During President Obama’s Fireside Hangout yesterday, one participant asked the Obama to help choose a baby name.
At about the 44-minute mark, author John Green introduced his wife Sarah and said, “We are expecting our second child, we have a boy name picked out, but Sarah had a question for you.”
Then Sarah said, “Yes, hello Mr. President, we are wondering if you prefer the name Eleanor or Alice.”
At first, Obama thought the second option was “Alex” (perhaps reason enough to go with Eleanor?).
After being corrected, he responded:
You know, I’m gonna leave this up to you guys […] Here’s the reason: if I gave a preference, and you guys went the other way, forever this child would say “The President doesn’t like my name,” which could traumatize them.
But, the main thing is, tell either Eleanor or Alice not to forget to be awesome.
Here’s John Green’s reaction to the “awesome” comment.
After a bit more back-and-forth, Obama added: “If it’s a boy, and you want to name him Barack, that’s fine.”
Obama took the diplomatic route and stayed neutral, but if you had been in that position, which name — Eleanor or Alice — would you have chosen? Why?
