Odd name out, or why not to
name your child Clover
name your child Clover
If you like names like Brunilda, Django, Hedwig, and Clover, Cari Clark has one piece of advice.
"Don't do it!" she shouts. "It takes a tremendous amount of time out of your life to have to constantly spell, pronounce, and explain your name."
Clark should know. Growing up Cari Bilyeu, she felt like an odd girl out among a sea of Susans, Debbies, and Cathys. "I didn't know any other Caris when I was a kid, especially spelled the way I was," she says, "so whenever I wanted to buy those little license plates, I could never find my name. There were teachers who butchered my name so much that I didn't know they were calling for me in attendance. Even now, I have at least two credit cards with Carl on them."
Today Clark is a freelance writer/editor and mother of three living in the Washington D.C. area. She and her husband Wesley Clark, an electrical engineer, also created a Web site called The Utah Baby Namer, which tracks some of the more unusual first names prevalent among members of the Mormon Church (see "Utah names" sidebar). But personally, Clark says, she's not a fan of odd monikers.
"A great deal of caution is in order here," she says. "You're blessing your child with something that will be his fingerprint the rest of his life." Her advice is that, especially with an unusual last name, simpler is better. And vice versa—don't saddle your child with Eric Ericson or John Johnson. "Why do that? There are so many names out there that could be pretty and melodious. I think that if you go with a time-tested name, you really can't go wrong, but you're taking a chance when you cook something up on your own. Some of these names sound like pharmaceutical products!"
Indeed, Allegra was a beautiful Spanish name meaning joy, until the allergy medicine came out. "No one would name their son Adolf anymore," Clark reckons, "but you never know what the market is going to bring to a name." Not surprisingly, Kermit and Grover were in the top 1000 in the 1960s, but when Sesame Street hit the airwaves, they dropped out of sight.
Clark cautions against thinking of your child's name only as a threesome—first, middle, and last—as in Justin Albert Bloom or Holly Ann Green. Be sure to also say the first and last names together on their own so as to avoid cutesy connections like Justin Bloom and Holly Green. Then, write down your top candidates to see how the names look in print, check that the initials don't spell something awful (like the unappealing JAB and HAG above), and finally, "whip open the back door and yell it a few times at the top of your lungs," Clark suggests, "because that's how your kid will hear it for years!"
Odd name in, or why Clover is a lovely name after all
If you're concerned that an odd, ethnic, or unusually spelled name will cause your child to be teased, don't be. The truth is that, these days, Michael and Mary probably have more to fear than Micah and Marley. By the time our kids are in school, the teacher will have to know how to pronounce Xavier, Eliezer, Mekhi, Sanaa, Karyme, and Aaliyah, to mention just a few. Kids will be so used to so-called different names, they won't bother teasing each other about them. (Of course, they'll undoubtedly find something else!) Eventually, employers will get used to asking for proper spellings and pronunciations, as well, so an unusual name can be yet another way for your child to stand out while also fitting in.
"For the first time in history, the top 50 names account for less than 50 percent of boys born each year, and for less than 40 percent of girls," says baby name expert Cleveland Evans. "What are the common names now are going to turn over quicker."
That means that as parents seek to find more unusual names for their children, the common names are actually becoming uncommon. Of course, thanks to technology, people who want to avoid giving their kids a common name can look up potential candidates on the Internet and avoid anything in the top ten. It's no wonder, then, that Noel and Frank Gallagher were drawn to old-fashioned classics like Kate and Daniel because they're less common than trendy chart-toppers like Madison (#3) and Ethan (#6).
"Everyone says, 'We want to find a name that's different but not too different,'" reports Evans. "And the new fashions sound like the old fashions." Indeed, old-fashioned boys' names like Asa and Ezra (Paul Reiser's son) are on the rise, too, so it seems inevitable that Hazel, Zelda, and Mabel (Tracy Ullman's daughter) will soon mount a comeback.
