Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii And other names so weird that judges forbade them.

By Eugene Volokh
Posted Wednesday, July 30, 2008, at 7:13 AM ET
What's in a name? Child abuse?

Everyone needs a hobby. Mine is Fun Name Change Cases. I first got hooked 15 years ago, when I read about Michael Herbert Dengler, who wanted to change his name to 1069. "The only way [my] identity can be expressed is 1069," he insisted. Twice. To state supreme courts. With an elaborate theory for each digit: For instance, "The third character, 6, is equal to the relationship I have with the universe in my understanding of space of my spatial occupancy through this life." Now this was a field of law to watch, I knew.

Then came the news last week about Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii, a 9-year-old New Zealand girl. A New Zealand Family Court judge apparently viewed this name as a form of child abuse—the girl had complained that "[s]he fears being mocked and teased" about it—and asserted legal custody over the child so as "to ensure that a proper name was found for her."

Now that this has been validated as a matter of global legal significance, I present the following brief work of legal scholarship. Would-be 1069s and Talulas Do the Hulas, here are the precedents:

1. 1069. No dice. The North Dakota Supreme Court (1976) and Minnesota Supreme Court (1979) both say: Names can't be numbers. [Petition of Dengler, 246 N.W.2d 758 (N.D. 1976); Application of Dengler, 287 N.W.2d 637 (Minn. 1979).]

2. III, to be pronounced "Three." Nope, on the same grounds, said the California Court of Appeal in 1984 to Thomas Boyd Ritchie III. A concurring judge asserted that the problem was that III was a symbol, rather than just that it was a number. Such subtle distinctions are what law is all about. [In re Ritchie, 159 Cal. App. 3d 1070 (1984).]

3. Mary R. No, decided the Pennsylvania Superior Court in 2000, dealing with a petition by Mary Ravitch, who no longer wanted to use her ex-husband's last name and who didn't want to return to her maiden name (Gon). "Appellant's desired surname is so bizarre that it would likely be met with repeated suspicion and distrust in both business and social settings." [In re Ravitch, 754 A.2d 1287 (Pa. Super. 2000).]

4. Misteri Nigger, second "i" silent. No, said the California Court of Appeal in 1992, because it constitutes "fighting words": "[I]f a man asks appellant his name and he answers 'Mister Nigger,' the man might think appellant was calling him 'Mister Nigger.' Moreover, third persons, including children hearing the epithet, may be embarrassed, shocked or offended by simply hearing the word. This example illustrates how use of the name may be 'confusing' with the potential for violence." Definitely does sound like asking for trouble; "Russell Lawrence Lee" is much safer. [Lee v. Superior Court, 9 Cal. App. 4th 510 (1992).]

5. Santa Claus. A split among the courts: An Ohio judge in 2000 rejected Robert William Handley's attempt to become Santa Robert Clause, because:

The petitioner is seeking more than a name change, he is seeking the identity of an individual that this culture has recognized throughout the world, for well over one hundred years. Thus, the public has a proprietary interest, a proprietary right in the identity of Santa Claus, both in the name and the persona. Santa Claus is really an icon of our culture; he exists in the minds of millions of children as well as adults.

The history of Santa Claus—the North Pole, the elves, Mrs. Claus, reindeer—is a treasure that society passes on from generation to generation, and the petitioner seeks to take not only the name of Santa Claus, but also to take on the identity of Santa Claus. Although thousands of people every year do take on the identity of Santa Claus around Christmas, the court believes it would be very misleading to the children in the community, particularly the children in the area that the petitioner lives, to approve the applicant's name change petition.

But the Utah Supreme Court in 2001 let David Lynn Porter become just plain Santa Claus, and never mind the children: "Porter's proposed name may be thought by some to be unwise, and it may very well be more difficult for him to conduct his business and his normal everyday affairs as a result." (D'ya think?) "However, Porter has the right to select the name by which he is known, within very broad limits." [In re Handley, 736 N.E.2d 125 (Ohio Prob. Ct. 2000); In re Porter, 31 P.3d 519 (Utah 2001).]

6. Koriander, with no last name, apparently chosen because of Rosa Linda Ferner's "attraction to a name that sounds appropriate for her work as an artisan." Just fine, a New Jersey judge ruled in 1996. [In re Application of Rosa Linda Ferner to Assume the Name Koriander, 685 A.2d 78 (N.J. Super. L. 1996).]

7. They, again with no last name. OK, said a Missouri judge to a petition by the inventor formerly known as Andrew Wilson. They (not they, They) explained the rationale: "'They do this,' or 'They're to blame for that.' Who is this 'they' everyone talks about? 'They' accomplish such great things. Somebody had to take responsibility."

8. Darren QX [pronounced 'Lloyd'] Bean!. No problem!, holds our friend the California Court of Appeal in 2006. [Darren Lloyd Bean v. Superior Court, 2006 WL [pronounced 'Westlaw'] 3425000 (Cal. App.).] Bean!, who recently sat for the Oregon State Bar, reported that, "Many of his close friends greet him as 'Bean!' When saying his name, friends raise the pitch and the volume of their voices above their usual spoken tone." The court didn't opine further on this, because "this information is not contained in the appellate record." Still, the court reasoned, if O'Rourke is fine, so is Bean!. What's more, the court reported,

At least three people have changed their names to the names of websites with a ".com" in the name. Virginia animal rights activist Karin Robertson legally changed her name to GoVeg.com in 2003 to bring attention to a website of her employer, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Other activists also changed their personal names to websites with ".com" in the names, including "Kentucky fried cruelty.com" and "Ringling beats animals.com." We do not find a legal distinction between a period inside a word, a hyphen between words, an apostrophe in a word, and an exclamation point at the end of a word.

Speakers of !Xóõ and similar click languages must be happy about that.

9. Boys changing their names from, or to, Sue. No known cases.

NAME CHANGE RULING FOR TULA DOES THE HULA

Friday July 25,2008
By Stephanie Burns for express.co.uk


Nine-year-old Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii has won the right to a name-change.

A judge in Wellington, New Zealand has made the girl a ward of the court so her "embarrassing" name can be altered.

Family Court Judge Rob Murfitt expressed dismay about a New Zealand trend of giving children bizarre names and in a ruling made public on Thursday, cited a list of unfortunate names that he said were embarrassing for children.

Names blocked by registration officials included: Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Stallion, Twisty Poi, Keenan Got Lucy and Sex Fruit.

Surprisingly, names such as Number 16 Bus Shelter, Midnight Chardonnay and even Violence were allowed.

Colleen MacLeod, lawyer for the nine-year-old said: “She never told her close friends her real name for fear of being mocked and teased. She told people her name was ‘K’.”

