For a story in Advertising Age magazine about branding and baby names, how conscious are you of the concept of “branding” when choosing a name for your child? [name]Do[/name] you think a baby’s name establishes an identity in the same way a company or product name does? And if so, what kind of “brand” do you want for your child?? The reporter would love to use your thoughts and quotes in the piece, so let it rip!!
One of my favorite stores is a one-of-a-kind bookstore in Pasadena, [name]CA[/name] called Vroman’s. It is the antithesis of say, Borders. Quirky, expensive, with books you can’t always find in the box stores. The children’s section has rows and rows of shelves like a library with all kinds of wonderful children’s books. That store represents the kinds of baby names I like-not too common, literary, rich, warm, long-lasting, a very long shelf life like an ummm…book, maybe even a hardcover book. The store is much bigger than [name]Kathleen[/name] [name]Kelly[/name]'s Shop Around the Corner in the movie “You’ve Got Mail”. But it has the same personality except it is for adults, too.
Hmmmm, really interesting. So what names do you think carry that image? When you’ve met people with those names, does having that image in your mind affect your feelings about them? [name]Do[/name] they live up to the image??
For me, some names have an unshakable image. Like [name]Arabella[/name]. I see it as an ultra-feminine, cries-at-bugs, has the hearts of all the boys type of girl. [name]Ronald[/name], on the other hand, is perennially [name]Reagan[/name]. And [name]George[/name] is stuck in the White House forever. Other names have a flexible image. Take [name]Addison[/name], for instance. It’s an all-girl name to me, but I can see [name]Addison[/name] playing with lace-dressed dolls, winning track meets, never wearing skirts, and loving pink. [name]David[/name], to me, can also be nearly any type of guy: the macho, the skinny, the smart, but always the good. [name]Perry[/name] is flexible as a girl or boy’s name. It’s the only really androgynous name for me.
Other names have an image because I know someone with that name. [name]Paula[/name] is always the sweet blond woman with a gentle southern accent. [name]Talor[/name] (no y) is always the sweet and fun preteen girl, and [name]Elliot[/name] is always my blond and boyish son.
A name I’d consider using is not about the image. It’s about the sound, the meaning, the letters, and the spelling. But some names ([name]Romeo[/name], [name]Puck[/name], [name]Arabella[/name], [name]Ophelia[/name]) have an image that no child can overcome.
So name with an image that’s TOO decisive, like [name]Arabella[/name] or [name]Romeo[/name], is not one you’d want to pin on a child, but a name with an image that’s a little less decisive, that let’s a child meet the image halfway, is okay? Preferable to a no-brand, generic packaging name like [name]David[/name]?
The store I was talking about before that is in Pasadena-Vroman’s-is a two-story store with incredibly high ceilings in a building that is as old as at least the '20’s. It is in a section of town where all the buildings in the area are as old as it is and very gorgeous! It’s called Old Town. So…
Vroman’s Names: (a sampling)
boys-
[name]Archer[/name] ([name]Archie[/name])
[name]Clayton[/name]
[name]Clive[/name]
[name]Dashiell[/name]
[name]Edward[/name]
[name]Ezra[/name]
[name]Frank[/name]
[name]George[/name]
[name]Isaac[/name]
[name]Jack[/name]
[name]James[/name]
[name]John[/name]
[name]Magnus[/name]
[name]Oliver[/name]
[name]Patrick[/name]
[name]Philip[/name]
[name]Peter[/name]
[name]Quentin[/name]
[name]Raymond[/name] (such a Pasadena name because there is a street called [name]Raymond[/name] and a very interesting old wonderful restaurant called [name]Raymond[/name].)
