Remember when we thought Apple was an outlandish name? How far we've come in such a short, short time.
Although there was some sweetness and triumph in the Egyptian family who named their daughter Facebook to honor the role the social network played in the protests and political uprising in their country, it certainly must have sent a shudder to grandmothers-to-be worldwide who feared their kids would birth babies with tech-inspired names.
I have friends who have faced the wrath of the grandparents simply for not choosing family names for their newborns. I know others whose parents have completely refused to ever say their grandchildren's ridiculous unique names aloud, artfully making "little pumpkin" or "sweetheart" stretch for ten or more years. Can you imagine the grandparent gasket-blowing that happened when someone -- a real, live someone -- had "Google" typed on their birth certificate? Or when a teensy human had "2.0" tacked on to his surname? That's just asking for even more awkward Thanksgiving dinner conversation than usual, don't you think?
This week, an Israeli couple added to the naming sensation by choosing to call their brand new baby girl "Like" after Facebook's thumbs-up feature on status updates, links, and comments by friends. The parents' intention was to find a name that is unique (check), modern (done) and expresses their affection (sure?).
Their reasoning, as explained to a local newspaper, might surprisingly elicit some "awws".
"We named her Like because it's modern and innovative. I checked that the name does not exist elsewhere in the country, that was the main condition for me. In our opinion it's the modern equivalent of the name Ahava (Love). It's just my way of saying to my fantastic daughter, 'love'," Like's father, Lior Adler, said.
That li'l Like joins sisters Pie (chosen because their parents love to cook) and Vash (the Hebrew word for "honey") will probably have to shaking your head, however. It's no surprise that the newest name announcement produced many (yep, you guessed it) likes on Adler's Facebook page.
Pregnant ladies and papas-to-be: LinkedIn, anyone? Perhaps there's an App in your family's future? Should your little bundle be called Retweet?
More on Shine:
- The most popular baby names: Welcome back, Jacob. So long, Elvis
- Facebook Fridays: What Shine readers are buzzing about
- Questions to ask before you have a baby
