Baby Names--How Many is Too Many?

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

12 Jan 2009 04:42 AM

Once upon a time parents gave their children a first, middle and last name and called it a day. These days kids are lucky if they get off with monikers that take less a day to pronounce.

Case in point: the latest round of celebrity babies born to some of Hollywood's biggest names. Last week acting duo Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell welcomed fraternal twin daughters into the world. The bitty babies were bestowed the following gigantic names: Dolly Rebecca Rose O'Connell and Charlie Tamara Tulip O'Connell.

But, the O'Connell twins are not the only Tinseltown tots embracing the four-name trend. Gwen Stefani named her second son Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale while star parents Nicole Richie and Joel Madden couldn't decide on just one name for their firstborn so they went with Harlow Winter Kate Madden. Even reluctant star mom Bristol Palin has jumped on the multiple name bandwagon giving birth to Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston.

Then, there's actress Lisa Bonet. The former "Cosby Show" star recently gave birth to a son with her actor boyfriend Jason Momoa. The star couple are now the proud parents of Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa. Try getting that to fit on a SAT form (which barely provides enough space for a first and last name) or job application.

In all fairness, the aforementioned celeb parents (and other mere mortal moms and dads who also work the four-name trend) likely have very good reasons for giving their children such elaborate monikers. For example, according to Jason Momoa's mother, her grandson's name is chockfull of meaning: Nakoa is the Hawaiian word for warrior while Mana means strength, kaua is rain and po means dark. Did I mention the infant was born in the middle of the night during a December rainstorm?

So what's behind the extra-long baby name trend? Is it simple indecision on the part of parents? Too many great names and too little time to decide on just two? Or, is it a way to avoid World War III? Rather than fight with your spouse over one name, just give the kid your top four or five favorites. Often parents give their children names of family members or other loved ones to honor a long standing tradition. By bestowing a baby with four or five names you can appease practically everyone in the family.

Still, I'm not sure I see the point in giving a child a name that will take him or her until high school to get straight. After all, it's not as though the kid is going to go through life stating his full name on a daily basis. Think about it: How many of your adult friends introduce themselves using their full names?

My young daughter has a first, middle and last name. We had a hard enough time coming up with those. I can't imagine how long it would have taken us to generate three more.

What about you? How many names do your children have? And how many is too many names, anyway?

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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Libby Pelham (12871) 12 Jan 2009 08:00 PM

Eh, Lisa Bonet has always been a bit out there, so I am not surprised by her name choices. But the O'Connells - I forgot they were having twin girls and when I saw the Charlie Tamara Tulip name, my first thought was "They named their son 'Tuplip'?" I dunno, I just cannot imagine some of these kids loving these names when they grow up.

Michele Cheplic (37339) 14 Jan 2009 06:34 AM

I grew up with a girl named Charlie Ann, still I was surprised they named their daughter after his brother. Then again, I suppose it beats some of the other strange names other celebs have come up with.

Michele Cheplic (37339) 14 Jan 2009 06:58 AM

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck just hopped on the 4-name name bandwagon by naming their week-old daughter Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck.

ruthann8 (6378) 14 Jan 2009 10:16 AM

My daughters name sounds like she has four names, but she only has three. We combined the first two into Ellamae. We didn't want people to call her Ella b/c we like Ellamae, but when she is older if she so chooses we will call her Ella.

Michele Cheplic (37339) 17 Jan 2009 10:49 AM

Ruthann, I like your daughter's name and I'm sure you'll get great use out of the extra few syllables when you are calling out her name in frustration. ;-)

emmm_kisses (5) 04 Feb 2009 01:43 PM

I think that 4 or more baby names are just fine. And no, people do not go around stating their entire names but its nice to have a choice... lol... I have given my triplets 5 names each (not including their last names). I just hope that I can come up with 5 for every child I concieve... lol... but its all about choice, diversity, freedom, uniqueness, and change... we live in a new era... who is in charge of deciding how many names a baby should have anyhow? Was there a time when 3 was 'too many'?

Michele Cheplic (37339) 05 Feb 2009 07:30 AM

Fifteen names for three children, that's a lot of work. Or maybe not if you didn't have to whittle down lists. I'm sure your children will appreciate all their names emmm kisses. Thanks for sharing!

tracenkassie (10) 09 Feb 2009 03:19 PM

my kids each have 4 names. 1 first, 2 middle and a last. That was for relatives then one for themselves. It works out great for us.

Michele Cheplic (37339) 11 Feb 2009 07:43 AM

tracenkassie, glad you found something that worked for you, especially with the relatives. Naming can be a challenge when you have family members to consider.