Uma Thurman was all over the news last week.
Why? Because the name of her baby girl, born way back on July 15, was finally announced.
And it’s quote long: Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence Thurman-Busson, nickname Luna. (The father is Uma’s boyfriend Arpad Busson.)
That’s five given names, not to mention the double-barrelled surname and the nickname.
What do you think — is that too many names?
And here’s another question: Which of those five names — Rosalind, Arusha, Arkadina, Altalune or Florence — is your favorite?
P.S. Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish is another person I know of with five given names. Can you think of any others?
Rosalind is probably the one I would actually use, but I love the sound of Altalune :)
I think the only way you can really get away with more than 3 given names is to be born royalty. For anyone else, it just looks a little silly and/or pretentious. I do love 3 given names for girls, though, especially.
The person with the largest number of given names in the 2007 Dutch civil registry was Jhesu Immacolato Cuore di Maria Johannes Bernardus Carolus Magnus Augustus Aegidius Jacobus Exuperius Hermes Marcus Nicola Eric Etienne Genevieve Mars Castor Casimir HELICZER, born 1977.
In 1974 a Dutch boy was named after all of his 17 uncles: Jan Theodorus Gerrit Johannes Bote Hijl Bertus Louis Jan Harry Wijger Siepie Rinus Pe Sijbe Wijbren Bouwe VAN DER MEER.
Thanks for the examples, Maarten!
Here in Portugal you can be registered with a maximum of 6 names, and that is pretty common. I’ve also met plenty of people who have added their spouses names after they married and now have 7 or 8 names.
Mind you, of all those names, only two can be given names. We’re all about the surnames!
I have a first name, two middle names, and one last name. Each of my brothers has three middle names. I always kind of wished I had more. I treat my Catholic confirmation name as a middle name now.
Uma, on why she chose 5 names for her daughter:
“[Maya] came up with the best excuse, [which] was that I probably wouldn’t get to have any more children, so I just put every name that I liked into [Luna’s].”
Source: Uma Thurman: Why My Daughter Has Five Names