Your child’s name shouldn’t make people laugh or cry.
A postal worker told me she named her daughters Lexus and Kia, which tells you who her favorite is right away.

And when I was in Romania, a mom tried to doom her child by naming him bin Laden. She chose the name because she kept hearing it repeatedly on CNN and figured he must be important. An English-speaking nurse refused to sign the birth certificate until the name was changed to something I can’t pronounce.
More recently, a family in Israel decided to name their child “Like” after the Facebook button.
As a Guardian reporter writes, at least they didn’t name her “Poke.”
The family is chock full of unusual appellations. Lior and Vardit Adler already have daughters named Dvash (Hebrew for honey) and Pie (as in apple).
But for the new little girl they wanted something “modern and innovative” like Like.
I’d have preferred “Gertrude.” Eighteen years from now, maybe the daughter will too and have it legally changed.
The parents are pleased their child has a unique name, but isn’t that the motive of every parent that concocts a ridiculous moniker?
The Edge, of U2, has a daughter named Blue Angel, so let’s hope she’s a pilot one day. Bandmate Bono named his kid Memphis Eve, which makes me think he had one Irish whisky too many on Beale Street.
Comedian and magician Penn Jillete named his daughter Moxie Crimefighter.
Nicholas Cage named his son Kal-El, the name Superman’s parents gave him.
The list could go on forever.
More than 40 years after the Johnny Cash classic was released, naming a boy Sue sounds like solid parenting.
77 comments Add your comment
Sheila
May 18th, 2011
10:00 am
A nurse has NO right to deny a parent’s right to name their child Bin Laden
Jiggy Smaha
May 18th, 2011
10:13 am
You obviously don’t know your Superman mythology. Kal-el is Superman’s name. Superman’s father’s name is Jor-el.
Clint obviously cannot read. The article said that Kal-el was the name Superman’s parents gave him. What a dumb ass.
jarvis
May 18th, 2011
10:34 am
Sheila, in Romania they might.
pj
May 18th, 2011
10:36 am
Thanks, Med. Records. A friend told me someone in S. America named their child U.S. Navy, which was on the ship in port. I’ve also hears Noxzema and Camry. Not sure why the article didn’t mention Apple or Moon Unit and Dweezil Zappa. I guess it’s true, the list goes on and on…
I guess here in America the nurse couldn’t stop that one family from naming their son Adolph Hitler…poor kid. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6559357
pj
May 18th, 2011
10:40 am
heard, sorry.
pb
May 18th, 2011
11:06 am
I once worked at a DuPont factory, while going to college. There was a young lady there who named one of kids, “Antron”, and the other “Qiana”, after two of the fibers Du Pont produced. Pretty silly to me, but the mother thought they were pretty names… So what can you say?
Dana P.
May 18th, 2011
11:29 am
@ Former School Marm: I call B.S. on your “LaDasha” story — an e-mail with that nonsense has been going around the www for YEARS. Unless you are/were a teacher in Detroit area, I think your lying. And I think the whole story, itself, is untrue.
Rex
May 18th, 2011
11:32 am
George Foreman had it right – just name all your kids George…or Bob.
Cammi317
May 18th, 2011
11:33 am
ROFL@ “Lemonjello” and “Orangjello!” That just made my morning….
Flint
May 18th, 2011
11:35 am
Clint, you obviously didn’t read the article. It says that Superman’s name was Kal-El.