What is in a name?

Names are a very personal to each person, from the moment you record it on your child’s birth certificate to screeching it to stop them climbing onto the roof. Whether you are Thomas, Tom or Tomo, no matter how old you are, it is 1 word that is said 1000 different times.

When it’s a word that will follow your child their whole lives, people take it seriously, often in funny ways. Each parent has rejected 50 names because of an association with it like Jessica who was mean to them on the playground or the potential of a name to be twisted into a slogan or rude word.

Where do names come from

Names come from a long number of places; to honour a grandparent, inspiration of a sports/military/fictional hero or it is a name that is in fashion. Just wait after a royal wedding or birth and see how many royal names pop-up.

Whilst you may not see many Gertrude, Hertha or Hedwig there are a thousand different names out there and even more spellings of Tiffany or Tiffannee! Although it can appear ridiculous to some, we can’t forget that people’s names are chosen for them and it is nothing to be embarrassed about.

As Australia is a multicultural country with people from varied and diverse lands, your children will come to meet others whose background may be different. It’s important that we all practice and share values of humility and understanding so that someone’s name is just that, someone’s name.

Australia’s most popular baby names (2019) Mccrindle Research