What Guys Would Name The Baby If the Choice Were Up to Them?

Years ago I read an article about “names from the hood” in Business Week and learned that most of the unique, non-traditional names came from one-parent families. The  take-away message seemed to be that two-parent families are more likely to produce the kind of “sensible” names likely to please friends and family members and help junior get a job, too.

What caused me to think along those lines was an article in The Stir by Michele Zipp that listed 25 names guys would give their babies if the choice were up to them. Eighteen of the names listed seemed fairly likely to please family, friends, and personnel directors. But here are seven names likely to be vetoed by a spouse or partner for a variety of reasons:

Macho Name: Geronimo

Fantasy Names: Obi-Wan, King

Macho Place Name: Alaska

Self-Glorification (for the greater glory of the dad) : Junior

Wimpy Names: Felix, Mortimer

I would expect spouses or partners to veto or at least question some of the names I’ve listed above. So I was surprised that writer Michele Zipp had this comment: “Obi-Wan, Felix, King … great names in my book.” Are there any female readers who’d care to comment? Which of these names would you veto?

P.S. I found a funny quote about Felix and parked it in an article about the name Hugh Grant gave his son.

Should Parents Be Encouraged to Name Their Children Messiah or Christ?

Ed Stetzer, writing in Christianity Today, offered evidence (in the form of survey results) to support the following claims:

-“Three out of four (74%) of Americans say parents should be able to give their child religious names – including Messiah.”

– “A similar number (75 percent) say a judge should not be allowed to change a child’s name for religious reasons.”

–  “53 percent of Americans strongly agree and another 21 percent somewhat agree” [that] ”parents should be able to name their child Messiah or Christ.”

This research was conducted by Lifeway Research, of Nashville Tennessee, to demonstrate that Americans opposed the ruling of Tennessee judge, Lu Ann Ballew who held that parents could not name their son Messiah because “The word Messiah is a title and it’s a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ.”

Unfortunately, Stetzer’s article did not provide any information about the sample surveyed, so it isn’t clear whether the “Americans” surveyed were a broad sample representative of American adults or were limited to Christians of certain denominations living in certain counties of the south (which are commonly referred to as “the bible belt”).

I have no doubt most Americans support the idea that parents should be able to name their child whatever they like, including spiritual names like Faith or Grace and biblical names like Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Abraham and Rebecca. Having a spiritual or biblical name is a daily reminder of the importance of caring about spiritual and religious values. I’ve conducted research that suggests spiritual and religious names create a positive impression for the people who bear them—because people with those names are expected to have a strong values.

As you may know, Judge Ballew’s ruling was reversed, so the right of parents in Tennessee to name their children Messiah or Christ is not, currently a burning issue. But I doubt most Americans would think it’s a good idea for parents to name their children Messiah or Christ (even if they support the parents’ right to make those choices). To be clear, this new question wasn’t included in the survey conducted by Lifeway research.

Permit me to state the new question clearly: Should parents be encouraged to name their children Messiah or Christ? Or, should they be advised against it? I think most psychologists would argue against giving children names that might encourage them to believe (and act as though) they really were a messiah or a savior. Many Americans are treated for this confusing psychological condition—usually with a combination of drugs and therapy. And, with the name Messiah currently ranked as the 387^th most popular boys’ name in America, we can expect a lot more boys to struggle with this confusing condition.

This isn’t a religious issue, per se. It’s a practical and psychological issue. It doesn’t make any more (or less) sense to name children King, Queen, Prince, Princess  or Perfect than it does to name them Christ or Messiah. Since the children aren’t, in fact, royalty, charismatic religious figures or perfect human beings, having names that foster those illusions is a questionable practice because:

– The names don’t reflect the truth. They aren’t realistic.

– The names foster unrealistic self-images and are likely to promote unrealistic, unhealthy behavior.

I’d be very interested in seeing research conducted on a large representative survey sample to find out what Americans think about this new question. If asked to speculate about what such research would find, I’d expect most Americans to question the practice of giving children names that could foster unrealistic illusions and lead to unhealthy behavior. But, again, I’d expect most Americans to support parents’ right to pick any names they like–except names that can be demonstrated to be harmful to the child.

Judge Changes Baby Boy’s Name from Messiah to Martin, Citing Jesus Christ

Messiah was the #4 fastest rising boy’s name in 2012, according to the Social Security Administration. But, Tennessee Judge Lu Ann Ballew changed a 7-month old child’s name from Messiah to Martin, according to an article on Huffington Post.

Ballew said the name Messiah could cause problems if the child grows up in Cocke County, which has a large Christian population. “The word Messiah is a title and it’s a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ,” the judge said.

“The Latest Popularity Trends” in the most recent edition of 100,000+ Baby Names refers to fast-rising boys’ names like Messiah, King, and Prince as “pompous titles.” Names like that have the potential to offend others and distort the self-image of children who bear those names. Children with pompous names may get the impression that they are superior to other people–and treat them disrespectfully.

Judge Ballew  settled the issue with a common-sense ruling by changing the infant’s name from Messiah to Martin. The boy’s mother is planning  to appeal the decision.