Sex and Names

One of the first things people ask you seems to be ‘Have you thought of any names yet?’

Have I thought of any names? Yes and they are constantly changing as I find reasons for NOT naming a child that name. Each name has to be have mulled over in your mind (and out loud when no one is about) for a while in order for the scenarios to appear to you. And then you remember people you know (and their children), people from school, and even sometimes peoples pets names….

I currently have 8 names on the short list and I feel sorry for those people who don't want to find out the sex of their baby prior as they have twice the job!! But it is a major responsibility. Your child will have that name for the rest of its life!! As David Narter writes in: Don’t Name your Baby: What’s wrong with every name in this book (Cumberland House, Nashville (2001)) "The name you give your baby will be so much of a part of that child that, years from now, he/she will find much of their personality defined by the name." No pressure then!

In our family there is a bit of a tradition for names beginning with J. My mother is one of 3 girls - all beginning with J, then there is me and my cousin Jonathan. His brother - had he been a girl - was to be called Jemima. He was named Anthony instead. A story that ran in December last year (www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1098292/Woman-gives-birth-18th-child--names-begin-letter-J.html) was 'Woman gives birth to her 18th child... and all their names begin with letter 'J' ' The baby was named Jordyn-Grace Makiya Duggar. Their oldest child, Joshua, is 20. The other Duggar children in between Joshua and Jordyn-Grace, are Jana, 18; John-David, 18; Jill, 17; Jessa, 16; Jinger, 14; Joseph, 13; Josiah, 12; Joy-Anna, 11; Jeremiah, 9; Jedidiah, 9; Jason, 8; James, 7; Justin, 6; Jackson, 4; Johannah, 3; and Jennifer, 1.

Highly recommended is The Brilliant Book of Baby Names: What’s Best, What’s Hot & What’s Not by Pamela Redmoind Satran & Linda Rosenkrantz, Collins (2007) and the site www.babynames.co.uk/popular_baby_names.htm