Brian Clarke, registrar general of Births, Deaths and Marriages said New Zealand law does not allow names that would cause offence to a reasonable person, that are 100 characters or more long, that include titles or military rank or that include punctuation marks or numerals.

Celebrity baby Name Mania

Lots of famous people have been reproducing lately, and as is the trend for their peer group, they've been using some interesting names.

Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban have a daughter named Sunday Rose Kidman Urban

Everyone's favorite super couple, Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt had twins: Knox Leon and Vivienne Marceline. Marceline is Angelina's mother's name, but Knox? I guess there are a limited number of boys' names ending in X (like her other two, Maddox & Pax) out there! Who's next? Felix and Phoenix?

RIP George Carlin

Here's some of his thoughts on names:



While we're discussing dead people and names, here's a shirt every good name nerd must wear!

Wanky Baby Names

The Australian baby naming police make arrests!

Mary Was a Grand Old Name

Mary was the most popular name from about 1880 (when the Social Security Administration began) through the early 1960s. It began a slow decline in the early 60s and picked up declining speed until this year, when Mary finally dropped out of the top 100. For at least 120 years (and most likely more, even though there aren't the records to verify it), Mary has reigned supreme, but last year it fell to 109, just slightly more popular than Aniya, Reagan and Kennedy and slightly less popular than Autumn, Paige and Molly (itself an older pet form of Mary).

Not forgotten, though, other forms of Mary, such as Maria and Mariah are still hanging on at 74 and 88 respectively.

Besides the ones above, the top 700 also has these other forms of Mary: Marissa (#128), Mariana (#164), Marisol (#151), Mariam (#169), Miriam (#271), Marilyn (#407), Maren (#410), Maritza (#413), Marie (#425), Mayra (#494), Mara (#517), Mariela (#531), Maribel (#588), and Maryjane (#592). Plus, according to my non-scientific Middle Name Survey, Marie has been the most popular middle name for girls for at least 50 years and remains so today.

2007 Name Popularity is in!

The Social Security Administration released its annual Baby Name Popularity list! I've grouped the names by spelling to give you a more accurate picture of where names fall in popularity. My method is by no means infallible (check the FAQ).

Here is the top 25 for each sex (the most popular spelling is first, followed by the second etc.):


UUCN top boys' names:

1. Aiden, Aidan, Aden, Adan, Adin, Aedan, Aidyn, Ayden, Aydan, Aydin
   
2. Jayden, Jaden, Jaiden, Jadon, Jaydon, Jadyn, Jaydin, Jaidyn, Jaydan, Jaeden
   
3. Jacob, Jakob
   
4. Michael, Micheal
   
5. Christopher, Cristopher, Cristofer, Kristopher
   
6. Ethan, Ethen
   
7. Joshua
   
8. Daniel
   
9. Anthony, Antony
   
10. Matthew, Mathew
    
11. William
    
12. Nicholas, Nicolas, Nickolas, Nikolas
    
13. Alexander, Alexzander
    
14. Andrew
    
15. Caden, Caiden, Cayden, Kaden, Kayden, Kaiden, Kadin, Kaeden, Kadyn
    
16. Christian, Cristian, Kristian
    
17. David
    
18. Jonathan, Johnathan, Jonathon, Johnathon
    
19. Noah
    
20. Ryan, Rayan
    
21. James
    
22. Logan
    
23. John, Jon
    
24. Caleb, Kaleb
    

UUCN top girls' names:

1. Sophia, Sofia
   
2. Emily, Emely, Emilee, Emilie, Emmalee
   
3. Isabella, Izabella, Isabela
   
4. Madison, Madyson, Maddison, Madisyn
   
5. Olivia, Alivia, Alyvia
   
6. Emma
7. Ava
   
8. Hailey, Haley, Haylee, Hayley, Haylie, Hailee, Haleigh, Hailie, Hayleigh
   
9. Abigail, Abbigail, Abigayle, Abagail, Abigale
   
10. Kaitlyn, Katelyn, Caitlyn, Caitlin, Katelynn, Kaitlin, Kaitlynn, Katlyn
    
11. Brianna, Briana, Breanna, Bryanna, Breana
    
12. Addison, Addyson, Addisyn, Adyson, Adison
    
13. Hannah, Hanna, Hana
    
14. Sarah, Sara
    
15. Elizabeth, Elisabeth
    
16. Alyssa, Alissa, Elisa, Alisa, Allyssa
    
17. Ashley, Ashlee, Ashleigh, Ashly
    
18. Natalie, Nataly, Nathalie, Natalee, Nathaly
    
19. Jasmine, Jasmin, Jazmin, Jazmine, Jazmyn, Jasmyn
    
20. Madeline, Madelyn, Madeleine, Madalyn, Madilyn, Madelynn, Madalynn, Madilynn
    
21. Samantha
    
22. Mia, Miah, Miya
    
23. Kaylee, Kailey, Kayleigh, Kaylie, Kaleigh, Kailee, Kaley, Kayley
    
24. Chloe, Khloe, Cloe
    
25. Lily, Lilly, Lillie
    
    

CONGRATULATIONS, SOPHIA! Sophia has bumped Emily out of the top spot for the first time in about 13 years!

54!

I've found 54 ways to spell /zha NAY/-- real, true spellings used by parents in 1995 alone:

Chanae
Chaney
Genee
Jahnae
Janaay
Janae
Ja'nae
Janai
Janay
Ja'nay
Ja'nea
Janee
Jannae
Jaunae
Jeanae
Jea'nae
Jeanay
Jenae
Jenay
Jene
Jenea
Je'nea
Jenee
Jeneh
Jhanay
Jinae
J'nae
J'nae
J'ne
J'nee
J'net
Johnnae
Johnnai
Jonae
Jonay
Jonaye
Jonnay
Jynae
Shanae
Shanai
Shanay
Shanaye
Shanea
Sha'Nea
Shanee
Shaneye
Shenae
Shenai
Shenaye
Sheney
Zanae
Zchonae
Zhanae
Zhane

Poor Mandy...

I found the following name:

Amanda Lynn Blowe

This poor girl not only has the annoying combination of Amanda Lynn (like a mandolin), but Amanda Blowe? Were her parents really that clueless? Or did they just have a sick, sick sense of humor?

Random pointless name factoid!

There were 108 males and one female in Texas given the name Gareth between 1907 and 1997. 82 males and 0 females received Gareth as a middle name in that same time period.

You can look up all sorts of useless statistics like this (as well as useful statistics) at ancestry.com!

