Step forward, Apollotheeleventh...

[flaviomatani]

A few people here in LJ land have been charting the bizarre names that some parents inflict on their children. This is particularly bad, it would seem, in my part of the world, Venezuela, particularly in Maracaibo -perhaps as a result of the historic trauma of having been raided regularly by the real pirates of the Caribbean for a very long time in its early history. When I was studying music one of my fellow students was a girl called kennedy Jackeline Contini (well, another common Italian surname, changed to protect the innocent). There is some unfortunate soul there going through life with no less a name than Apollo 11th Montiel. When I was teaching music in a primary school in a barrio, so many years ago, I had amongst my pupils one Indira Gandhi, one Richard Nixon (Perez, I think the surname was).. apart from the excruciating made-up names constituted by half the father's, half the mother's name or a misheard version of a TV soap star's name -or even the TV soap's name itself.

The National Electoral Council in my beloved country,, Venezuela, seems to have decided to do something about it, as can be seen in The Register, here -nanny state gone mad, or is somebody finally doing something to prevent idiotic parents from inflicting on their children lifetimes of misery and hundreds of fights on the way out of school..?:P

Comments

[miss-soap.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's nanny state at all; I think it's long overdue in other parts of the world and needs to put out the message that giving your child a ridiculous name is - effectively - disrespectful and treating them like some kind of pet, or comedy possession. The nanny state is normally there to stop stupid individuals from damaging themselves - in this case it'll prevent morons from damaging their children and is to be applauded.

[flavius-m.livejournal.com]

According to the same article we (that is , 'we' in Vz) already have legislation ordering registrars not to accept names that would expose the child to ridicule (something I never knew existed, when I was there), but judging from the names of so many of my fellow compatriots I've come across, it would seem never to have been enforced.

Some parents just don't think -and children can be horrible... my having a slightly exotic, foreign name meant lots of anagrams, rhymes and chanting when I was in school; it is quite difficult to find rhymes in Spanish for either 'Flavio' or 'Matani' but children being as they are...so I do feel for those that have to endure an idiotic or absurd name, the result of having stupid, incompetent parents.

[spangle-kitten.livejournal.com]

Apollo 11th?! That's just insane! I guess that if you hear a combination of words and like them and you don't think of the literal translation and just go by the sounds of the words you can see why people might use them, but Superman? That's just silly...

I don't think it's nanny state gone mad, just protection for the poor children who end up being called Asda Harry Potter Madonna Harrods DeNiro, who end up changing thier name to John Jones or somthing as soon as they turn 18!

They should bring in that law in the UK, when my mum was a practicing minister just a couple of years ago some of the names during christenings were just stupid.

[flavius-m.livejournal.com]

I s'pose the State cannot force you to not give your child a name, but there should be guidelines, registrars should be able to refuse giving a child a name that will bring it misery and parents who are bent on giving their children names that will give them grief and trauma should be made fully aware of the consequences for the child.

[mausch.livejournal.com]

South africa is good for that as well, In my job back there I worked with a Precision, a Knowledge and a Stallion.

[flavius-m.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've heard this about S. A....

Is there some sort of sympathy magic involved? That is, that people name their children 'Stallion' so that they are, when they grow up?

[mausch.livejournal.com]

I think its more the african population wanting to give their childeren a western name but getting the concept a bit wrong. They normally have an african name as well.

[harold-chasen.livejournal.com]

Talking of combining names... Where I grew up, 2 doors down from us, were an old couple Charlie and Nellie. When they moved into the house they decided to call the house half his name and half her name and so they put a little plaque by their door naming the house 'Charnel House'. Check that in the dictionary! This is a true story, I was there :D

[flavius-m.livejournal.com]

Bloody Goths... the older the worse they get... :P