What’s in a Name? More than you Imagined!

The chore of choosing a suitable name for a child has never been a simple task. And the decision becomes more complicated in today’s ever more complex, multinational world.

However, the choice continues to be crucial, because the name can affect the child’s future and self-image. It can also color how others perceive him or her by association. For example, few American parents would name their baby boy Judas or Benedict, or their daughter, Rahab. For reasons, good or bad, people will catch the negative connotation of the name.

But, what governs the many choices? That may depend on the nationality and culture–even the religion of the parents. In the western world, many names are taken from the Bible, perhaps yours. So, let’s examine the many sources of the names we bestow on our newborn family members:

The long-standing tradition of some parents dictates that a venerated family name be carried forward with each generation. Therefore, we see many sons named “Junior” or “Trey” o III for his father, his grandfather or earlier ancestors–daughters the same way.

In the Spanish-speaking regions of the world, the choices reflect the influence of the Roman Catholic church. It is customary in many Latin-American countries to give a newborn baby his “Nombre de pila”, which name must include at least one name taken from the Bible. That accounts for so many youngsters we know named after people in the Bible (either the English or Spanish version) with names like: John, James, Peter, Paul, Daniel, Michael or Peter, etc. Favorites for girls are: Maria, Eve, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Sarah (Sarita), and many more. Mary and John are by far the most popular.

A popular custom of ancient Roman families was simply to name the children in the order of their birth. For example: The first-born would be “Primo”, “Secundo” the second, “Trey” the third, “Quintan” or “Quincy” would be the fifth, and “Octavian” would be the eighth–You get the idea. They had big families back then.

Until the Russian Revolution of 1917, Russian names for newborns were limited to those sanctioned by the Russian Orthodox Church, but no longer. From Russia we get: Anton, Dmitri, Konstantin, Mikhail, Nikolai and Viktor for boys, and Aleksandra, Maya, Ivanna, Olga, Sonya, and Natasha for girls. Russian parents are also being more creative with many copying Western traditions It is really a small world after all.

Greek families often use bible names along with mythical Greek gods, goddesses, and heroes such as: Athena, Selena, Alexis, Demetrio, Socrates, Irene, Barbara,, Philip, Aristotle, Emmanouel, Hector, Paris, Daphne.and Rita. These and other Greek-derived names are showing up in many cultures today.

Adding to our knowledge of bestowed names is John Ftacek, John is an Insurance man from La Feria.. He traces his ancestry to the Republic of Slovakia. Slovakia and the Czech Republic share a common history. Not surprising then that the Czech and Slovak languages are very a similar. Apart from biblical names, most of their names have their roots in the Slavic language: Common names for boys are: Bobek, a Czech form of Robert; and Maxi, meaning “the greatest” from the Latin “Maximillian.” Magda is a Czech form of Magdalen, meaning “high tower.“ Magda and Markita are popular names for girls.

Because of their central European location, German given names reveal a rich and mixed heritage that is both conservative and adaptive to outside influences. German families incorporate names from their French, Italian, Spanish and English neighbors. However, some traditional names trace back to the 12th century or earlier. Names like Bernhard, Werner, Wolfram, Dietrich, Frederick, Engelbert, and Dustin.

As a result, parents today have a world of names to choose from. Just log-on to the Internet and check out endless baby names. But–one thing to keep in mind; Think out how your choice of your baby’s name will affect his or her future and self-image. Perhaps that is why some parents come up with some impressive-sounding names for their new baby boy like: Prince, Rex (King) , Duke, and “Tex.” Now, there’s a name that will get you around in Texas.

All said and done: Do your research on-line before bestowing a permanent moniker on your innocent, newborn child. You’ll discover sources to help you reach your goal of finding the perfect name for your perfect baby.