Global Naming
What do a Utahan and a Colombian name their Swiss baby?
by Anna Dilemna
March 10, 2008
Two months later our son Nicolas was born, the name decided only three days before his birth. After months of discussion, it was literally the only name we could come up with that didn't break any of our naming guidelines and that neither of us hated. We decided to call him Nico, both to make the name a bit more original as well as to sidestep the pronunciation problems with the Japanese "l." It wasn't the name that either of us really wanted, but oddly enough it turned out to be the right name for him. We found out later that "Nico-Nico" means smiley in Japanese and Nico was a very smiley baby.
Three years later, I'm pregnant again. This time, we're living in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, where we're required to choose a baby name from an "approved" government list. If not, we must provide proof that the name we have chosen is "normal" in our home country. In other words, there are probably not many children running around in Switzerland named "Moon Unit" or "Apple." (Switzerland is not the only European country to have name restrictions. Denmark's "Names Investigation Department and the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs" rejects up to twenty percent of the names it reviews every year.)
Gisele was quickly shot down because "it's like the Tiffany of Spanish names."
Being a seasoned veteran of the hazards of bicultural naming, I know to expect problems and thus far, I haven't been disappointed. Max won't work because in Spanish it's short for Maximiliano, which for some reason reminds Alex of Mexican mariachi singers. Gisele was quickly shot down because "it's like the Tiffany of Spanish names."
But I'm not worried, because even though I know we may very well have to compromise again, I also know now that the name we choose will be the product of our cultural backgrounds as well as the lives that we've lived both separately and as a couple. The name we choose for this next baby may not be the perfect one, but it will most certainly be the right one. In the meantime, the other night I dreamed that Alex came home and announced that we should name the baby Fondue. I wonder if that's on the Swiss list of approved names?
Article photo: Luis Loli
©2008 Anna Dilemna and Nerve Media
About the Author
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Anna Dilemna has written for Craft, The Green Parent and Practical Parenting. She has lived all over the world, and is in the midst of moving to Madrid, Spain. Meanwhile, she resides with her two-year-old son in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her website is annadilemna.typepad.com |
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