In America, unconventional handles are popular among Southerners, African Americans, and Utah Mormons—so much so that many of the entries at the back of this book were originally made-up names that grew in popularity until they hit the top 1,000. Think of Lawanda, Tyrell, and Oleta. Ironically, Unique is on the most popular list, and Destiny is on New York City's top 10 list for Black and Hispanic children. Meanwhile, respellings are overtaking their namesakes, so that Makayla (#51) is more popular than Michaela (#237).
This "anything goes" mindset is certainly subject to geographic and cultural influences, however. Where we live in the San Francisco/Berkeley area of California, we know of children named Scout, Bixby, Finnegan, Beatrix, Tallulah, Wylie, Phoenix, Itai, Faelan, Cypress, Cedar, Sequoia, Ceres, and Satchel. These are names that haven't made the top 1000 list—yet. Although those kids might get puzzled stares in Michigan or Wyoming, here their names get compliments.
In fact, when the magazine-editor-cum-novelist Strawberry Saroyan was a little girl, she lived in a tiny California beach community where she had friends named Raspberry, Ocean, Echo, and Wonder. But when her family moved to a stuffy town in Connecticut, Strawberry felt compelled to change her name to Cara. Now back in Los Angeles, she goes by Strawberry again and reportedly likes the fact that her odd handle draws attention away from her well-known surname (courtesy of grandpa William Saroyan, the novelist). Plus, she is in good company with other food-named celebs like Plum Sykes and now Apple Martin (daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow) and Coco Cox-Arquette.
Although theories abound that people will associate certain names with positive or negative characteristics (like Tiffany with dumb blondes and Jacqueline with elegance), there has been just as much research to show that those pre-conceived notions hold only until we meet another person by that name who doesn't fit the stereotype. Still, it's probably wise to avoid giving your child a name with a lot of baggage, like Adonis or Barbie. But the truth is, the more you hear odd names, the less they sound odd. And with plant names like Sage, Willow, Magnolia, Blossom, and Fern already on the top 1000 list, Clover seems to fit right in, don't you think? Remember, your child's name should reflect your personality and ideals—and it should be something that you won't mind saying dozens of times a day. So don't be afraid to be a trendsetter. Pick something you love and let the rest of the world catch on later.
"Don't do it!" she shouts. "It takes a tremendous amount of time out of your life to have to constantly spell, pronounce, and explain your name."
Clark should know. Growing up Cari Bilyeu, she felt like an odd girl out among a sea of Susans, Debbies, and Cathys. "I didn't know any other Caris when I was a kid, especially spelled the way I was," she says, "so whenever I wanted to buy those little license plates, I could never find my name. There were teachers who butchered my name so much that I didn't know they were calling for me in attendance. Even now, I have at least two credit cards with Carl on them."
Today Clark is a freelance writer/editor and mother of three living in the Washington D.C. area. She and her husband Wesley Clark, an electrical engineer, also created a Web site called The Utah Baby Namer, which tracks some of the more unusual first names prevalent among members of the Mormon Church (see "Utah names" sidebar). But personally, Clark says, she's not a fan of odd monikers.
"A great deal of caution is in order here," she says. "You're blessing your child with something that will be his fingerprint the rest of his life." Her advice is that, especially with an unusual last name, simpler is better. And vice versa—don't saddle your child with Eric Ericson or John Johnson. "Why do that? There are so many names out there that could be pretty and melodious. I think that if you go with a time-tested name, you really can't go wrong, but you're taking a chance when you cook something up on your own. Some of these names sound like pharmaceutical products!"
Indeed, Allegra was a beautiful Spanish name meaning joy, until the allergy medicine came out. "No one would name their son Adolf anymore," Clark reckons, "but you never know what the market is going to bring to a name." Not surprisingly, Kermit and Grover were in the top 1000 in the 1960s, but when Sesame Street hit the airwaves, they dropped out of sight.
Clark cautions against thinking of your child's name only as a threesome—first, middle, and last—as in Justin Albert Bloom or Holly Ann Green. Be sure to also say the first and last names together on their own so as to avoid cutesy connections like Justin Bloom and Holly Green. Then, write down your top candidates to see how the names look in print, check that the initials don't spell something awful (like the unappealing JAB and HAG above), and finally, "whip open the back door and yell it a few times at the top of your lungs," Clark suggests, "because that's how your kid will hear it for years!"