A Boy Named Sue, and a Theory of Names

New York Times, By J. MARION TIERNEY
Published: March 11, 2008

During his 1969 concert at San Quentin prison, Johnny Cash proposed a paradigm shift in the field of developmental psychology. He used “A Boy Named Sue” to present two hypotheses:

1. A child with an awful name might grow up to be a relatively normal adult.

2. The parent who inflicted the name does not deserve to be executed.

I immediately welcomed the Boy Named Sue paradigm, although I realized that I might be biased by my middle name (Marion). Cash and his ambiguously named male collaborator, the lyricist Shel Silverstein, could offer only anecdotal evidence against decades of research suggesting that children with weird names were destined for places like San Quentin.

Studies showed that children with odd names got worse grades and were less popular than other classmates in elementary school. In college they were more likely to flunk out or become “psychoneurotic.” Prospective bosses spurned their résumés. They were overrepresented among emotionally disturbed children and psychiatric patients.

Some of these mental problems might have been genetic — what kind of parent picks a name like Golden Rule or Mary Mee? — but it was still bad news.

Today, though, the case for Mr. Cash’s theory looks much stronger, and I say this even after learning about Emma Royd and Post Office in a new book, “Bad Baby Names,” by Michael Sherrod and Matthew Rayback.

By scouring census records from 1790 to 1930, Mr. Sherrod and Mr. Rayback discovered Garage Empty, Hysteria Johnson, King Arthur, Infinity Hubbard, Please Cope, Major Slaughter, Helen Troy, several Satans and a host of colleagues to the famed Ima Hogg (including Ima Pigg, Ima Muskrat, Ima Nut and Ima Hooker).

The authors also interviewed adults today who had survived names like Candy Stohr, Cash Guy, Mary Christmas, River Jordan and Rasp Berry. All of them, even Happy Day, seemed untraumatized.

“They were very proud of their names, almost overly proud,” Mr. Sherrod said. “We asked if that was a reaction to getting pummeled when they were little, but they said they didn’t get that much ribbing. They did get a little tired of hearing the same jokes, but they liked having an unusual name because it made them stand out.”

Not too much ribbing? That surprised me, because I had vivid memories of playground serenades to my middle name: “Marion . . . Madam Librarian!” (My tormentors didn’t care that the “Music Man” librarian spelled her name with an “a.”) But after I looked at experiments in the post-Sue era by revisionists like Kenneth Steele and Wayne Hensley, it seemed names weren’t so important after all.

When people were asked to rate the physical attractiveness and character of someone in a photograph, it didn’t matter much if that someone was assigned an “undesirable” name. Once people could see a face, they rated an Oswald, Myron, Harriet or Hazel about the same as a face with a “desirable” name like David, Gregory, Jennifer or Christine.

Other researchers found that children with unusual names were more likely to have poorer and less educated parents, handicaps that explained their problems in school. Martin Ford and other psychologists reported, after controlling for race and ethnicity, that children with unusual names did as well as others in school. The economists Roland Fryer and Steven Levitt reached a similar conclusion after controlling for socioeconomic variables in a study of black children with distinctive names.

“Names only have a significant influence when that is the only thing you know about the person,” said Dr. Ford, a developmental psychologist at George Mason University. “Add a picture, and the impact of the name recedes. Add information about personality, motivation and ability, and the impact of the name shrinks to minimal significance.”

But even if a bad name doesn’t doom a child, why would any parent christen an infant Ogre? Mr. Sherrod found several of them, along with children named Ghoul, Gorgon, Medusa, Hades, Lucifer and every deadly sin except Gluttony (his favorite was Wrath Gordon).

You can sort of understand parents’ affection for the sound of Chimera Griffin, but Monster Moor and Goblin Fester? Or Cheese Ceaser and Leper Priest? What provokes current celebrities to name their children Sage Moonblood Stallone and Speck Wildhorse Mellencamp?

“Today it’s all about individuality,” Mr. Sherrod said. “In the past, there was more of a sense of humor, probably because fathers had more say in the names.” He said the waning influence of fathers might explain why there are no longer so many names like Nice Deal, Butcher Baker, Lotta Beers and Good Bye, although some dads still try.

“I can’t tell you,” Mr. Sherrod said, “how often I’ve heard guys who wanted their kid to be able to say truthfully, ‘Danger is my middle name.’ But their wives absolutely refused.”

Is it possible — I’m trying to be kind to these humor-challenged fathers — that they think Danger would be a character-building experience? Could there be anything to the paternal rationale offered in Johnny Cash’s song, the one that stopped Sue from killing his father: “I knew you’d have to get tough or die, and it’s the name that helped to make you strong”?

I sought an answer from Cleveland Kent Evans — not because he might have gotten into fights defending Cleveland, but because he’s a psychologist and past president of the American Names Society. Dr. Evans, a professor at Bellevue University in Nebraska, said there is evidence for the character-building theory from psychologists like Richard Zweigenhaft, but it doesn’t work exactly as Sue’s father imagined it.

“Researchers have studied men with cross-gender names like Leslie,” Dr. Evans explained. “They haven’t found anything negative — no psychological or social problems — or any correlations with either masculinity or effeminacy. But they have found one major positive factor: a better sense of self-control. It’s not that you fight more, but that you learn how to let stuff roll off your back.”

After hearing that, I began to reconsider my own name. Although I’d never shared Sue’s Oedipal impulse — I realized my father couldn’t have anticipated “Music Man” — I’d never appreciated those playground serenades, either. But maybe they served some purpose after all. So today, to celebrate the Boy Named Sue paradigm shift, I’m using my middle name in my byline for the first time.

Also for the last time. As Sue realized when it came time to name his own son, you can take a theory only so far.

Keeping Up With the Joneses: Boys

Here are some of the interesting names I found among babies born in California in 1995 with the last name Jones...

Boys' names are more conservative than girls' names usually. Boys tend to be named after their fathers or grandfathers, thus keeping the pool of boys names around longer. Thus said...

Different Spellings:
Alax, Aren; Ahrin, Bobie, Bow, Mycheal; Mykell, Briyn, Camrin, Cyle; Kiel, Shon, Alawishes, Coraey, Dametreous, Daunne, Dezmin, Kirt, Graigoree, Heith, Joshuwa, Jahshua Izayah, Jeremiha, Eligah, Jessi, Emmanule, Donavaughn, Juelian, Ugene, Jhon, Lundyn, Nyegel; Nijal, Banjamin, Myals, Phoenyx, Phyllip, Sederick, Stephvon, Toney, Trentyne, Aleq, Tyylr, Cindney, Wolter, Nickalous

New words/places as names:
Summet, Brae, Bishop, Quest, Britton, Brue, Cairo, Rucksac, Coy, Cutter, Pleas, Dreamius, Dynamite, Glendale, Travel, Blue, Iron, Ivy (boy), Jewell (boy), Kohl, Magic, Major, Moon, Nail, Reyn, Roche, Talon, Chicago, Mericle, Wren