[name]Tobias[/name]
[name]Theodore[/name]
[name]Zane[/name]
girls-
[name]Anna[/name]
[name]Beatrice[/name]
[name]Beatrix[/name]
[name]Claire[/name]
[name]Cecily[/name]/[name]Cecilia[/name]
[name]Catherine[/name]
[name]Eleanor[/name]
[name]Evelyn[/name]
[name]Frances[/name]
[name]Faith[/name] (good middle name)
[name]Iris[/name]
[name]Jane[/name]
[name]June[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name]
[name]Julia[/name]
[name]Katherine[/name] (I know it’s been hugely popular, but I think it still works)
[name]Laurel[/name]
[name]Lila[/name]
[name]Millicent[/name]
[name]Mathilda[/name]
[name]Olive[/name] ([name]Olivia[/name] is too popular)
[name]Penelope[/name]
[name]Pippa[/name]
[name]Paulina[/name]
[name]Paloma[/name]
[name]Rosalind[/name]
[name]Susannah[/name]
[name]Tatiana[/name]
[name]Veronica[/name]
[name]Vivian[/name]
Years ago, names like [name]Andrew[/name], [name]Matthew[/name], [name]Jacob[/name], [name]Sophia[/name], [name]Isabella[/name], [name]Rebecca[/name] etc. would have worked but now they are too popular.
I also thought of a store that’s more Vroman’s than Vroman’s. It is the tiny museum store in the carriage house next to the Gamble House which is a beautiful Arts and Crafts mansion that is open to the public for tours. When I thought of names to go with that store they went beyond Vroman’s names: I thought of [name]Mae[/name], and then I thought of [name]Richard[/name] and [name]Kenneth[/name] and I thought maybe those names are going to come back in style in twenty years. Then I thought it would be fun to predict what names are going to get really hot in ten or twenty years, and maybe some of them would be names that remind me of that little store in the old carriage house.
Yes, I believe that you “brand” your baby with a name. I think that is why parents spend so much time perfecting their child’s name. We worry about wether it’s too popular or not popular enough and how it will fit with sibling’s names, our friend’s children’s names, what the teachers will think.
I think what we name our children is more of reflection on how we want to brand ourselves and how we want to see ourselves reflected in society. Children are the manifestation of our dreams and hopes so it would only be fitting that we try to impose those hopes and dreams in the name that we choose for them.
I definitely think names are “brands” or “labels.” To me, all names have an image to them. That’s why sometimes names do not fit the person, and I’ll use my name as an example. My name is [name]Blaire[/name] (named after my grandmother’s maiden name, [name]Blair[/name].) I come from a very poor, working class family and grew up in a rural area in the South. I get comments all the time when I tell people my name… “Ooh, la-di-da!” or “[name]Blaire[/name]? [name]How[/name] aristocratic.” So, I think my name has the image of rich, snobby, country club type people. And with namesakes like [name]Tony[/name] [name]Blair[/name] and [name]Blair[/name] from The Facts of Life, I completely understand. It just simply does not fit me, at all.
I think naming a baby is every bit as much of a branding decision as naming a store or magazine. If you think about it, choosing a baby’s name is one of the only opportunities for people to assert their style, regardless of their income. So yeah, the people down the street might have an interior designer and a [name]Mercedes[/name], but their kid is named McKynzie. I may be stuck with [name]IKEA[/name] and a minivan, but when I name my child, my brand will be way more stylish and “expensive.” This example may not exactly answer your question, but it points to the fact that I believe that we are very aware of the perception and image of the names we choose for our children, every bit as much as we would be for an advertising campaign.
I’d like to see how my child’s life pans out after this discussion. She’s [name]Arabella[/name]. However, its a little too early to tell quite what her personality will be like when she gets into school, then her teen years. I knew when I picked [name]Arabella[/name] I was picking a big time princess name. I love it! If I only have one girl, I’m likely to have my sweet little princess. However, I figured no matter what I call her, she has a lot of nickname opportunities if she chooses to go by something other than [name]Bella[/name]. So I wonder if nicknames have an effect on your branding. If you don’t introduce yourself by your full first name, does that make a difference?
Absolutely, choosing a name is a lot like “branding”. In the U.K names and class are inextricably linked (with the number of middle names being a prime example) and I think the same is true in the U.S, but it is a more subtle thing. I feel like a lot of lower class names start out as upper class (like [name]Addison[/name] and [name]Mckenzie[/name]) an then are dropped by te upper class once their useage becomes widespread. In all likelihood those names started out as family names,
and people thought they sounded cool and sophisticated so they
began to use them, and by doing so causing the upper class to abandon them, making those names sound uninspired and well, cheap. [name]Don[/name]'t get me wrong, I know an [name]Adysen[/name] that attends an elite preschool and has doctor parents and an [name]Eleanor[/name] in college who came from a really poor part of town, but by just hearing their names I
would’ve switched them.
