There was much debate as to what the Seventh Deadly Trend should be. First, I had it slotted for misspelled names, but those were largely covered in Parts 5 and 6 with the K Kraze and Substytutes. It was suggested to me by several of you to tackle boys’ names on girls. While I may write about this in the future, I think for me it’s not qualifying as a Deadly Trend for three reasons. The first of which is that primarily, most of the boyish names chosen for girls these days are either originally surnames, like Dylan and Cameron (or Kamryn), and so qualify in Part 4, the Surname Names post, or they are names like Charlie and Sam (not your finest stroke, Tiger), and so fall into the Nickname Names category addressed in Why John and Katherine Are Better on the Birth Certificate. Lastly, I understand the philosophy behind wanting to give a daughter a truly gender-neutral name. Those same parents might not want to dress their daughter in pink or give a little boy Transformers to play with.
So, after much soul-searching and deliberation, I bring to you the Seventh Deadly Trend, geographical baby names. Like Aidan and Ella, it’s not so much the individual names themselves that gore me, but that society is turning to these names en masse.
When David and Victoria Beckham named their first child Brooklyn, I was appalled. For one, I associate this name with a particular place, and while it has sentimental value for me as well, it is not a particularly glamourous or savory namesake. More galling still was the fact that this name was chosen in commemoration of the baby’s CONCEPTION. Not only that, but the whole world will think about poor Brooklyn Beckham’s conception each time they think about his name, which is just kind of sad to me, not to mention, gross for a kid. This spawned a host of female Brooklyns across the nation, often spelling it as a contraction of Brooke and Lynn, such as Brooklynn. While I can see how people might view this name as pretty, I cannot endorse it as anything other than a place to call home.
Many “place name” names were, in fact, originally given names. The state of Georgia honors King George; Charlotte and Carolina, King Charles. Equally irritating as names that draw solely from a particular place, are accusations that names used historically as given names are only after a particular place. Orlando comes to mind. Sure, we all think of Disney World, but is noone familiar with Shakespeare and Virginia Woolf?
Asia, China, and India all have a long, established history on little Caucasian and African-American girls. India and China arose out of a love affair with the Far East during the British Empire. Asia is often seen on African-Americans, perhaps because it both has a lovely sound and has an exotic flair. Still, does it strike anyone else as strange?
Among young children, I have heard of or come across Abilene, Alabama, America, Aspen, Chelsea, Holland, Hudson (after the river), India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kingston (in addition to Master Rossdale), London, Milan, Montana, Roma, Savannah, Seoul, Trenton, Utah. There is also a rising trend embracing Biblical place names, among them Eden, Zion, and the infamous Nevaeh, or heaven spelled backwards. :-[
If honoring a heritage is important to you, please consider given names used in the country in question. If you do choose to home in on a place itself, there are certainly many lovely cities, counties, countries, and topographical possibilities. I completely respect and understand wanting to remember where you and your spouse met or honeymooned. Just please don’t commemorate a child’s conception. They will forever have to live with that image emblazoned on their impressionable little mind. If you do, just don’t tell anyone that’s why you chose the name.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I love how you categorize Nevaeh as a place name. You’re giving it much more credit than I ever would! I don’t think its so much a place name as a made up one. Nonetheless, it’s a good no-no name to discuss — wherever you can fit it in.
This reminds me of an old commercial. There are two girls riding in a car with their mom. The older girl asks why they chose a particular name, and mom answered, “that’s where she was conceived, Concord [or whatever the car name is]” and then the girl looks to see her name emblazoned on the car’s dash. Talk about traumatizing.
Ha, Bek! I remember that commercial too!
My question is what the h3ll were David Beckham and Posh Spice doing in Brooklyn? They seem more like the Manhattan sort.
Place names have popped up before in history – scan the Top 1000 of 1907/1908 and Arizona, Missouri and Florida all make the list for girls.
I don’t hate place names, but I think they’re often chosen without any sense of the place itself. Brooklyn strikes me as a weird place to honor with a child’s name (though she’ll fit in just right with Madilyn, Adalyn, Gracelyn, Ashlyn, Jazzlyn!! and the impossible-to-avoid mob of Katelyns) and Trenton? Hello, TRENTON?
As for Savannah, I agree that the city is lovely. But I can’t help think of the porn star. Do you really want your little girl to grow up and see her name listed on The Top 50 Porn Stars of All Time list?
But the *worst* has to be kreeatif respellings of place names. Jerzi? Savana? Havannah? No, no, no!
When I first heard why the Beckhams named their son Brooklyn, I thought “Well, they obviously never got out of the car, because if they did they never would have named a kid after that”.
I had a friend in college named Dkota. Yes, it was pronounce Dakota, like the states, but his parents actually spelled it Dkota.
I agree with you: place names are used too often without thought to the actual namesake. How many girls were named Sydney just because the Olympics were held there that year?
As for naming them after their place of conception, I think it shows a lack of creativity. C’mon, people! THINK about the names of your children! You can’t come up with anything better than the place where you got it on?
One of my co-workers was named Georgia. Her twin brother was George. And, you guessed it, they were born and raised in Georgia. Sad.
Have you talked about twin names yet? (I’ve just found your blog and need to read more.) They really irritate me. It’s not enough that they look alike and have to share a birthday, let’s make them share a name too! Shawn and Shawna; Carry and Carra (yes, Carry was the boy)… even Erin and Erika are too close for my taste.
Just my two cents.
And let’s not forget all the children who are named Camden. To my knowledge, that is not a particularly savory place to name a child after. Or Ryker, as in the prison!!!