Interesting combos:
Avie Hugh
Avondre Davalillo
Belafanti Desean
Bijon Christen
Bodhi Sage
Breeze Loyd
Grath Junior
Kelly Junior
Bronden Trinidad
Jehonathan Jesiah
Burk Tryon
Caesar Adolph
Malcolm Sadat
Carr Esquire
Charunn Chadonye
Cheapell Leesy
Dolan Obanion
Edker Ree
August Mandela
Jack Strongheart
Jaz E
Johnnie Danny
Kenneth Leviathan
Kerry Rhyanwy Stjohn Lars
Joseph Alexander Eaglebear
Justin Tyme
Kheywan Darnyeh
Kreol Deluch
Leif Lynn
Lucky Larrise
Love Ray
Master K
Royal Gene
Ruff Sidney
Sam Lucky
Sky Blue
StJoseph Love
Theopolis Q
Tito Tomito
Toussaint Louverture
Trinity Saint
Trinydad Azwad
Withfield Edison
Zonkiss Ailliot

interesting names:
Dwyan, Dimmak, Mecail, Quista, Gekill, Cacess, Ireno, Wyld, Benczesh, Boliver, Caitland, Aramis, Carzie, Cass, Celtin, Jonluc, Cisco, Claudie, Claster, Miro, Alaric, Cotrino, Jehoiakim, Dracy, Elza, Vlee, Ivyrage, MacAi, Dixo, Ney, Sil, Sio, Lonzie, Marquezze, Nethario, Phylester, Quayd, Shonga, Tavish, Tennyson, Yonex

Famous People:
Carlos Ponce Jones
Christian Dior Jones
Ralph Waldo Jones
Franklin Dwayne Roosevelt Jones
Zachary Taylor Jones
Frederick Douglas Jones
Germaine Quincy Jones
James Quincy Jones
Hans Christian Jones
Rickie Lee Jones (boy)
Indiana Jacob Harrison Jones
Milan Indiana Jones
Rusty Allen Jones
Jaime Lee Curtis Jones (boy)
James Earl Jones
James Taylor Jones
Jesse James Jones
Lynard Jodeci Jones
Aron Elvis Jones
Ptolemy Lee Jones
Ramses, Marsalis, Nero, Shaquille, Imhotep, Olajuwon

Super Welsh boys:
Dylan Emlyn, Bryn Gareth, Gareth Owen, Llewellyn, Scott Taliesin, Trevor Dylan

Say what?
Cheaquis, Cjance, Msonrerome, Jahkesce, Kamj, Ldewaynelee

Keeping Up With The Joneses: Girls

I found a list of all the babies born in california in 1995 with the last name Jones. I don't know if it's having such a common name that inspires people to come up with interesting first and middle names, or whether people in California are just creative in general... here are some of the best ones. I've divided them up into categories:

Different spellings:
Aeriane, Moniq, Aijha, Airrika, Aarika, Jazzmn, Alehxa, Elizabith, Rynae; Ranae; Reanee; Ranai, Leea, Nikcole, Joszalynn, Channel, Justean, Jurnee, Athyna, Joiece, Bryttnie, Kayluh; K'la, Keilii, K'lin; K'Lynn , Cameil; Kimille , Celest, Maigen; Magen, Cymone; Cmone, Ileah, Destynee, Kireston, Dihaana; Dhyonna, Leaanna; Leeuana, Emylie, Errieyona, Launa, Elease, Dilynn, Jacci, Kurstie, Kyanha, Kyndahl, Lacrezha; Lecricia, Onnamerie, Lizzett, Llyandra, MacAela, Anet, Mechell, Khrystyne, Melonye, Natacheau, Aprol, Paje, Ulexis, Preshess, Raechel, Leesza, Veola, Sarha, Kelle, Daziree, Shylo, Taelar, Shunnice


Interesting changes to "standard" names:
Adriani, Chelony, Cheyennenicole, Cloverise, Dajonnaise, Dyniele, Erinique, Aerolyn, Amenda, Jaddie, Jasmanique, Jastine, Jesslin, Karci, Chasidi, Chastitty (oh lord, like Chastity needs "titty" in it!), Brigzette, Marymarie, Chellle (3 LL's?), Naycole, Deslie, Centhia, Kathaleen, Kathleena, Kimberlina, Kirtrina, Lawreca, Annettia, Michelae, Ashlina, Emmia, Kymber, Lynnta, Sharlie, Sienne, Skaylin, Taylia, Tellyn, Tessandra, Theesha, Titiyana, Winnerfrid, Anntionette

New words and places as names:
Arrabia, Capri, Caprice, Chariot, Arteria, Clariyon, Cleopatra, Cypress, Milan, Artesia Tierra, Divine, Diva, Evian, Fashionee, Lovella, Neon, Porsche, Queen, Radiance, Atlanta, Holland, Honesty, Kamio, Kamry, Avylon, Ikeia, Brazille, Minyon, Britania, Queenesther, Myangel, Reign, Sahara, Yugonda, Mafia, Magenta, Ontaria, Milaysia, Mohogany, Mystique, Nigeria, Normandie, Paradise, Passion, Parish, Peris, Persia, Espree, Saucie, Samoan, Infinity, Scoutt, September, Shalamaur, Shardinae, Shasta, Provincetta, Sheraton, Silken, Silver, Special, Suede, Sylk, Tanganyika, Tawnie, Teale, Tequila, Terrany, Tommorrow, Tribecca, Tuzday, Wednesday, Zyaire, Divenity, Coy

These combinations are just unusual and really cool/interesting sounding:
Valexia Xariah
Akita (like the dog?)
Alexandria Indiana Jones
Amekco Darsha
Angelon Bridjae
Typanga Leamber
Avion Gznell
Breeanna Brene
Clarencia Doll
Crysheena Precious
Venus Shalon Judy
Curtiss Lovejanice
Elmallah Ai
Taylor Dane
Taylor Omega
Gessie Orrie
Heavenly Day
Ironnisha Zanneka
Jazzreeal Letease
Yonta Cheramia
Shimerea Breez
Jetaime Noir (Je t'aime noir - I love black in French?)
Kashshay Benzanae
Zena Petrice
Krystalline Dawn
Laolen Bee
London Summer
Nevada Skye
Sommer Porche
Moonlight Redcloud
Stormi Sunshine
Precious Uniquejewels
Reverdia Shellique
Tranea Rhontich
Trasalia Rhunette
Sable Diamond
Stormiweather Lee
Whisper Nikowah

More interesting names: Lajodeci, Kotey, Laporscha, Tudie, Jazzy, McCall, Mauthee, Michivan, Lark, Remington, Mookie, Scharnell, Starsetta, Sabri, Tazz, T'pring (yes, like on star Trek), Zuzu, Zebora

