And From The Other End Of The Pool...

I am obliged to feature the people who would rather not pay a naming consultant, but instead choose to give their children a "made-up" name... or, equally frequently, an appropriated one. These are the people, of course, who brought us Neveah (now the 70th most popular girls' name in the country).

Team Desi beware... these people have found the name Kali and think it is "a simple name to show you think your child is a goddess!" On the plus side, someone wrote in to say that a baby named Kavindra would undoubtedly grow up to be "super-fly."

Just click here.

(Editor's Note: She is debating whether or not the inclusion of this link, or the resultant contempt implied, is inappropriate due to what appears to be class-based stratifying. After all, why is "Leah" different from "Neveah?" Both are simply phonemes, air pressed through obstacles; and in terms of spoken sound they're much the same. Regardless, the most telling thing about this particular link -- and what makes it depressing in addition to rather hilarious -- is the logic involved in these parents' name choices. Which is, coincidentally enough, remarkably similar to the logic presented by the wealthy, consultant-hiring parents.

Culturally, it seems, naming is no longer a link to the past; it's a necessary way to push your baby into the future. Because both sets of parents know their children have to grow up to be super-fly.)