It’s fitting that on the day of this historic election, we turn our attention to Presidential baby names.
The Presidential Names are fashionable partly by accident, and partly by design. Many of the parents naming their babies Madison and Taylor, Tyler and Reagan are choosing those names not because they love the Presidents associated with them but because they’re attracted to the surname feel, or the unisex quality, or the stylishness of the names.
But some parents are also choosing names associated with presidents because we’re all hungry for heroes these days. How can a child fail to be inspired by a name like Lincoln or Kennedy?
The most fashionable Presidential names are those a little off the beaten track: McKinley is an excellent choice, as are Pierce, Truman, Jefferson, Ford, Hayes.
Some Presidential names may still not be quite ready for prime time: Dwight or Eisenhower, for example, Ulysses or Washington. And it seems unlikely that anyone is ever going to name her baby Coolidge or Nixon.
We might look to Presidential first names, middle names and First Lady names for fresh inspiration. Quincy is a good choice, as is Mamie. Franklin, Theodore, Calvin, and Woodrow may all be ready for a revival. Even outgoing President Bush’s middle name Walker may prove baby-worthy, but Bush itself? Doubtful.
Tags: clinton, hero names, jefferson, lincoln, madison, presidential names, reagan, taylor, tyler
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 at 1:03 am and is filed under hero names, name history . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 4th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Quincy’s great! I’ve seen a few people considering Lincoln, one Truman and a Ford (which makes me think cars before President, myself) but wonder, where’s the Ulysses, Franklin, Herbert, Gerald, Abraham kids? All of these immediately make me think “President” (Well, Abraham also gets “bible” tossed in). Funny too, Quincy makes my head go “jazz” before “President”, but admit the link is secondary. Knox is Presidential too, It was Polk’s middle name. And Calvin’s long been a favorite. I wonder how many people link it to “Coolidge” in their heads?