Date: Wed, 19 Oct 1994 22:43:12 -0700
From: "CAVEMAN -- San Bernardino, Calif. USA" cjcoker[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CSUPOMONA.EDU
Subject: Re: names question
Does anyone know when it stopped being common to name American male
children after incumbent Presidents? (Not just the first name, but also
the President's surname as a middle name.)
Dan Goodman dsg[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]maroon.tc.umn.edu
I don't know about incumbent presidents, but my grandfather (b. 1905) was
named Andrew Jackson Coker -- after the president. My father (b. 1936)
was named Gerald Jackson Coker; the Jackson name was kept, but Gerald was
substituted for Andrew. (I (b. 1959) am Charles Jackson Coker). My
grandmother was fiercely politcal, so a presidential name would not have
surprised me. However, naming after presidents may have stopped being common
by 1936; maybe my grandparents just simply didn't like a presidential name;
or maybe, since my grandfather married a Cherokee woman, and Andrew Jackson
was arguably the most anti-Indian president in US history (especially
anti-Cherokee, among others), my grandmother found the name Andrew Jackson
offensive. (I find it ironic that *ANDREW JACKSON* married a Cherokee
woman.)
This probably doesn't answer your question, but I have been curious about
naming practices also. (You should see my youngest daughter's Social Security
card; it says: Galiquoginei Unvquola -- seems Social Security can only handle
21 letters. Her full first name is Galiquoginei Unvquolatvi (Cherokee =
Seventh Rainbow) after my grandmother. Pronounce vowels like in Spanish, v
like u in but.)
I'd like to see more on the list about naming practices, also.
Hello out there,
Chuck Coker
CJCoker[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CSUPomona.Edu
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There have been no dragons in my life, only small spiders and stepping in gum.
I could have coped with the dragons.
Anonymous (but wise)
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