“Nomenculture”

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Illustration by Isidro Xilonzochitl for my book Sock Talk

“Nomenculture”

The names called across playgrounds in 1952
were “Lynn and Rita, Sharon, Karen, Sheila, Portia, Sue”.
But the kinds of names that mothers now choose for their daughters
are all names we never called out from our teeter-totters.

“Emma, Ava, Mia, Hannah, Isabella, Addison, 
Sophia and Olivia, Amelia and Madison,
Harper, Lily, Mia” are the sorts of names girls call
out to one another via texts or in the mall.

“Harper, Ella, Mia, Emily and Abigail”
are the names that girls today most commonly use to hail
each other on their smart phones via tweets or via text.
It’s hard to predict what may be the names that moms might next

choose to call their daughters.  Perhaps Venus, Saturn, Mars
will be the sort of names our daughters’ daughters call from cars.
Modern names for modern girls–– monikers so cool
that giving names like Betty, Pat or Judy would seem cruel.

Today, names must be Biblical or characters from Austen.
Or the names of cities from Madison to Boston.
“Judy” is a boring name, silly, old-fashioned, dull––
the sort of name that nowadays never makes the cull.

Those of my generation may seem rather out of date,
perhaps because of how we dress, our language or our weight.
Some women opt for face-lifts, saying wrinkles are to blame,
but I think it would be easier to simply change my name.


The Prompt: Say Your Name––Write about your first name: Are you named after someone or something? Are there any stories or associations attached to it? If you had the choice, would you rename yourself? https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/say-your-name/

20 thoughts on ““Nomenculture””

  4. Kathryn Grace's avatarKathryn Grace

    When I was a little girl in the 50s, names like Emma, Emily, Ella, Abigail and Isabelle were right up there with Myrtle, Helen and Lois as out-of-date, old-fashioned names of our grannies and maiden aunts. Probably in 20 or 30 years, Judy, Peggy and Charlotte will come back in.

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    2. barbwit's avatarbarbwit

      Princess Charlotte is Prince William’s newest child, and I hope will be nicknamed Charlie. But I’ll bet it makes that name popular now. And of course our own Judy (or Jude) is certainly not out of date.

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  6. barbwit's avatarbarbwit

    Last night at our Super Bowl party, my friend said “Thank goodness for the African American mothers who give their sons (vis. the footballers) their exotic names. The others are so boring.”

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  7. momshieb's avatarmomshieb

    This middle aged “Karen” understands exactly what you mean! I was so careful to give my kids “timeless” names……”Kate”, “Matt”, “Tim”. But my beautiful granddaughter is “Eleanora” and I love it!!!!

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  8. barbwit's avatarbarbwit

    My older sister’s name is Mary Ann and in answer to the question “Why?”, our parents wrote in the babybook, “Because she is a girl.” I am Barbara Ellen, which my father, Stanley S. A. Watkins, insists is the real name of the folk song usually known as Barbara Allen. had definite ideas about names. You’ll have to read my blog to find out about his middle names.

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