Baby Naming

By Vlady Peters

There’s always been a debate about names. Are children destined to carry out the expectations of the names given them? Can a Jeeves ever reinvent himself to be anything but a butler? Were the names given to the twins in Steinbeck’s ‘East of Eden’ a kiss of death for anything but a replay of the story of Cain and Abel?

Many popular films of the time tend to spawn names, especially if they are unusual. At one time every second boy was named ‘Shane’ after Alan Ladd’s popular film, touted at the time as an adult western as opposed, I suppose, to the matinee fill-ins featuring Gene Autrey and Roy Rogers.

Sometimes it’s a well-known personality which inspires parents to name their children. How many girls in the world are now sporting the name of Kylie after the popular singer Kylie Minogue?

If the parents name the child after some person they admire, do they actually believe that the child will inherit those qualities and characteristic, or do they hope they will? Sometimes it actually seems to works. Look at Martina Hingis. Named after the legendary Martina Navratilova she was a number one tennis player in the world for 209 weeks. Was it the expectations of the name, or the expectations of those associated with naming her?

The practice of celebrating baby naming has sky-rocketed in Australia. Like weddings, once removed from religious constraints, the event seems to be enhanced and enlarged.

A seriousness of intention creeps into the event. It is no longer something that has to be done because it is expected, but rather something that parents choose to do.

In undertaking a Naming Ceremony for their baby, the parents seem to recognize that the baby is more than a figure in their own personal lives. If making friends is a big element in people’s lives, than you could say that baby naming is the first step in forging future bonds of friendship for the baby.

Vlady Peters is an Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant authorised to perform marriages in Australia. She also perform general ceremonies such as Baby Naming, Renewal of Vows and Commitment Ceremonies. To learn more about her as a celebrant and an author visit Vlady at http://www.weddings-celebrant.com

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