 At the end of nine whole months of thinking about it, an expectant couple finally have their beautiful new baby in their happy arms. Choosing a name is no longer just theoretical, but now the new parents have to bestow a name on their tiny new infant. It feels awesome.
Everyone has a name. In most cases our parents chose our names. A persons name has a tremendous effect on them, in many ways. Some people know very well what their baby's name is, even the entire pregnancy.
In some family traditions names are repeated for a few generations. John's son is John Jr.Of course George and George W., immediately come to mind. In those families, names are given based on family traditions, less than the actual meaning of the name.
Other people choose names based on family traditions that name the new baby after a loved one that has past on. The baby continues their name-sakes lineage, honoring and remembering them.
The Jewish Tradition says that parents recieve a level of prophecy when choosing the name for their baby. When not bound by family traditions, people have very different approaches to naming their children. For some people the name is all about the actual meaning of the word.
Names like Faith, Hope, Charity and Constance convey values or ideals that the namer holds as
dear to them. Often people who are idealists or religious, favor this type of name.
Other people like the actual sound of the name. A friend told me she named her daughter Rosalita, because she thought it was pretty and feminine. She always had hated the sound of her own name, Bertha. I once heard of a woman in the rural south who took a fancy to the name "Lukaria". What she didn't realize is that "Leukarhea" (same pronounciation) is the medical term for a foul vaginal discharge or infection. Poor kid. Do some research about the name you like.
Others want a name that is popular and with it. Those names come in and out of fashion like Jason and Ashley, Brooke and Britney, Justin and Paris. Fad names come and go, but interestingly, Biblical names are popularity classics. They simply never go out of style. All of the top baby name lists always includes David for boys, and Sarah for girls.
Then there are people that name their baby strange or weird names, like purple or Apple.
What's in a name? A lot.
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