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Names from Common Words

Topend Kids > Babies > Baby Names > Common Words

There are many examples of words from our daily lives that are being used as baby names. For many we can readily accept them as a person’s name when used in context, but for others it just does not seem right to call someone ‘bread’ for example.

Days of the Week

In 2008, an Italian couple wanted to call their son Venerdi (which means Friday). Friday has been used as a name before - it was the name of a character in Robinson Crusoe. In Italy, local officials are required to report all unusual names to the government. The whole matter went through the court system, eventually ruling that "Friday" be renamed "Gregory," after the saint whose feast day fell on the boy's birthday. The court reported that the name was "ridiculous or shameful." I don’t know what effect this will have, as the mother was quoted as saying "My son was born Friday, baptized Friday, will call himself Friday, we will call him Friday but when he gets older he will have to sign his name Gregory."

Another weekday name in the news was the child of actress Nicole Kidman and country singer Keith Urban who had a baby girl in 2008 who the called "Sunday Rose". The name Sunday itself did not get too much attention, but the child has been amusingly called 'Sunday Roast' by many.

There are other names in this theme. There are many children named after the months of the year, for example: April, May, June, Augustus, Julius, Julia (though the months in some cases have been named after a person's name). Also, there’s Summer and Dawn.

Fruit

When Gweneth Paltrow decided to call her daughter Apple, there was much musing around the world. Another celebrity example is the son of General Hospital actor Ingo Rademacher, named Peanut. However, naming a child after other foodstuff is not unheard of. There is one fruit of a tree which was once popular, and is becoming more common again as baby name - Olive. There are spices such as Ginger and Rosemary, and the name Coco may represent Chocolate for some. Is Hazel from the Hazel Nut?

Colors

The standard colors of red, green, blue, yellow, black and white have not appeared highly on the name charts, though other color related names have. Indigo, Violet, Ebony, Rose and Olive. As always, there is a celebrity example: Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have a baby daughter Violet.

Flowers

Flower names are commonly used for baby names: e.g. Rose, Lily, Violet, Iris, Daisy. Iris is also a body part – though I cannot think of another body part is used as a baby name. Wait for it.

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