Surnames as First Names!
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| Sun, 09-04-2005 - 12:11am |
I'm from the South, and here, it's not uncommon at all for parents to give their children--male and female--first names that are actually family surnames. I know girls named Tenley, Laughlin, Allyn, and Sullivan, and boys named Jones, Hughston, and Fitzpatrick (nn Fitz) after their mothers' maiden names, and I love all those names.
I guess it's probably not entirely uncommon in any region. At any rate, here's my question: what do you ladies think about it? I love the tradition, and I've thought seriously about naming a little girl Whittington (after my grandfather's mother's maiden name). I'm nowhere near actually having a baby, but I still want to pass family names down to my children, AND I actually LOVE the name. But anyway, I shared this thought with a friend the other day, and she was horrified. I didn't pursue the subject, but now I'm wondering whether her shock was due entirely to the name itself, or to her loathing of surnames as first names.
Any guidance is welcome--about the name or about the tradition.

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