Seein’ as ‘ow my youngest is due to add Number Nine to the Janus clan in the Autumn, I feel qualified to comment on the theme of naming children, further aroused by the Beeb: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21229475.
Auntie (possibly wishing to avoid some nasty social aspersions being cast) seems to have missed out a very widespread reason for countries restricting the choice of names – RELIGION. Some countries allocate days to ‘holy’ names – so if you are born on 25th December you automatically become Christos/Christina (!); and although I confess to knowing almost nothing about Islam law, I have the impression that babies are only given ‘approved’ names.
What surprises me is that Denmark – otherwise notoriously free of constraint in almost every imaginable respect – has its own list, outside which a child may not be named. The religion or what’s left of it, is Lutheran but its tentacles still reach into daily life by awarding Spring days off work for General Prayer, Ascension and Whitsun respectively, promoting the Confirmation industry among greedy teens and, yes, forbidding one to ‘christen’ a baby with the Liverpool cup-winning team. So there’s the rub – what a pity their holiness doesn’t extend beyond their sanctified monikers!
In Britain of course the rich and famous persist in giving their offspring silly names, often of dubious gender and provenance, like themselves in many cases. But relax, friends, it’s all cyclical and soon the Johns and Joans will be rife amongst us again.
Boadicea's Chariot 
My name is neutral and dull — intentionally so. It is pronounced almost the same in English as it is in German, hence my mother favouring it. She initially wanted to name me Vasily or Tasilo but my father, a red-blooded septic in the midst of the Cold War, refused to allow his unborn child to be given the name of the “enemy”. Since then I have, despite repeated requests to the contrary, seen my name truncated to the dreaded “Chris”.
Eh, me too boy! Hateful diminution! Tina yes, any other no!
If they really piss me off I make them call me my middle name, Cleone, no one can pronounce it, ancient Greek, as in Ione and Persephone, e being pronounced, general comes out as Clone!!!
As if anyone would want more than one of me!!!!
Actually Janus I rather approve of a list, it stops us having to listen to such ludicrous names as Leroy or Tawanda! (Of which there are rather too many in the ethnically challenged of the dear old USA.)
There’s a lot of unusual spelling of common names nowadays. The reason for this is the parents want their child to have a unique name. Example- Aron instead of Aaron. The Kardashians kornered the market with a kouple of khanges- Kourtney, Khloe.
You are too kind royalist most just plain couldn’t spell!
While, in general, I’m not in favour of restrictions, I do think that some parents should be forced to consider how their child will feel if they are given an odd name. Just yesterday I heard of a child being registered ‘Abcd’, pronounced Abseedee. Poor kid!
One of my step-brothers, apparently gave his son all the Christian names of some English football team. No wonder I didn’t get on with him on the one occasion I met him!
I found the article interesting. It was quite common in the 17th century for Puritans to call their children by such names as ‘Praise God’ or some other such name. And the English practice of using a wife’s surname as first or second name was extremely common – and very helpful to those of us trying to trace our family tree. One of my ancestors married an Alice German in 1856 – the name German / Germain has been used as a second name ever since.
The name Christopher / Christine has, in my opinion, been well over-used in my family! My brother is Christopher and my middle name is Christine and there are any number of cousins stuck with the name. It denotes, as far as I’m concerned, a lack of imagination!
But I’d rather be stuck with Christine than Abcd!
Next time I’m coming back as XYZ!
CO, isn’t KO more apposite? 🙂
KO it is then and very apposite bearing in mind Kristina’s feisty personality and notorious short fuse. My brother and I were deliberately given one-syllable forenames that cannot be shortened. It has saved a lot of bother.
OZ