The other day, I ran across a family where all the kids' names seemed to start with the wrong consonant.
I am well aware of the trends to make up names and make up new spellings for names, but, still! How does that happen to a family?
Do they sit around at family home evening and say, "Okay, kids, pass your first consonant to the child on your left,"and then Gage, Kenzie, Haylee, Trinity, and Chassity become Kage, Henzie, Traylee, Chinity, and Gassity? Aren't those cute?
I mean, really! How does this happen?
Names aren't supposed to just be meaningless syllables that sound pretty together. Do we not realize that names came from words? The root word has a meaning. If you destroy the root word, you destroy the meaning of the name, too. I can't imagine going through life having a name that doesn't mean anything, except that my parents were ignorant about language.
Personally, and, yes, I am sure I am an old fogie, I would even take issue--for different reasons--with four of the five names I picked for this consonant-trading family.
I don't see this trend ending well.
Let me explain.
Once upon a time, a perfectly good last name, Madison, became a first name. Honestly, I don't really have a problem with that, unless the last name is something really strange.
Next, it became a girls' name. Why not? Allison had gone from a last name to a first name to a girls' name decades before that. Boys' names turn into girls' names at a rather alarming rate. Maybe that is part of the problem--there aren't as many boys' names left.
I also think what happens is that a name that sounds like another well-liked name starts to be used. Sometimes, it may be as good as the first name, sometimes not.
We liked Braden (meaning "from the wide valley"), so now there are the popular names Jaden and Caden. Hayden, another last-name-turned-first-name, is also popular for both boys and girls.
Madison sounded not only like Allison, but like Madeline, so it became very popular. Maddies everywhere. Still fine.
A few years later, and Madison is not unique enough. We start seeing Maddison, Madisen, Maddyson, and Maddisyn.
The consonant switch thing, though, is something I have not been able to wrap my head around yet. But, with it growing in popularity, I guess we should brace ourselves for Bladdisyn, Craddisyn, Faddisyn, and Gladdisyn.
Where it will go from there is anyone's guess.
(My apologies to all the cute Maddisyns out there, and those who love them.)
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The issue of names would be funnier if it weren't so true! It has been interesting and enlightening to research biblical names, full of meaning, often a window into their life, or perhaps indicating attributes their parents hoped they would achieve. I knew a woman named "Susie" but spelled Siouxzie, like the tribe. Talk about condemning her to a life-time of correcting others!
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