Gone are the days of Mary, Mark, Luke and John. No more handing down of family names such as Hortense, Beulah Mae, and Chastity. Now, we are at liberty to name our offspring as we see fit, and boy do we love us some vowels. As a matter of fact, I believe that somewhere out there, is a child with only vowels in their name (Yeaiou, perhaps?) Now I’m all for poetic license and creativity. And I understand the history of the magnitude of being able to name our own children. But it seems, my good people, that we have gone from the days of black power and pride, when we researched African history and names to give our kids names with meaning, to present day, when we name our kids after our favorite food/liquor, past time, misspelling or vehicle. Surely we all know a Lexus, Tekilah, Chasity or something of the sort in our inner circles. Some of our names are overly complex- I have a niece named Keyeyah (thats pronounced key.Yah).  Even my own name is subject to discussion- but it is swahili-my parents did get it out of a book-and it has meaning, so there!

But let’s consider this-when educators or interviewers have to spend well over 10 minutes to attempt to say your name correctly, that may signal an issue that we as a people need to examine. Now granted, there are some ignorant folk out there that will stigmatize you solely based on your name, but these aren’t the folks I’m concerned with. Let’s just think about our children and consider the following: Are there enough spaces on the scantron sheet for your child to fill in his/her complete name? Will children be able to turn any portion of your child’s name into an embarassing schoolyard chant? Does your daughter’s name readily prepare her for a less than savory occupation?

C’mon folk, I’m just sayin! No one name is better than another. Be creative by all means, but at the same time- think about the name you give your child. It sets the tone for their life.