As you probably know, First Things has a long-standing fascination with names and namings, and we write every year about the Census Bureau’s report on the year’s names for babies.
Half our readers love it. Of course, the other half are utterly indifferent when they’re not openly hostile, but the ones who are interested in the topic must read this long essay in the London Review of Books: 5,000 words on the history of naming—prompted, improbably, by the author’s being asked to review Volume 5 of an Ancient Greek lexicon.
October 1st, 2010 | 2:41 pm
I’m reminded of a scene in Pulp Fiction. Bruce Willis’ character, Butch, is in a cab driven by a woman named Esmeralda:
Esmeralda: What does it mean [i.e. "Butch"]?
Butch: I’m American, honey. Our names don’t mean sh–.
While I would not put it in such vulgar terms, it seems the sentiment accurately captures the American naming convention, in which names are, if you will permit me, nominal, and not normative. Which is why I have for many years followed FT’s quixotic naming crusade with a fair amount of indifference. Though I suppose with an “Autumn” among my children, if pressed I would have to admit that I have a dog in this fight.
October 1st, 2010 | 5:00 pm
Thinking further, it gets worse (from FT’s perspective). Autumn’s middle name is “Hisae.” She gets that from her mother’s middle name, who in turn got it because her father was stationed in Japan when she was born and had a good friend named Hisae. BTW, if there are any Japanese speakers who read this blog, I would be grateful if you could tell me if “Hisae” has a meaning. It is pronounced “HIS eye” (at least that’s how we pronounce it).
Growing up I teased Autumn and told her her real middle name was “Attic” because I am an ardent defender of the right to bear arms. (Say Autumn and Attic out loud and the joke makes sense). She never seemed to be amused.
October 1st, 2010 | 9:41 pm
My children’s names are Lucy Therese and Elliot Aquinas. Both picked because we hope they can live up to them. It’s St. Therese of Lisieux and Thomas Aquinas and Lucy is a little light bearer and Elliot is a variant of Elijah or “Yahweh is my God.”
The next might have a Lewis in it somewhere…or a Chesterton, but that might be a bit much.
October 1st, 2010 | 10:52 pm
Although my name derives from the mythical Amazons, I was named after my diminutive Norwegian great, great aunt.
When I put my first and last names into one of those internet databases, “How many of me are there?”, I found I was the only one in the U.S.
It has its advantages — but also its disadvantages.
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