Odd name in, or why Clover is a lovely name after all
If you're concerned that an odd, ethnic, or unusually spelled name will cause your child to be teased, don't be. The truth is that, these days, Michael and Mary probably have more to fear than Micah and Marley. By the time our kids are in school, the teacher will have to know how to pronounce Xavier, Eliezer, Mekhi, Sanaa, Karyme, and Aaliyah, to mention just a few. Kids will be so used to so-called different names, they won't bother teasing each other about them. (Of course, they'll undoubtedly find something else!) Eventually, employers will get used to asking for proper spellings and pronunciations, as well, so an unusual name can be yet another way for your child to stand out while also fitting in.
"For the first time in history, the top 50 names account for less than 50 percent of boys born each year, and for less than 40 percent of girls," says baby name expert Cleveland Evans. "What are the common names now are going to turn over quicker."
That means that as parents seek to find more unusual names for their children, the common names are actually becoming uncommon. Of course, thanks to technology, people who want to avoid giving their kids a common name can look up potential candidates on the Internet and avoid anything in the top ten. It's no wonder, then, that Noel and Frank Gallagher were drawn to old-fashioned classics like Kate and Daniel because they're less common than trendy chart-toppers like Madison (#3) and Ethan (#6).
"Everyone says, 'We want to find a name that's different but not too different,'" reports Evans. "And the new fashions sound like the old fashions." Indeed, old-fashioned boys' names like Asa and Ezra (Paul Reiser's son) are on the rise, too, so it seems inevitable that Hazel, Zelda, and Mabel (Tracy Ullman's daughter) will soon mount a comeback.
In America, unconventional handles are popular among Southerners, African Americans, and Utah Mormons—so much so that many of the entries at the back of this book were originally made-up names that grew in popularity until they hit the top 1,000. Think of Lawanda, Tyrell, and Oleta. Ironically, Unique is on the most popular list, and Destiny is on New York City's top 10 list for Black and Hispanic children. Meanwhile, respellings are overtaking their namesakes, so that Makayla (#51) is more popular than Michaela (#237).
This "anything goes" mindset is certainly subject to geographic and cultural influences, however. Where we live in the San Francisco/Berkeley area of California, we know of children named Scout, Bixby, Finnegan, Beatrix, Tallulah, Wylie, Phoenix, Itai, Faelan, Cypress, Cedar, Sequoia, Ceres, and Satchel. These are names that haven't made the top 1000 list—yet. Although those kids might get puzzled stares in Michigan or Wyoming, here their names get compliments.
In fact, when the magazine-editor-cum-novelist Strawberry Saroyan was a little girl, she lived in a tiny California beach community where she had friends named Raspberry, Ocean, Echo, and Wonder. But when her family moved to a stuffy town in Connecticut, Strawberry felt compelled to change her name to Cara. Now back in Los Angeles, she goes by Strawberry again and reportedly likes the fact that her odd handle draws attention away from her well-known surname (courtesy of grandpa William Saroyan, the novelist). Plus, she is in good company with other food-named celebs like Plum Sykes and now Apple Martin (daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow) and Coco Cox-Arquette.
Although theories abound that people will associate certain names with positive or negative characteristics (like Tiffany with dumb blondes and Jacqueline with elegance), there has been just as much research to show that those pre-conceived notions hold only until we meet another person by that name who doesn't fit the stereotype. Still, it's probably wise to avoid giving your child a name with a lot of baggage, like Adonis or Barbie. But the truth is, the more you hear odd names, the less they sound odd. And with plant names like Sage, Willow, Magnolia, Blossom, and Fern already on the top 1000 list, Clover seems to fit right in, don't you think? Remember, your child's name should reflect your personality and ideals—and it should be something that you won't mind saying dozens of times a day. So don't be afraid to be a trendsetter. Pick something you love and let the rest of the world catch on later.
