In nearly 10 years of blogging, I can only recall two baby names that made the news because they were bestowed by fathers who did not okay those names with the mothers first:
- Jennifer Edson Arantes do Nascimento Jairzinho Rivelino Carlos-Alberto (etc.), born in 1982, and
- Sarah McCain Palin, born in 2008.
Well, just recently I spotted two more.
The first is “Bermondsey Millwall Den.” It belongs to a baby boy born in London in October. Millwall is a football club, “The Den” is the Millwall stadium, and Bermondsey is where The Den is located.
Bermondsey’s father told the local paper: “I threatened to do it but I don’t think my wife believed me! I’m not sure how she’s going to react.”
The other name is “Lanesra.” It belongs to an baby girl born in Australia a couple of years ago. Here’s what Lanesra’s mother told a women’s magazine about the name:
We chose our daughter’s name, Lanesra, because it was unique and romantic. It wasn’t till she was two that my husband told me it was actually his favourite soccer team, Arsenal, spelled backwards!
In both cases, the wives ended up liking (or at least tolerating?) the names chosen by their husbands. So all is well, I suppose.
Still…I find stories like these disturbing.
What are your thoughts? And, do you think these stories might kick off some sort of “sneaky husband” trend in baby names?
Sources: Dad Names Baby Boy ‘Bermondsey Millwall Den Bloomfield’ – without Telling his Wife, Guy names his daughter Lanesra via Arsenal Cannon Pics