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NAME THIS CHILD

12/6/2022

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    In the last blog post I suggested that the further  east one went in the US and Europe the more seriously people took the names they gave to their children, and the more likely people were to internalize their name and let it point to a role model.  But maybe that’s wrong; maybe we all model ourselves to some extent on the name we’ve been given.  If so, what should we make of the list of the ten most popular  grls’ and boys’ names in the United States in 2021:
GIRLS
     Olivia
     Emma
    Amelia
    Ava
     Sophia
     Charlotte
     Isabella
    Mia
    Luna
   Harper
BOYS
    Liam
     Noah
     Oliver
      Elijah
     Lucas
     Levi
     Mason
    Asher
    James
    Ethan
--
    What can we make out of the list?   There are few grand historical figures. Few saints, sacred or secular, but a surprising number from the Hebrew scriptures, consciously or unconsciously..  Beyond that, some pop idols, of course, but mostly euphonics – the names have lots of vowels and liquid consonants (ls and rs). No fricatives; sorry  Frank and Phoebe.  The chosen names roll lightly off the tongue. These names “sound nice.” OK, we could do worse. So internalize the message, kids, and just Be Nice.

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