BagOfCrisps 24 Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 US babies get global brand names Americans are increasingly turning to the world of popular culture to name their children, a study has found. Children have been named after big brands as diverse as beauty company L'Oreal, car firm Chevrolet and designer clothes company Armani. There are even two little boys, one in Michigan and one in Texas, called ESPN after the sports channel. Psychology professor Cleveland Evans discovered the trend after surveying US social security records for 2000. Bizarre choices Mr Evans, a professor at Bellevue University, Nebraska, has studied baby names in the US for 25 years. He has found that car models are a popular source of inspiration; 22 girls are registered as having the name Infiniti while 55 boys answer to Chevy and five girls to Celica. Seven boys were found to have the name Del Monte - after the food company - and no less than 49 boys were called Canon, after the camera. Designer firms and types of clothing were also well represented, with almost 300 girls recorded with the name Armani, six boys called Timberland and seven boys called Denim. In some cases it seems something else was on some parents' minds - six boys were named after Courvoisier cognac. Popular contrast It is a stark contrast to the most popular names in the US as found in social security records - Jacob and Emily were top for 2002. Mr Evans told BBC News Online one reason for the popularity of brands as names is a growing desire on the part of parents to mark their children out as different. He also says that naming a child after a brand such as Armani or Chanel, associated with money or exclusivity, reflects the material hopes of such families. "It is no different from the 19th century when parents named their children Ruby or Opal... it reflects their aspirations" he says. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 yeah might call my next one Quiksilver, Billabong or GAP! Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 Uniqlo, cute name. Link to post Share on other sites
neurozoo 0 Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Sony would'nt seem too strange.. nor Burton.. how about Q-Tip, or Kraft, Nestle! Meiji, Pannasonic, Civic, Benneton, Dennys, .. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Not many called Trojan probably. Link to post Share on other sites
orinoco 0 Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 "and no less than 49 boys were called Canon, after the camera" Oh yes, I want to name my son after a camera!!! Hmmm. Link to post Share on other sites
badmigraine 0 Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 If anybody is expecting, I heard "Mitsubishi Motors" is still available. Link to post Share on other sites
TheOrange 0 Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 I like fruit names, my son might get called Orange. Link to post Share on other sites
SHAG 0 Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 SHAG is a good name. I can' think of any brands called SHAG though... Link to post Share on other sites
nagoid 4 Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 My grandmother was called Ruby. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 I smoked a couple of rollies at the weekend filled with something Dutch called 'Milde Shag'. But it wasn't milde at all, and I've been coughing all week. Shag though, is a tobacco term rather than a brand name. The brand name was 'TURD'. (He's lying about the last bit, ed.) Link to post Share on other sites
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