But I am sure that no government is going to start banning weird last names for the sake of the welfare of the child.
By definition, a name you inherit is one that has precedence and hence is viewed as legitimate - whether first or second name. Of course, if you want to change your (or your child's) last name from the inherited default, again laws apply... typically, you need to convince the officials that your old surname carries negative connotations or is discriminated against.
Generally, surnames are not allowed to extend indefinitely. There have been a couple of name-legislation reforms in Europe, related to equality of male and female name inheritance, acceptance of other EU countries' practise, etc. - it's perpetually changing.
As indicated, for first names, child welfare is the crucial criterion in questionable cases of first names. Not in cases where relevant precedent or other rules already settle the issue. If you want to call your child "Piper Alpha" or "Chipotle", you run into problems... not if you want to call it "Rasputin Wolfgang Maria Nahuatl".
“The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it is hard to verify their authenticity” - Abraham Lincoln.
Costrel, is your last name significantly different to where everyone could tell where it came from? My maiden last name is Scottish, but that's not something someone would know offhand.
People call me Sharon, Shawna, Sheena (?????)...at one point I just stopped correcting them. My married last name isn't unusual but, since it's not spelled in the 'usual' way, people get it wrong too. Oh well.
These criticisms of first names and the ways in which they can be used to pick on children can also be applied to last names, though I am sure that no government -- not in New Zealand and not in Germany -- would ever consider banning last names because of their "weirdness" or the way in which they could be used by bullies. (Though most of us are probably aware that many of our ancestors' last names were significantly changed and Anglicized in spelling and pronunciation when our ancestors arrived in the U.S.)
For instance, I was the only child in my class, from kindergarten to 12th grade, who did not have a German last name. Was I ever picked on because of that? Yes, of course. Did I ever wish I had a German last name, and did I ever want to get rid of my last name and replace it with something else? No. I took pride in my last name and I took pride in the fact that I was different from all the other children in my class. (Just a couple of weeks ago, a clerk at a store commented on what she perceived to be my weird last name, so even now, as an adult, I still experience people commenting on how they consider my last name to be weird and strange.) When it comes to "weird baby names," in my experience, it is the weird last name, not the weird first name, that leads to a child being bullied and picked on by other children. But I am sure that no government is going to start banning weird last names for the sake of the welfare of the child.
GC, my name was used in making fun of me, but wasn't the reason I was being picked on. I had a lisp, which made me a moving target for bullies and others who just felt like picking on someone. My name being Shannon and thus starting with an S sound didn't help. I was called 'Thannon' by several people, particularly a girl who used harass me and threaten me for no reason I can think of. I had nine years of speech therapy, not sure why it took that long but there you have it.
My first little 'boyfriend' in first grade had my name!
"Stephanie" is NOT a weird name. I;ve had a few "Stephnies" in my class and none were picked on. I've also had a "Muhammed," a "Poindexter," and a "Daisy," among my students. I am unaware that anyone picked on them for their names.
Fact is, bullies will ALWAYS find a reason to pick on weaker kids. Names can be labeled as "weird" by bullies, whether they are "weird" or not.
So why there is any reason to legislate against "weird" names other than another reason for Government to control our lives is beyond me.
Huckleberry would be a most unusual name but an admirable one, I'd say.
What is admirable here, exactly? The courage of the parents?
If you understood at all what I said about Huck Finn as a worthy model, why the name is an honorable one should be evident. Costrel added some good reasons why naming a child for this literary character is tantamount to giving the child a saint's or biblical figure's name.
I hear what you are saying, but the prime concern is the name-bearing child's welfare.
And children will cruelly taunt any child whose name is considered peculiar for some reason. Believe me, I learned that extremely well by how I was ridiculed every year after The Wizard of Oz was on tv, bearing the name Dorothy as I do. Even quite common, dignified names can subject children to ridicule and abuse. In short, the name isn't the primary problem.
All kids get made fun of at some point and most kids have a name that can be altered to be made fun of.
I got made fun of because of my name - mercilessly!, and I have a perfectly acceptable name that you can find in any book of baby names. The only thing was in my area there were very, very few girls with my name. In other parts of the country it is more common.
I kind of feel like kids are made fun of less because of their names because there are so many more "creative" names. I know a couple of boys named Finn. I know a girl named Apple, a white boy named Bhodi, lots of last names as first names.
I am partial to real names, found in baby books that are not widely used. For the middle name I like a family name.
Yep, my 'real' name is "Stephanie" and I got mercilessly picked on because of it and when I had to start wearing glasses at 12, it got worse.
"No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible." George Chakiris
“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.” Stuart Chase
I had a friend in college named Bill; don't know if he was related to the Texans. His first evening aboard ship in the summer of '61 he took a seat in the wardroom, and a young officer across the table introduced himself, "I'm Joe Pigg, p- i- g -g.' Bill immediately responded,"I'm Bill Hogg, h- o- g- g."
Bill had to quickly produce his ID card to avoid a serious altercation.
When my third child a daughter was in 8th grade there were six Sara/h-s in her class. She asked all her teachers to call her by her middle name which is Jamaica. Now she is 33 and all her friends and those in her professional world know her as Jamaica. There was not another Jamaica in her school.
Only the family still call her Sara. Three out of four of my children go by their middle names. Guess I didn't do so great with first name. ;-)
One famous family in Texas was the Hogg family. They still have a foundation today. Their daughter Ima Hogg was married to a Texas governor.
Beliefnet Community Moderator ~ Peace Love Stardove
It is no longer good enough to cry peace, we must act peace, live peace, and live in peace. -Shenandoah proverb
