So Shakira’s son was born yesterday (heh. Literally.) She and the father, Gerard Pique, have named him Milan Pique Mebarak (Shakira’s last name).
First things first – Milan is a lovely name. I think I’ve heard of a girl with this name, but that’s fine with me – it sounds romantic and male in that soft way.
But by far the most interesting part of this baby name study is learning all the various family and cultural traditions that abound. It is absolutely traditional for babies to be named with the father’s name first and then the mother’s. In our English Speaking Society that gives the mother’s name more precedence, but in places where “First And Last” is less of a hard and fast rule, maybe it means the father’s name comes first and is more important?
My question to those of you who adhere to these rules – does this mean a middle name is just superfluous? Or since you’ve already decided you’re not going to fit your name into those restrictive fill-in-the-box spots, do you just go for broke and have five? I would feel anxious if there wasn’t even the possibility of a middle name, because they do and mean so much, depending on who you are. But I know some people think they’re useless placeholders which have forever killed the use of the name “Ann”.
Which way do you think Shakira goes?
