Thursday, January 29, 2009

my "Name" made me do it

As I'm trying to choose a name for our son, things like this make it more and more difficult. What if I choose a name that leads my son down a delinquent path? I can't do anything about the last (see below), but I can with the first. I guess I need to go with popular names and stay away from "Alec, Ernest, Ivan, Kareem, and Malcolm."


Names, while not defining us, do affect us relationally and personally.


How did your name affect you growing up? Did people tease you? Did you hate your name? Were you oblivious? Did you like it?


Combining Underwood (under-the-wood; underwear; under-a-woody) with Dan ("the man", "Dan the ____ man") has definitely given me grief throughout my childhood years. Looking back now would I change it? Nope. Back in the 6th grade, though, I would have given anything for a different first and last name.

4 comments:

Chris said...

The authors of the article need to learn about statistics and correlation. Names, in and of themselves, have nothing to do with it, which they sort of hint at. However, notice all the other stuff they list; neighborhoods, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, etc. I'm thinking the fact that those are also included means that the name is incidental, a by-product of the phenomenon, correlated but having no causal connection. In other words, it just happens to be that people who are likely to get into trouble with the law also happen to have lived in places where people name them unusual names. So the issue is still whether they've been parented well. Your child has wonderful parents, don't worry about it - choose a name that you like and that means something to you both!

Anonymous said...

I say go for a name like Mario. Mario Phillipe Underwood. Has a nice ring huh?

~Ang

Anonymous said...

I've always loved my name. It means "much loved" "victorious one."

djpb said...

I've always loved my name as well. Someone asks, I say "Danessa" and they're taken back for a second because more than likely they've never heard it before, and they compliment me on such a pretty name which makes me feel pretty too.
Don't stress about a name. Pick out a name that you really like, that means something to you both and go with it. It's not his name or the history or meaning of his name thats going to determine who he is as a kid, teenager, young man; You, Joanna and God will help develop who he becomes.

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