I’m a name snob, or more accurately, a name know-it-all. Names should be classic, not trendy, reasonably easy to spell or at least have a spelling that matches its sound, and for the love of Pete your innocent baby’s name is not something to have fun or make a statement with (hear that, Ashlee??).
Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz, authors of the Baby Name Bible and tons of other baby naming guides along with baby naming site nameberry.com, seem to disagree with their list of the “Top 10 Baby Names of 2008.”
While they don’t seem to be going for popularity but the impact the names had on pop culture (like Barack), there are some interesting choices on here.
One’s another Obama name – Sasha, which I have to agree is adorable and seems to really suit its equally cute bearer. But there’s two other politically influenced names on there: Trig, as in Palin, (turns out it wasn’t just made-up goofiness – Trig is the Norse god of strength), and Joe, as in The Plumber.
They also note movie- and TV-influenced names (“Twilight” star Edward and January for actress January Jones, Betty Draper on “Mad Men”), and new hipster-parent names like Ruby.
And there’s the “are you KIDDING ME?” names – the ultimate celebrity WTF name Bronx, and Cash, which the authors state is an important name because of the credit crunch. To which I say the same thing I thought when a beloved family member announced her son would be named that – are they trying to be funny? Eeesh.