There are no "standard" ways to spell a few names that have become popular: one that's like /day-zhaun-ay/ (kind of like the French déjuner) and just /zha NAY/

Here are a bunch of ways it's been spelled:

Daishenae, Daijonae, Daijanee, Daeshonaye, Dashanae, Daejione, Dajohnia, Dashanae, Dazhane, Deozjane, Deajuane, Deshanai, Deshaunay, Deshonna(?), Dezjona, Dezohnaye, Dezsanee, Dijone (?), Deshanee, Dejanae, Dashanay, Daeshaney

J'nae, Janay, Janae, Jinae, Janee, Jenee, Jenae, Jenay, Genee, Jonnay, Zanae (?), Janaay, Zhane, Jene, Chanae, Jhanay, Johnnai, Johnnae, Jonae, Jonay, Jynae, Shanae, Jaunae, Jenea, Jeanae, Shanay, Shanaye, Shanea, Shenaye, Jonaye, Shaneye, Shenai, Jahnae, Jeneh, Chaney, Zchonae

Feminine forms of masculine names (or just usually masculine names on girls):
Calvinisha, Alvinisha, Willisha, Clarencia, Dylana (x2), Edwanesha, Haroldnesha Glennae, Paulnisha, Tommielee, Anthoniece, Jeffrie, Jimmia, Jimmie, Johnna, Johnnia, Johnetta, Joshlyn, Justann, Johnniece, Ericee, Leroyia, Pierra, Marcel, Dimitri, Richandra, Rickia, Israela

I've been studying names for decades, and I am stumped as to how to pronounce these:
Mlyn, Kginia, Myqui, Ksa, Cynkerenee, Neae, Ahynee, Macyk, Niekiha, Ryclynn, Qawiyelaine, Dijieshon, Synyahnadell, Victishalynd, Xjhunneh, Tychaniquean Latayzatelen

The Welsh Names Saga

I've been working on a site for Welsh names. In my research, I decided to look through newspapers and such to find names of *real* Welsh people, since all my books do is list names and meanings. I know many of these names are from mythology and aren't really used for people these days. Thus my search began.

I found this site of Female Mathematicians from the University of Wales and, always on the lookout for new and interesting names, found these listed among them:

Arvonia Decima Jones (graduated 1911)
Sylvie Tryphena Chapple (1924)
Dilys Eluned Francis (1925) - her parents weren't kidding around with Welsh names! Everyone else with Welsh names had the middle name of Mary, Margaret or Elizabeth.

From the rest of the site:
Lesbia Laurence Merron Boyd (Edinburgh University, 1929)
Beatrice Mabel Cave-Browne-Cave
Frances Evelyn Cave-Browne-Cave - both grads of Cambridge University (Girton College) in 1898)--- Three last names? Yikes!
Zona Cone (London University, 1933)
Gladys Diaper (London University, 1923)(this just made my inner 10-year-old giggle)
Alphonsine Josephine Elizabeth Deckers (Cambridge University, 1890)
Hettie Hardy (Cambridge University, 1930)-- that name's just fun to say!
Myma Kay Heathcote (Oxford, 1939) At first I thought it was "myrna", but it's MYMA.
Ismay Caer Levy (Cambridge, 1939)
Rosamond Moncrieff Leitch (Cambridge, 1902) -- this is a serious, serious name.
Blodwen Myfanwy Leeson (Reading, 1939)-- there goes my Welsh middle name theory!
Jemima Arulman Manuel (London University, 1940)
Ethelberta Mary Morris (Cambridge, 1928) - I'm glad my name isn't Ethelberta.
Gwneth Nesta Lilian Ruthven Murray (Cambridge, 1903) - interesting spelling
Ione Dorothy Vivienne Naish (Sheffield, 1924)
Shakuntala Paranjpye (Cambridge, 1929)-- this is the only non-British name I've come upon so far!
Dulcie Vivien Reynolds (London University, 1940)-- I love the names Dulcie & Vivien
Magdalen Harriet Ricardo (Cambridge, 1898)
Mary Shakespeare Richards (Cambridge, 1887)-- it's kind of awesome that someone with the middle name Shakespeare went on to study mathematics.
Nannie Savage (Belfast, 1933) --this sounds like a Horror Movie title.
Ottilie Shaw (Cambridge 1903)
Cecil Stokes (Cambridge, 1914) -- Cecil for a girl?
Vendla Harriett Matilda Thane (Cambridge, 1909)
Ethelberga Margaret Terry (Cambridge, 1938)
Olive Malvina Toogood (London Univ., 1924)-- that name is just 'too good' to pass over.
Eunice Oenone Wolstenholme (Cambridge, 1933)


Back to Welsh Names:
In skimming through newspapers, it looks like about 25% Welsh people have Welsh first names, with guys twice as likely to have one as girls. This is interesting, because when I lived in Ireland, my non-scientific survey told me that more girls than boys tend to have Irish names.

Why is this? Someone give me a grant to study it!

Harry Pitts?

From MSNBC

The worst, most humiliating baby namesAncestry.com shares the silliest, craziest and downright cruelest names of all time

What would compel a parent to bestow a newborn with a name like “Tiny Hooker” or “Fanny Large”? Or an amusing choice like “Wanna Towell"? It’s not just Hollywood’s elite opting for unique, embarrassing names—throughout history, normal people separated their offspring from the masses with truly terrible names.

In “Bad Baby Names,” Michael Sherrod and Matthew Rayback, of the genealogy Web site Ancestry.com, share thousands of shocking names given to real people, as recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau. Discover the funny names based around common themes, like diseases (Fever Bender, Cholera Peace), food (Bread White, Pomegranate Purple), pets (Good Dog), and if you thought Wednesday Addams was unfortunate—wait till you meet Monday Monday.

Diseases
You'd have to be really sick to infect your offspring with virulent names like these:

Fever Bender (born 1856)
Leper Priest (born 1929)
Cholera Priest (born 1830 during the second cholera pandemic)
Rubella Graves (born 1814)
Typhus Black (born 1897)
Hysteria Johnson (born 1881)
Emma Royd (born 1850)
Kathryn E. Coli (born 1894)
Mumps Sykes (born 1891)

Professions
With names like "Mayor Bland," it seems like some parents had high, ambitious hopes for their children's future. Cook Cook
Governor Bush
Lawyer Low
Doctor Love
Teacher Blackbear
Judge Savage
Editor Honeycutt
Mayor Bland
Sales O. Justice
Gamble Moore

Sins
The authors found 149 records for people named Lust, 70 for Greed, 12 for Sloth, and 830 for Pride. Which of the 7 deadlly sins was missing? Only gluttony.

