Friday 10 January 2014

What's in a name?

Kate Winslet has just had a baby boy, and named him Bear.
We are all used to the unusual names chosen, mainly by celebrities, for their children.: Apple, Brooklyn, Cruz, Peaches.
One explanation is that they don't feel the need to conform and blend in like most people. They have more confidence maybe. My Mum had a friend called Pearl, whose sisters were called Ruby and Coral.
I had a friend at school called Ashley White. Another whose initials were WC.
When I first came to Italy, people would proudly tell me their children were called Brian or Kevin, or Sue-Ellen, like the character in Dallas. I worked with some people who called their son Jaime Venise, because they liked Venice so much.
In Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", Act 11, Scene 11, Juliet says to Romeo "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet". But would it have so much appeal, if it was called say "Wortsnog"?
Some years ago there was a song by Johnny Cash, taken from a poem by Shel Silverstein, called "A boy named Sue". The idea was that the boy's father had called him Sue, to make him tough and stand up to being ridiculed. At the end of the song, the boy says if he ever has a son, he will call it, Bill or George, anything but Sue.
In Italy, the names Francesco and Sofia, are the most popular for babies at the moment. Sofia has come back into popularity, after a long break. Maybe it was too hard to live up to the beauty of Sofia Loren.
In marketing the names of products can make a lot of difference to their appeal. In France, there is a brand of lemonade called "Pschitt", which makes it hard for Brits to order.
There used to be some chewing gum in Italy, called "Bum", and on the wrapper it said, "Look inside your Bum for a surprise", in Italian, of course.
The Fiat car called "Ritmo" in Europe, had to be changed to "Strada" for the American market, because it had already been used for a brand of condoms.
The Ford Zephyr, in 1953, changed its name to Zodiac, and sales shot up.
On Christmas day, an Italo-Britannica family that I know, were enjoying a traditional Roast turkey and brussel sprouts lunch, when one of the Italian members announced to her English cousin, "I've got Wind".
Well, only the Italians knew she was referring to a mobile phone company and not the side-effects of the brussel sprouts.

1 comment:

  1. Definitely my favourite post so far! Laughed lots :) genious

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