Anonymous wrote:I lived in the Philippines for awhile and many families there give their kids random English words as names. They usually also have a nickname they go by but many of their actual given names are just English nouns.
I taught a set of 4 sisters all named after car brands (Mercedes, Porsche etc) and I taught another set of 4 sisters all named for precious gems (Diamond, Jade etc). On their own each name was fine but when you had all four girls together, it was a bit much!
I know of a large population of immigrants from some pacific island countries who give their kids names that sound weird to me. Legal first names like Junior, Shaq, Riches.
Your post reminds me of a line from Roseanne that I always remember. Their friend Crystal is pregnant and they're talking about baby names. She says
"We have a tradition in our family. My grandmother was Ruby, and my mother was Amber, and I'm Crystal. So, I was thinking that...this must stop."