I do not have any children yet, but we will be trying to concieve withing the next year or two and when we do we will pick names for our children that are not too common, have a long history, and some of that quirky British charm I love when it comes to names. For my boys I want names that are clearly masculine, but not overly so. That are strong, yet sensitive, and above all, classic so as to endure any fleeting trends. For my girls I want names that are also strong, but distincty feminine. I think the whole unisex thing is tired and played out. Instead I prefer names like [name]Harriet[/name] nickname [name]Hattie[/name], which is a feminine version of [name]Harry[/name] and has a ton of classic and vintage charm to set her apart from [name]Bentley[/name], [name]Nevaeh[/name], [name]Jayden[/name], and [name]Kayden[/name] and will serve her well as an adult. As a child of the 1980’s (like I think a lot of people who frequent Nameberry) I am particularly sensitive to popularity as I feel like names were an epidemic back then, regardless of what class you belonged to. I was named [name]Jenna[/name] [name]Leigh[/name] (the [name]Leigh[/name] spelling to make it more girly my mother said, ugh) and while it isn’t as popular as [name]Jennifer[/name] was, it was close enough to make me want to give my child a name that stands out. ([name]Ive[/name] only met two other [name]Jenna[/name]'s in my life, but 6 Jennifers that go by [name]Jenna[/name])
Names that are on “my list” so to speak are:
Boys
[name]Theodore[/name], nn [name]Teddy[/name]
[name]Rufus[/name]
[name]Cormac[/name], nn [name]Mac[/name]
[name]Oliver[/name], nn [name]Ollie[/name]
[name]Frederick[/name], nn [name]Fred[/name] or [name]Freddie[/name]
[name]Milo[/name]
[name]Leon[/name]
Girls
[name]Harriet[/name], nn [name]Hattie[/name]
[name]Philippa[/name], nn [name]Pippa[/name]
[name]Eliza[/name]
[name]Imogen[/name]
[name]Beatrix[/name]
[name]Eleanor[/name]
[name]Lucy[/name]
I know this was really long, but hopefully it answers the question in full!
Q: [name]Do[/name] you brand your baby with his or her name?
A: Absolutaly! Naming a child is the first responcibility you are given as a parent. Each name is an image that he or she will carry with them. I think name meaning specifically is the ultimate ‘branding’ factor. With the exception of one or two (note: these one or two hated their names, more on that in a moment) people with whom I’ve had a friendship, each person has either lived up to their name’s meaning, or, unfortunatly, bowed to it. I’ve known a [name]Mallory[/name] with bad, bad luck; a [name]Marissa[/name] who was bitter; and a [name]Naomi[/name] who had extreme joy! I could go on and on, but take my word, and my quote, that a name’s meaning will have the greatest bearing on who the child will grow to be. As a side note, for those who had strong opposition’s to their name’s, I found the meaning became irrelevent. If you wanted to be philosophical, you could say the child’s love or hatred for their moniker will be the greatest predicter of their future character.
You may quote me.
Thank you,
[name]Gabrielle[/name] [name]Carolina[/name]
The question reminds me of the chapter in the book Freakonomics about names and people’s place in society. Something along the lines that people associate certain names with strippers ([name]Brandi[/name]) and others with rich kids ([name]Whitney[/name]).
I did not think about that necessarily when I was naming my kids but I was definitely not naming them a [name]Tiffani[/name], [name]Brandi[/name], [name]Brittany[/name] etc.
I personally picked my kids names from classic books I had read when I was 14. Now they seem to be trendy (much to my dismay) but they have a history to me and a background I can point to. That was important to me.
I think the name that you give your child has absolutely nothing to do with who the child turns out to be.
for example, [name]Michael[/name] and [name]David[/name] have been very popular names and there are just as many [name]Michael[/name]'s and [name]David[/name]'s who have turned out to be criminal’s as their are [name]Michael[/name]'s and [name]David[/name]'s who have turned out to be well rounded and successful.