Lust Garten
Greed Sister Mancini
Avarice Sullivan
Sloth Washton
Wrath Gordon
Envy Burger
Pride Saint
Greed McGrew
Pride Saint
Lust T. Castle

Irish luck
Plenty of parents must have thought that naming their child Lucky would translate into a bright future. In 1930 alone, there are 463 Luckys.

Some lucky favorites:
Lucky Green
Lucky Jewell
Lucky O’Brien
Lucky Pleasant
Luck Fortune
Shamrock Hardeman of Illinois
Shamrock Dates of Mississippi
Shamrock Holland of Texas

The religious types:
Saint Patrick Blan
Saint Patrick Forrest
Saint Patrick

The patriotic:
Ireland England
Ireland Green
Irish Sea
Ireland Brew

Whimsical:
Rainbow Green
Emerald Jewel
Clover Field
Clover B. Green

A St. Patrick’s Day feast:
Beef Cooper
Guinness Dack
Cabbage Haywood

Foods
Some parents loved eating so much, they named their kids after favorite meals, snacks—and even condiments:Lunch Magee
Dinner Ware
Bread White
Hero Brat
Mayo Head
Mustard M. Mustard
Pickle Parker
Plum Sellers
Banana Bowdy
Cherry Grant

Celebrities
Forget Suri or Shiloh – celebrities have given their children far stranger names! Discover the stars' oddest, most bizarre baby names:

Apple (Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow)
Moxie CrimeFighter (Magician Penn Jillette)
Hopper (Sean Penn and Robin Wright)
Pilot Inspektor (Jason Lee and Beth Riesgraf)
Sosie (Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick)
Destry (Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw)
Aurelius Cy (Elle Macpherson)
Kal-El Coppola (Nicolas Cage)
Bluebell Madonna (Spice Girl Geri Halliwell)
Audio Science (Actress Shannyn Sossamon)
Sage Moonblood (Sylvester Stallone)
Tallulah (Bruce Willis and Demi Moore)
Kyd (David Duchovny and Tea Leoni)

Bart Simpson pranks
Bart Simpson's prank calls to Moe's Tavern are nearly legendary, but the sad fact is that some people actually go through life with those goofy names. The following Bart creations all exist within the Ancestry.com databases:Al Caholic
Oliver Clothesoff
I.P. Freely
Seymour Butz
Mike Rotch
Hugh Jass
Amanda Hugginkiss
Ivana Tinkle
Anita Bath
Maya Buttreeks

TODAY hosts
Just how popular are the TODAY hosts' last names? Discover the funny names found on historical documents at Ancestry.com:

Matt Lauer
Lauer Froelick
Lauer Mann
Lauer Witt
Lauer Bucktels
Lauer Guiliani
Lauer Klump
Lauer Funk

Meredith Veira
Vieira Jack
Vieira Wesley
Vieira Boyd

Ann Curry
Curry Bee Massey
Curry Curry
Curry Duck
Curry Mayo
Curry McCain
Curry Murray
Curry Rice
Curry Worthy

Al Roker
Roker Duane
Roker Ono
Roker Richards
Prince Roker

Athol, MA tired of being the butt of jokes

March 6, 2008 - 11:40pm

By STEPHANIE REITZ
Associated Press Writer

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - A cable sports network says it no longer will make Athol the butt of its jokes.

Comcast SportsNet said Thursday it would pull a newspaper ad that leaders of the small central Massachusetts town called insulting and offensive.

The ad featured two side-by-side signs that together read: "We can pronounce Worcester ... without sounding like an Athol."

A network spokesman said it apologized Thursday to the town and Selectman Wayne Miller, who raised the issue this week after residents complained that the ad ridiculed Athol by linking its name to a similarly sounding vulgarity.

Town selectmen voted Tuesday to have the town attorney write a letter of protest to the company, and Miller also urged residents to boycott papers if they ran the ads.

It was even more offensive, they said, because the advertisement required mispronouncing Athol to make its point. The correct pronunciation is "ATH'-awl."

"There's always been this, shall we say, 'humorous' pronunciation," Miller said Thursday. "If one person is doing it, that's nothing to worry about. But you have to draw the line when a major company uses it to make money."

Comcast SportsNet spokesman Skip Perham said Thursday the ad was intended as a humorous play on words, but that they respect Miller's concerns. Its reference to the odd pronunciations of some Massachusetts town names was meant to underscore the ad campaign's tag line: "If you live here, you get it."

The network will immediately stop publishing the ad, which last appeared in Thursday's editions of the Boston Herald. Perham said it ran periodically to promote one of Comcast SportsNet's regular sports analysis and interview programs.

Athol, a town of about 11,500 in north-central Massachusetts, is believed to have been named for the Scottish second Duke of Atholl, who died two years after the town was incorporated in 1762.

That's the legacy modern-day Athol residents and leaders promote, though Miller said they recognize they have to accept a certain amount of lowbrow humor.

"Obviously we've heard it before," he said.

Selectman Susannah Whipps was the lone selectmen of the five to vote against sending the letter to the network. She told the Telegram and Gazette newspaper of Worcester that she was not offended by the ad, and predicted the publicity would help Comcast.

She was more concerned, she said, about vandals who add an "r" and an "e" to town signs to change the name to "rathole."

English Words as African Names

From the NY Times October 1, 2007

In a Land of Homemade Names, Tiffany Doesn’t Cut It

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe — Thirty-two years ago in western Zimbabwe, a baby boy named Tlapi was born so sick that his parents feared he would die. They took him to sangomas, or traditional healers, and to Western-style doctors, but nothing worked. It seemed that God, not man, would decide his fate

Smile, a truck driver in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, shows a facial expression fitting of his name.

So when he was 1 year old, Tlapi’s parents changed his name to reflect that. “Some people think I’m lying when I tell them my name,” said Godknows Nare, who survived to become a freelance photographer. “They think I am teasing them. But I’m not.”

Not at all. In Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, another Godknows was a waiter at a popular outdoor cafe. So was a man named Enough, about whom more will be said later. Across southern Africa, in fact, one can find any number of Lovemores, Tellmores, Trymores and Learnmores, along with lots of people named Justice, Honour, Trust, Gift, Energy, Knowledge and even a Zambian athlete named Jupiter.

Some Westerners chuckle. Perhaps they are oblivious — Oblivious is another Zimbabwean name, actually — to the fact that they once idolized a cowboy star named Hopalong or that many baby girls are given the name of a jewelry store to carry through life.

Indeed, Godknows, Enough and company are a continuation of an African tradition arguably more logical than the one that churns out Justins and Tiffanys in America. In southern Africa, a child’s name is chosen to convey a specific meaning, and not, as is common in the West, the latest fashion.

