I saw today that [name_u]Blake[/name_u] [name_m]Anderson[/name_m] from Workaholics and his wife recently had their daughter and named her [name_m]Mars[/name_m] [name_f]Ilah[/name_f]. I commented on the post saying how I thought it was so funny (almost eerie) that they had chosen [name_m]Mars[/name_m], as my SO LOVES [name_m]Anderson[/name_m] and LOVES the show, and his favorite name for a girl so happens to be [name_m]Mars[/name_m].
He is only a few years younger than [name_m]Anderson[/name_m], and I know most of his friends in a similar age range - I’m saying 20 to 35 - like names like this; [name_m]Mars[/name_m], [name_m]Xavier[/name_m], [name_m]Casper[/name_m], [name_f]Darla[/name_f], [name_u]Zephyr[/name_u], [name_f]Wednesday[/name_f], [name_u]Ruby[/name_u] [name_f]Tuesday[/name_f] (for real, [name_u]Ruby[/name_u] [name_f]Tuesday[/name_f] [name_m]Rock[/name_m] and [name_m]Roll[/name_m] was the name, and no, it wasn’t a joke) - names that are word names, or have a strong connection to something in pop culture.
The other names they like are the names of girls they went to middle school with: [name_f]Amanda[/name_f], [name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f], [name_f]Jessica[/name_f], [name_u]Courtney[/name_u], [name_f]Hannah[/name_f], [name_f]Laura[/name_f], [name_f]Sarah[/name_f], real 80s baby names. It’s especially noticeable with girls names, or at least it has been for me. I think if I gave him complete control, our daughters would be [name_m]Mars[/name_m] [name_f]Amanda[/name_f] and [name_f]Wednesday[/name_f] [name_f]Jessica[/name_f]. Or, he would play it safe with [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] and [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] [name_f]Sarah[/name_f].
Has anyone else noticed this trend? Any other examples? I’m just curious.
I haven’t noticed this particular trend, but I do think that younger namers are more progressive, more willing to take risks. But I think it’s generational.
[name_f]My[/name_f] husband is within that age range and I don’t think those rules apply to him. He likes classic and vintage names, probably because he is interested in history.
[name_f]My[/name_f] brothers are naming children of their own and I must say they have less imagination than my husband in this regard. They like perfectly nice names that are just a bit obvious like [name_f]Grace[/name_f], [name_f]Hannah[/name_f], [name_f]Ella[/name_f], [name_f]Jasmine[/name_f], [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]. None of them are particularly 80s or the names of ex-girlfriends I knew. All in all I would say my brothers do not care about names in the same way my sisters in law do, or my husband and I do.
None of my nieces and nephews have wild, extravagant names, and I am pretty sure both my husband and brothers would laugh/be horrified by [name_m]Mars[/name_m] as a name.
I notice that pretty well anything goes in baby naming today especially in [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_u]America[/name_u]. Personally, I prefer the quirky or guilty pleasure name to be in the middle spot. I love the Rolling Stones’ song “[name_u]Ruby[/name_u] [name_f]Tuesday[/name_f]” but I wouldn’t name a child the exact same name ([name_u]Ruby[/name_u] [name_f]Tuesday[/name_f] is also a restaurant chain). [name_u]Ruby[/name_u] [name_f]Tuesday[/name_f] [name_m]Rock[/name_m] and [name_m]Roll[/name_m] is pretty over-to-top to me. [name_u]Ruby[/name_u] is fine as is [name_m]Xavier[/name_m], [name_m]Casper[/name_m] and [name_u]Zephyr[/name_u]. [name_m]Mars[/name_m] makes me think of the planet, the chocolate bar and the singer so I don’t find it very appealing. I can almost guarantee that she will get “[name_m]Mars[/name_m] [name_u]Bar[/name_u]” as she grows up which is a shame. I sometimes think that some parents are easily swayed by popular culture without really thinking about the pitfalls or drawbacks for a child who bears the name throughout life. They just want a cool and unique name for their child irregardless of potential teasing.