When you’re thinking about naming your little boy [name]Charles[/name]. [name]Do[/name] you think of the mass murder [name]Charles[/name] [name]Manson[/name]. Chances are you don’t.
If you name your child [name]Azalea[/name], [name]Poppy[/name], [name]Luna[/name], etc. There are no guarantee’s that that child will grow up to be a free spirit that one would quickly associate with any of those names.
In short a name is a name. A personality is what comes from time and experience, and that is why makes a person.
As an author, my name is my brand.
And I think my children’s names ([name]Frederique[/name] and [name]Una[/name] [name]Pearl[/name]) belong (at the point of giving them) more to my own brand. In naming my children I am saying something about the value of them to me, about my identity as a person and a mother. I chose names that sounded poetic to my ears and that would allow them to grow up in the world I wanted them to engage with - a literary, cultured, civilised but unpretentious place.
[name]Even[/name] the aspirations for our children at the point of naming say more about ourselves than about them. (Though it does raise an interesting question about whether or not a name is destiny. My own name is [name]Penelope[/name] and I went on to become a student of Classics, a weaver of stories and an excellent liar.) When I called my first daughter [name]Frederique[/name], I wanted her to be [name]Fred[/name] - girl of moxy and ungendered energy - and [name]Frederique[/name] - feminine, extravagant, inscrutable. However I believe this says more about me than her. At the time, when she was yet to be born. Now she is those things, but is that because of her name, or because I parent to promote the ideals I held when I was naming her.
For [name]Fred[/name] and [name]Una[/name] perhaps, in terms of branding, it will be like inheriting a company that is already named - they have the power to make that brand stand for whatever they choose.
Naming and identity are at the core of branding so the two are inexorably linked.
When I chose my daughters name I wanted her name to be something that would hold up to whatever kind of person she would be, but also a name that would benefit her before people know what kind of person she is. That’s what branding is… The more immediate reaction to a name, be it product of person, and what reactions that name conjures up in the public’s mind. Companies spend decades and millions of dollars influencing and building their brand; shaping public perception.
But we as people have less time, as we are judged by our names at important times in our lives: from college applications, to job interviews, to when you’re first introduced to your potential mate. [name]How[/name] likely are you to believe that [name]Puck[/name] is going to fit in well for your financial analyst position, or what about when your friend tries to set you up on a date with [name]Gertrude[/name]?
One of the main questions I asked myself when naming my daughter was “can she be a lawyer, writer, CEO, artist, anything she wants to be with this name?”. I didn’t want her name to hold her back in any way. As a child of the 80’ I was always one of several [name]Kelly[/name]'s in my class and surrounded by the ditzy [name]Kelly[/name]'s on tv and movies ([name]Kelly[/name] Kapowski, [name]Kelly[/name] [name]Taylor[/name]…). I wanted to give my daughter a name that was both unique and aproachable. Smart and strong and yet femenine all at once. I feel good about our choice and look forward to seeing [name]Lucia[/name] grow into her name and define it for us all even more- the true work of branding.
Of course, it is branding. And I think that’s why 'berries are so concerned with the “flow” of a sibset–because you’re creating a brand for each child, as well as the family as a whole. It may not be consciously thought of as “branding,” but that’s what it is. No matter if you scour Nameberry for hours or if you’re a mother who just here’s a name you like on a reality show and decides that will be your baby’s moniker–you are choosing your child’s name because you like it and it sounds like something you would want your baby to be and to be seen as. Isn’t that the definition of a brand?
post removed.
Absolutely! A name definitely conveys a message and gives a first impression that may be easy, difficult, or impossible to overcome. Isn’t that what a brand is? While the impression left might vary according to personal, social or geographical tastes of the “audience”, it’s definitely there. We live in a society centered around brands. In fact, when my college students do their career services workshops, they are told all about personal branding and marketing themselves to potential employers.
I want my children to be successful in life - not necessarily to be rich, though I’d like them to have that option if it’s important to them. When I consider a name, I also consider how it will look on a diploma and a resume, how it would suit a doctor or a poet, a race car driver or a CEO. I don’t want them stuck in a specific decade or class. I don’t want the name to sound illiterate or pretentious. I want it to have several nickname options. I don’t want a name with such a strong impression that they can’t overcome it with their own individuality.