Increasingly, however, those traditional names are bestowed not in Ndebele, Sotho or some other local language, but in English, the world’s lingua franca. English names arrived with colonial rule, were further imposed by missionaries and, for some, became fashionable with the spread of Western culture.

But for Godknows, Enough and others, the result can be confusion — and sometimes, hilarity — even among fellow Africans.

“Quite a few people tell me I am cursed,” said Hatred Zenenga, an editor at Zimbabwe’s government-controlled newspaper, The Herald. “They say my name is un-Christian. They tell me that I should change it to Lovewell, or some other Christian name. And others are just surprised — ‘How did you get that name?’”

Hatred got his name the way millions of other children here have — as a means of recording an event, a circumstance or even the weather conditions that accompanied their births.

“For instance, if it was windy, the name may be Wind. If it was rainy, it may be Rain,” said Matole Motshekga, the founder of the Kara Heritage Institute, based in Pretoria. “If there are problems in the family, they will use the appropriate name. So you cannot just name someone out of the blue. It has to relate to something.”

Thus a Zimbabwean baby born to parents who had spent years trying to start a family might be named Tendai, which expresses thankfulness, and a child born in a time of troubles may be named Tambudzai, which literally means no rest.

Or, just as likely these days, a baby will be named Givethanks or Norest. If a Sotho-speaking girl becomes pregnant before marriage, her unhappy parents may name the baby Question or Answer — an answer to the question of why their daughter was behaving so strangely before the pregnancy became known.

Hatred has its own story. Mr. Zenenga is one of seven children born to hard-working parents who were determined to educate their brood. The family’s rising status made the father’s illiterate brothers jealous. So except for the first child, who died as an infant, all the children were named to address the jealousy and other emotions that raged among the adults: Norest, Hatred, Praise, Confess, Raised-on and Abide.

For Mr. Zenenga’s parents, the names were an inside joke, a fillip in the continuing family feud. “My father’s relatives didn’t speak English,” he said. “So he said, ‘We’re going to name our children in English so they won’t understand what we are saying to them.’”

Some scholars, including Dr. Motshekga, frown on the trend toward Anglicized names. “It’s an entrenchment of a loss of identity,” he said, “a joke. You say ‘I’m Wind,’ and they really make fun of the person.”

The Financial Gazette in Harare loosed an assault on the trend toward English names in a 2004 essay. “Oh, please! Why burden our children so unnecessarily just for the sake of feeding our misguided ego?” a columnist complained. “Quite frankly, these names amount to a form of child abuse.”

In some cases, maybe. Have-a-Look Dube is a well-known Zimbabwean soccer player. There are Zimbabwean children named Wedding, Funeral, Everloving, Passion and Anywhere, among others. A spirit medium who recently duped Zimbabwean officials into believing he had found diesel fuel flowing from a rock has the unfortunate name of Nomatter Tagarira. A Bulawayo truck driver is named Smile, and true to form, he is never without a broad smile on his face.

That said, none of the monikers were plucked from “1,001 Baby Names” or chosen to imitate a pop star. Consider Enough, the Harare cafe waiter. Asked how he got his name, he said simply: “My mother had 13 children. And I was the last one.”

Then there is the fellow from Dopotha, a village west of Bulawayo, who was born while his father was in Congo, fighting in that nation’s civil wars. When the father returned, the father concluded that the newborn almost certainly was not his, and he decided to make that clear.

The son’s name? Never Trust a Woman.

Baby-name remorse -- what do you do?

By Anna Jane Grossman

from CNN.com

(LifeWire) -- Pauline and Jeffrey Eadie, of Cleveland, had gathered the family together to watch home movies of their two older children as babies. In one movie, Jack, now 5, was looking skeptically at his then-newborn sister, now 3. "In the video, I was saying, 'Jack, go to the baby, go hug her,'" says Pauline. "And then at some point I said, 'Go kiss Emma.'"

Unaware that her name had been changed when she was a newborn, Pauline Eadie's daughter, Caroline, looked at her and asked 'Who's Emma?'"

The Eadies are among a surprising number of parents who, following the birth of their child, suffer namer's remorse. In a recent poll of 1,219 mothers conducted by BabyCenter.com, 10 percent considered changing their baby's name. The reasons they gave ranged from being inspired by another name to having a relative disagree with the choice.

Regret is common after any big decision, and few prenatal decisions these days are as open to debate as picking a child's name. Rare are the parents who haven't invested in a small library of baby-name books or trolled the Internet for a name unique enough to be usefully Googled, but not so weird as to cause ridicule.

"Today, there's this perception that naming a child is almost like naming a product -- there's this huge national drive now to not be like anyone else," says Laura Wattenberg, author of "The Baby Name Wizard" and founder of the blog BabyNameWizard.com.

That may be one reason some parents have second thoughts when they realize they've picked the present-day equivalent of Jennifer or Justin.

In her first few years, 6-year-old Sophie Sauber's parents, Rob Sauber and Suzanne Ramljak, of Connecticut, were overwhelmed by the number of Sophies they encountered daily. Four out of 13 kids in their daughter's preschool class were named Sophie, and other parents were constantly yelling it at the mall. When Sophie was almost 4, they asked how she'd feel about being called Isadora, a name they'd considered before she was born.

"She understood our reasoning and liked the name. We weren't going to force her," says Ramljak. One day, after a trial period of a couple of months, she introduced herself as Isadora. "It was like, 'That's her name now!'"

Noting that by 12 months children already recognize the sound of their names, Dr. Karla Umpierre, a Miami psychologist and family counselor, encourages parents to get the child's input and approval if they decide to change the name after age 2. "It's best to change the name before then, because by 2 or 3 they have a sense of identity, and it could send mixed messages. The child might ask himself, 'Do you want to change me?'"

"Stability is very important for children," says Dr. Umpierre. "And changing a name could create a lot of insecurity."

For most parents, the urge comes long before the baby can say his or her own name. Wavering is not uncommon for those who figure they'll pick a name once they see the baby. "But that's a tall order to put on a newborn," says Wattenberg. "It's hard to look at this 7-pound thing and say, 'Oh! She's an Abigail!'" So they choose something quickly and then spend weeks second-guessing themselves.

That was the case for the Eadies. When their daughter was born, the nursery was full and the nurses were rushing them to sign the birth certificate and leave the hospital. "Emma seemed pretty," Pauline Eadie says. They sent out birth announcements, "but it just felt strange coming out of my mouth." They decided they preferred a family name, Caroline.

Adrienne and Matt Grayson, of Charleston, South Carolina, settled on the name Luke early in her pregnancy. "I also loved the name Beckett, but it felt a little weird, like Apple," says Adrienne Grayson, referring to the name actress Gwyneth Paltrow gave her daughter. When the baby was born, they named him Luke Beckett Grayson. What followed was a sea of engraved picture frames, monogrammed pillows, "Welcome Luke" signs drawn by the Grayson's older children -- and a wave of regret.

