, he'd append the name "Mary" or "Maria" to the child at baptism ... regardless of the sex of the child.
I saw him do that on at least one occasion where the child had been given an "interesting" first and middle name by the parents.
"Also, I have another story on this subject. The very orthodox priest who baptized my boys had a rule that if the parents didn't give their child the name of a saint, he'd append the name "Mary" or "Maria" to the child at baptism ... regardless of the sex of the child.
I saw him do that on at least one occasion where the child had been given an "interesting" first and middle name by the parents."
I think that is/was standard for some countries. At least that's how the name Sebastian got into my dh's family tree.
May I also put in a word for us who like unusual names that are also saint names? My daughters are Zelia (for St. Zelie) and Siobhan (the Gaelic feminine for the beloved disciple).
OH, the joys of odd children's names. Even before we got orthodox about the Faith, I was determined NOT to give trendy names. Turns out the Big Girl's name (one that is Irish and in honor of my grandmother - her first name is Big Girl's middle, and Big Girl's first name is one Nana wanted to name her own daughter) was one of the most popular girl names of 1998.
Little Girl's name is also popular (not sure if her first name is a saint, but I'll give away that her middle name is Marie). Travel Man picked her name out, but it's a normal kind of name.
A friend of mine is due with baby #7, and she's told us that at the delivery of #4, the nurse said, "Oh, your kids have such pretty names. Where do you get them?"
She answered, "Well, there's this book called the Bible, and a list of people called the Saints. We get them there." LOL!
Now, for the horror stories, and I worked in public schools for five years. Mind you, it was ten years ago, so it's been a while and the strange names have increased exponentially since then, but here goes:
*Disney (living near Orlando - poor girl!)
*Talon
*L'Areal (yes, for the shampoo; no, not spelled right)
*Dakota (sorry, I've never gotten into that as a name - to me, it's a truck or a state)
*my grandmother went to school with a girl named "Iona Hatt" (so it's not new, just more widespread)
*my sister has put down for a birth certificate "Yellowjello" I s*** thee not.
I think it's sad, especially for the children. (How would you like to have grown up with initials like B.O.?) I mean, these silly people don't think about the fact that they are naming a human being! It's like a funny game, or a joke. Why else would you see people actually name their kids ESPN and NASCAR? Skyy (vodka)?
If we were ever blessed to be able to expand our family and choose names, we've got some beautiful family (and saintly) names picked out, but we aren't sure if and when we might get a chance to use them.
There are so many saints with wonderful names, and there are also names with wonderful meanings - I know it's 'out of fashion' now, but Theadora means "gift of God" and Thea is I think a really cute nickname that works both for kids and adults.
If somebody has an actual, valid reason, I'm much more accepting. I know someone who was going to put her foot down on Rahab as a confirmation name, but the girl who chose it actually chose it for wonderfully faithful reasons, so she allowed it.
~Zee
Yo, my name's Jesus Shuttlesworth and when my son, Denzel Spike, hits Montesorri here in Crooklyn, not one of those Gwyneth teacher aides better, ever address his fine Nubian self as "Hey, SOOS!"
My queen, Latifa Shuttlesworth, currently harbors our second in her fecund self, Arinze Firenza, in utero. Lord have mercy, Peccata Mundi too.
I am a traditional guy and was hoping to give my father the honor of having his grandson share his name. My wife wasn't especially keen about the name Jonathan Wayne. I suppose it didn't help that I suggested we nick-name him 'Duke'.
My wife's good sense prevailed and our son now has two middle names (both saints). Dad will have to wait for the next boy...
The problem with not allowing non-canonized names is that we'll have ever more saints with all the same names. One of my brothers in religion was born with the name Thor. He chose the name of a fine old Doctor of the Church for his confirmation name, but I think it would be great to have a Saint Thor one of these days. Or a Saint Dakota for that matter.
Yes, some names are just stupid. (Abcde? Really?) But as we've pointed out, some canonized saints sound pretty dumb in English, too. Barsanuphius, anyone?
Didn't think so.
My daughter's friend is a nurse in Maternity. She enter the room of a new mother and said, Hi, I will be taking care of you and your new baby Dynasty." She was promptly corrected. "My baby's name is not Dynasty, it is D Y Nasty." What kind of life is this little girl going to have?
"What kind of life is this little girl going to have?"
One where she ends up like her mother.
Hey, what about St. Kateri or St. Bahkita? Unusual, but still saints!
Also, I like my Dad's name, which is the Greek form of Elijah--He was named Elias! Two of my nieces have children named after him--Elias (boy) and Eliah (girl).
Unusual, but godly. Responses?
That's the thing. Elias is a derivation. Derivations open up a whole new spectrum. I could see going for a Katerina if that could be a derivative of Kateri or am I was off.
I don't see how I could do Bahkita. Sorry.
I do like Eliah though.
Now I have further reason to be glad for naming my daughter Maria, who was born this past August. I had wished to name my son Benedict, but my wife preferred otherwise. In the end it is St. Pope Zachary who would get the nod.
Kudos for traditional names.
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