 News
30th March 2008
How texting
is changing baby namesGiven the unstoppable rise of text language,
it was only a matter of time before children's names went the way of traditional
English. Sure enough, text-style versions have begun to appear on birth
certificates. Anne has been changed to An, Connor to Conna and Laura to
Lora. Six boys were named Cam'ron instead of Cameron, numerous baby boys are called
Samuil, and one girl born last month was named Flicity. Last year, a couple
were told they would not be allowed to register their son's name as 4Real. Officials
in New Zealand ruled that the use of a number made it inappropriate, so Pat and
Sheena Wheaton had to opt for their second choice - Superman. In this country,
other bizarre choices officially registered have included Ikea for a girl as well
as Moet for a boy whose parents might have a soft spot for the champagne label.
The trend is thought to be inspired by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, who
named her daughter Apple, and Jamie Oliver, who has daughters Daisy Boo and Poppy
Honey. Others in recent registers have followed the example of the Beckhams,
who named their eldest son after the place where he was conceived. But
while David and Victoria chose Brooklyn, children in Britain have been named after
places such as Finchley in North London and the cathedral city of Ely in Cambridgeshire.
Both are male names. Other examples of unusually-titled boys registered
in the past 12 months include Rocky, Rivers and Red. As well as Ikea, recent
girls' names have included Paprica, Caramel, Bambi, Fire-Lily, Skylark and Tame
- which apparently stands for The Apple of My Eye. On the text-style names,
John Dunford, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders,
said it was possible that new mothers and fathers had lost the ability to spell.
He added: "Some of it is genuine misspelling; some is parents looking for
a unique way to spell a name and some is just carelessness. "It makes life
very difficult for teachers taking the register and completing forms." Where
to next?
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