"I couldn't shut up about how we should call him Beckett instead of Luke, and I also started mourning my maiden name, Shaw," Adrienne Grayson says. "I thought I should've made that his middle name because we weren't going to have more kids."

The more she reflected, the more she wanted to change Luke's name to Beckett Shaw Grayson. The process involved hours on the phone with the Social Security office and the county clerk. She found that although it's legal to change a minor's name (as long as both parents consent), states don't always have a well-oiled system in place for regretful parents.

When her son's new Social Security card arrived, it read, erroneously, "Shaw Luke Grayson."

The Eadies, too, were bounced from one government agency to another. Eventually they filed the paperwork with a probate-court judge to change "Emma" to "Caroline."

Since learning of the name she had for the first eight weeks of her life, Caroline has taken to renaming her dolls.

She also has announced that she prefers the name Emma.

Stop killing my names!

Every name I've really loved has gotten popular by some way or another lately. Violet-- thanks, Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner and Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters for naming your kids that. Now it's probably going to skyrocket in popularity. In fact, it's already started-- it went from #362 to #271 between 2005 and 2006. OK, forget Violet-- it sounds kind of like "Violent" and even though it's my favorite flower, it still leads to the awful nickname of "Vi."

Today I was reading a bunch of movie reviews in Rolling Stone, and every single movie had a character name that's on my Special Reserve Names list: Cecilia, Bryony, and JUNO. Yes, Juno. What's going on? Why has the movie industry tapped into my brain? I mean Juno. It's not like my favorite name on earth is Katelyn or Mary or something. I thought Juno was pretty way out in left-field.

I understand that Victorian names are entering a cycle of popularity, so forget favorites like Ruby and Daisy. I can't say that I thought of Ella and Lola first-- they're just cycling back into favor. Poppy and Phoebe are all the rage in England now, so it won't be long before they hit U.S. shores. But Juno?!? Let's hope people don't see the movie and automatically go out and name their kids that!

More on African American names...

from ABC news

Can a 'Black' Name Affect Job Prospects?

Can a Black-Sounding Name Hurt Your Career Prospects?

So 20/20 asked the six to participate in an experiment.

20/20 put 22 pairs of names to the test — the six skeptics included.

Each person posted two résumés on popular job-search Web sites — one under his or her real name, and the same identical résumé under a made-up, "white-sounding" names like Peter, Melissa and Kathleen.

You'd think the identical résumés would get the same attention. Instead, the résumés with the white-sounding names on them were actually downloaded 17 percent more often by job recruiters looking for candidates.

"You really never know why you don't get called back for that interview. I thought it was because of my job skills, or my résumé wasn't appropriate, but I never thought it was because of my name," Carita said.

She was shocked by the calls from potential employers — not to her, but to her fictitious white counterpart. "I was just blown away that Kathleen got phone calls for three of the four weeks of the study, and I didn't get any. And Kathleen does not exist," she said.

Arsenetta also was envious of her fictitious white alter ego, Kimberly.

"They were calling her morning, noon and night," she said. "I was standing there looking at my phone going, 'God, I want to answer that phone call and tell the man I'm interested in this job!' "

Ebony felt frustrated that companies were quick to stereotype her by name. "Once they get to know me, they say, 'Oh, you know, she is Ebony but she's not that militant one or she's not that rowdy little girl or she's not the ignorant one. She's very smart and very capable of doing this job,' " she said.

What kind of companies were responsible? Our independent research found biased responses from employment agencies, law firms and even large financial corporations.

But capable doesn't always matter. A job recruiter for Fortune 500 companies in northern California revealed an ugly secret.

"There is rampant racism everywhere. And people who deny that are being naïve," said the recruiter, who spoke on the condition her name would not be used.

The recruiter said if she were given two résumés, all else being equal, except one says Shaniqua, and the other says Jennifer, she would call Jennifer first.

It's a choice she says she was trained to make: When representing certain companies, do not send black candidates. And on a résumé, a name may be the only cue of the applicant's race.

"I think that the way that I had been taught and what has helped me to succeed in the industry is unfair," she said.

It's also racist, and, quite possibly, illegal.

That's why author Shelby Steele feels African-Americans must think long and hard before giving their children unusual or "black-sounding" names.

"It's a naïveté on the part of black parents," Steele said, "to name their children names that are so conspicuously different than American mainstream names. … It suggests to people outside that community who hear those names a certain alienation. Certain hostility."

Steele, a researcher specializing in race relations and author of A Dream Deferred: The Second Betrayal of Black Freedom in America, is essentially telling black folks, don't name your child Deshawn or Loquesha.

"Yes. … I'm saying don't name your son Latrelle. Don't do that. … He's going to live 50, 60 years in the future. Give him a break. You know, call him Edward."

Challenge the Bias, Not the Names

But sociologist Bertice Berry says there are prominent African-Americans who've overcome the stigma of a black-sounding name, including top presidential adviser Condoleezza Rice.

"We've learned to say Condoleezza. And you just can't get more ghetto than Condoleezza," Berry said.

Opera diva Leontine Pryce also overcame any stigma attached to her name.

"We hear Leontine and you think opera," Berry said, "… When they're associated with power and wealth we learn them." Berry says what needs to change is society, not black names.

But the bias against those names, it seems, starts very early. University of Pittsburgh Vice Provost Jack Daniel studied 4- and 5-year-old children and found racist perceptions were deeply ingrained at an early age.

White children had a tendency to associate negative traits with black names, according to Daniel. "Your name can hurt you," Daniel said, "but you've got to change the people who hurt you because of your name.'

So, Daniel and his wife, Jeri, rejected white-sounding names for their own children. They chose African names — Omari and Marijata. "We thought that it was really important that the assimilation process not dissolve who we were as a people," Jeri Daniel said.

The Daniels' children carried on the tradition, naming their children Amani, Akili, Deven and Javon. They see the names as a source of pride.

But some of today's black-sounding names are more about conspicuous consumption than tradition. There is a trend to name children after luxury goods, like Moet, Lexus, even Toyota.

Steele said that trend "suggests real cultural deprivation. And it's heartbreaking to hear it."

Berry feels that "There's a responsibility, when anybody names a child, to name them something that means something." But she added, "I don't think we need to tell people, 'Don't name them that, because I don't like the way it sounds.' "

Unhappy with her own name and her experience in the job market, Tiqua Gator named her son Derek to help him get by in white America. "If I was to have any more children, it wouldn't be any Tiquas or it wouldn't be any Tamikas or Aishas. It would be something common," she said. "I wouldn't want my child to go through the same thing that I've went through."