It’s 2002 and popular actress Gwyneth Paltrow has Hollywood in the palm of her hands. Her angelic looks and hilarious romantic comedies ensured her time in the spotlight, something that was solidified when she started dating lead singer of British rock band Coldplay, Chris Martin .
It wasn’t long before these two were hitched and in 2004 the couple was expecting their first child. However, it was what she decided to name her baby that gained a lot of attention and possibly set the tone for unusual baby names in Hollywood.
Apple Blythe Alison Martin — that is the name they decided to give their daughter. Why not just name her Alison? Paltrow said the unusual name was actually suggested by her husband and an apple conjured up a wholesome, perfect, and biblical image in her head. It is no shock that in 2006 the couple welcomed their son Moses, sticking with that biblical reference.
All of a sudden, it wasn’t just celebrities changing their names to something more exciting (via Katy Perry or Lady Gaga). Now, it seems that celebrity baby names are the new craze and most likely something us regular folks may never understand.
Hollywood is a glamorous place, but it’s interesting that celebrities attract more attention with their choice of baby names than anything else.
The business of naming your baby is an important one. This is the name yourchild will have on their birth certificate and, yes, maybe there was a time when the name Obama or Oprah was unusual, but there is a difference between unique and quirky.
Parent’s magazines, talk shows, and blogs often give tips or choices to make when naming your child or even provide a list of the trending baby names. In fact, each year there’s a published list of popular baby names for that year for boys and girls.
When picking a name for their child, most people consider the sound, spelling, uniqueness, initials, and flow of the name. Then they generally consider any negative or positive relations to the name and the significance this name may one day hold in society.
The top three baby names for 2017 for girls are Emma, Olivia and Ava, and boys include Liam, Noah and Lucas. But back in 1988, the top three were Mary, Anna, Elizabeth, and John, William, and James respectfully. These names may be what we consider classic names today.
So, where does North- West, Sir, Rumi, Saint, Egypt, Ocean, Blue Ivy, and Sunday Rose fit in?
Celebrities stand out, so maybe they want their children to be noticed too, just to be that much different than the normal people of the world. The best decision when naming your child is to go with your gut and pick a name that you’re comfortable with no matter how overwhelming society may be.
Hopefully Queen B continues to be impressed with her choices decades from now and doesn’t regret naming her son after an honorific address.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below?
