If I had a baby tomorrow, I would name her Apple. But not because I love the fruit that much or think Gwenyth Paltrow is clever—I am a hard-core Apple Computer enthusiast, and tomorrow brings the birth of the iPhone.
Sure, it sounds a little (OK, a lot) crazy to name a child after a company, but according to this article at StartupJournal.com, baby-naming is becoming much more about branding and marketing than family tradition. "We live in a marketing-oriented society," says Bruce Lansky, a former advertising executive and author of several baby name books. "People who understand branding know that when you pick the right name, you're giving your child a head start."
And as "family names and old religious standbys continue to lose favor," the article says, name-consulting businesses are popping up in numbers. Stressed-out parents are seeking the help of services such as software programs, numerologists and "nameologists" to ensure they make the right choice when "branding" their new bundle of joy. And with "baby names" remaining a top Internet search—and celebrities fueling the unique name fire—it doesn't look like the demand for these services will cease any time soon.
Which makes me wonder: How many years of unusual baby names will it take for my pretty conventional name to reach obscurity?
Posted by Megan Goodchild on June 28, 2007 02:13 PM
