And so far, only first names have come in for discussion. Fairly polite stuff, too! These days they are more hopeful than descriptive. Not like those oldies with second-names as devolved upon Ragnar Hairybreeks, and Harald Bluetooth. Some others of them are a bit over-rude for sensitive souls.

oh dear...I recall the unforgivable act of one alternative culture couple who named their first born 'sunbeam'..

or how about poor little 'Apple' the child of Chris Martin of music group Coldplay and Gweneth Paltow..

last but not least Mr and Mrs Hunt who saw no danger in naming their little boy Mike..say his full name out loud and fast and you'll get the picture..

Interesting article. Great to know Mohammed is hitting the top 50, with a bullet, in the UK. Apparently its popularity for Sudanese stuffed toys has declined of late, however.

My own observations in Australia over the last 10 years have been that, not satisfied to pick an ordinary name, parents have been seeking to make a statement through misspelling perfectly good ones. Like Rilee (Riley), Aleesha (Alicia), Taylah (Taylor).. etc etc. Prominent rugby league players have been among the worst offenders, prompting me to label it the "rugby league naming phenomenon." Hyphens, ebonic influences and silent letters are all the go in this group, cashed up and keen to saddle their youngsters with an alphabet soup. Thus the spate of Taylagh-Leaghs and Jaidyn-Rilees appearing on the back page of the tabloids.

indeed, some clever bastard worked out why Kevin appealed to the post mods and the mods..

Obama / Osama is another interesting morph..

I think having two middle names or more is great too. I have two and I find it quite a mark of distinguishment when compared to everyone else who is just "A B Jones" - that probably sounds quite snobby! Oh well. I don't know why my parents chose two middle names but it's unique and I have gotten used to it, although filling out government forms can be a bit of a challenge!!

It helps children's self esteem in schools to have a class project 'Your famous name', in which for everyone in the class there is collected
a) meaning of your first and/or second name if possible
b) famous people with your first and/or second name - or close enough.

It can be like a history lesson for the class when there are names like Attila, Alexander, Maria, or Pericles!

This can also just be a personal project to do with a child who is feeling worthless, but may have names from legend, history and story.
It is like having your own totem and comfort.

(But don't call your child Winsome or Hercules just in case the names are too far off.)

It is sad that many parents today give children names with no meaning, or even with associations they do not know (like Cain, Jezebel and Dalusha.) What does Condaleeza mean?
Among other things, it can be hard to do 'Your Famous Name' in class.