The Pope: Stop naming your kids with all these celebrity names

Posted on January 12, 2011
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(14) comments

The pope is taking a stand. He wants people to stop naming their children after celebrities and to look to the Bible for the inspiration for their names instead.

Knock it off with the Ashtons and Lilys already. Go with Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.

According to a report at Canada.com, the Pope recently said during mass: "Every baptised child acquires the character of the son of God, beginning with their Christian name, an unmistakable sign that the Holy Spirit causes man to be born anew in the womb of the Church."

According to the paper he also added that 'a name was an indelible seal that set children off on a lifelong journey of religious faith".

Oh, I wish it were that easy.

Crap. There's no "Todd" in the Bible. And neither my wife nor any of my kids have Biblical names.

The most popular name for newborns in Britain. Mohammed. Uh-oh.

Monsignor Andrew Faley chimes in as well: "The name is not just a label but it moves us into a deeper significance of what it means to be human as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Naming children after perfumes, bicycles and countries is putting a limit on their potential. They are not merchandise or commodities. When I was a parish priest, if I didn't agree with the name I'd suggest they should give the second name of a saint."The pope is taking a stand. He wants people to stop naming their children after celebrities and to look to the Bible for the inspiration for their names instead.

OK... I'm not sure that your given name sets you up (or blocks you) from what your religious heritage may be (although I've not met many Christians names Mohammed). But some of the names are starting to get a little weird.

What's the weirdest name that you've ever heard? Maybe it's a combination of first and last names. Share them. (Please refrain from the very tired Seymour Butts joke).

Todd

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Comments

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missional girl on Wed, January 12, 2011

Weirdest name I ever heard was Jafongalita (high school). I honestly get a little annoyed when all the children’s names start with the same letter.

But reality check: I think the Pope should be less concerned about names and more concerned about dealing with priests abusing children (and the cover-ups that ensue). Just sayin…
bishopdave on Wed, January 12, 2011

Matthew Damon. Mark Harmon. Luke Perry. John Mellencamp. They must have the best of both worlds.

The Revelation 2:17
Jennifer on Wed, January 12, 2011

A guy from my hometown is named Ivan Nitsch. Say it out loud to hear what it sounds like.
Leonard on Wed, January 12, 2011

We just numbered our kids. we started with 665 and the next one was… Oh Snap!
Peter Hamm on Wed, January 12, 2011

I totally agree with the Pope on this. I especially dislike the last names that may as well be first names and aren’t necessarily gender-specific. I can’t tell you the weirdest name I’ve heard because it was obscene.

And my names in the Bible, darnit… so I’m good… (full disclosure: my parents were Catholic and the whole family has saint and/or biblical names, usually first AND middle…)
Linda Stanley on Wed, January 12, 2011

Thank goodness my grandmother decided to break tradition by not continuing to name girls born into the family “Polly Scrap.” I don’t know what that’s about or where that came from.
Jedidiah on Wed, January 12, 2011

Actually, the pope didn’t say anything about celebrity names, and he gave no examples. He just urged people to use names from the Bible. See the link for details.
Naomi on Wed, January 12, 2011

I must say tht I’m a firm believer in naming your child somethg tht has a positive meaning. With tht said, I don’t believe tht a name will cause a block/successes of your child. Parenting & environment play a role too. I’m sure somewhere in the world there’s a prisoner with a biblical name whose committed a heinous crime.
Christopher Fontenot on Wed, January 12, 2011

What do you expect from a man who leads a religion that does not know God?
Apartments for rent in Toronto on Thu, January 13, 2011

well makes so much sense!! i personally try to look into our family and name after great grandparents or grandparents someone i could tell my kids about.
Drewe on Fri, January 14, 2011

Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii

And no, I am not joking. Global media coverage on this one - eg - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2452593/Talula-Does-The-Hula-From-Hawaii-not-a-girls-name-New-Zealand-court-rules.html

Just my 2 bits - I think people are searching for something. People want to stand out from the crowd of ‘matthew mark luke john’. They want their kids to be ‘different’, not fully thinking through what the implications of this are!

I had a friend called ‘fifi’. Again, you read correct. Cutest name ever I am sure as a baby. (pronounced fee-fee). I knew her at 18 and she was a rebel who called herself ‘fred’, and forever hated what ‘fifi’ had done to her life.

But seriously, I think people are just searching - reaching - for anything. Romans 8:23 - groaning for something more. And this is just one outlet of it!

Drewe
Jim B. on Fri, January 14, 2011

The weirdest name I’ve ever heard of is a girl’s name, who was my wife’s student: “female”-pronounced like tamale, but with an “f”. When my wife asked how the mother came across the name “female”, the mother stated she didn’t name the girl, the delivering doctor did. The mother shared that when she saw the doctor’s paperwork at the hospital on the delivery, the dr. had already written in the blanc space of the birth certificate…...are you ahead of me on the answer…..“female”. So, my question to my wife was does she have a son name “male”. My wife couldn’t answer that question at that time….. And we wonder why SAT scores are so low….
luxury lifestyle news on Fri, January 14, 2011

What’s wrong with naming our kids similar to celebrity names? Well I guess I will find celebrity name that comes from the bible.
Jace Breeback on Mon, January 17, 2011

I’m a middle school teacher in an urban city (Winston Salem, NC). Many times at the beginning of each year teachers gather and share class rosters. I remember a first year 7th grade teacher coming to me and sharing his roster and he had a student who’s REAL first name was Father Universe. I thought it was a joke until we talked with Father’s (that’s what he wanted to be called) teachers from the previous year. I should also point out he had a brother named Knowledge, a sister named Star Mecca, and some other interesting names in the family.