My theory on names goes something like this:
1) The first name, middle name, and last name should fit together. The first and last should sound good together. Yoko Ono works; Yoko Lennon doesn't.
2) The name should not peg you in some particular category. When I named my daughter, one consideration was whether I could imagine someone with that name on the Supreme Court.
3) If no one knows how to pronounce it, you will regret ever choosing that name. You may have to spell it for them, but choosing some weird spelling of a name will make your life more difficult and will probably diminish you in the eyes of some people. (See 2, above.)
4) Choose a name that fits who you are, not who you want to be like. I've known several people who have names that don't fit them. People either call them something else or can never remember their names. When I first started telling people I was becoming Katherine, they would look at me like I was speaking Urdu. When I said "... or Kate", they would brighten up. I guess I'm Kate.
I will now step down from my soapbox.
- Kate
