Baby Names

CNN had an article on "baby name remorse" that I felt I had to comment on. I'm unsure if they'll post my remarks, so here they are:

A baby's name isn't a reflection of a child—it's a reflection of the child's parents' inclinations. However, that's as important as any of the teachings and traditions that the parents choose to pass down to the child. In a way, it establishes some of the character of the child, since a name does alter perceptions by one's peers.

My father claims he made up my name as a derivative of his name. For the longest time I hated it because no one could spell or pronounce it. As I grew up, I got used to it, but could never quite reason whether I was different because I grew up with the name, or whether the name simply suited the character of my parental influence. Later, I discovered that the name wasn't unique (also a shock to my dad) and honestly was disappointed!

Certainly some parents want to set their kids apart; the wisdom of this depends on the character of the parents. I wouldn't overdo it: certainly the name should sound natural to the parents. ("Normal" people will pick a "normal" name, "strange" people will pick a "strange" name—that's the way it works!) The kid will grow into it. Thus it's natural that some parents second-guess themselves, but they should figure it out before the child latches on to the name.