Alex is going to be a Dad (again)!

[librarian_7]

Should we just start referring to him now as LO'L?

[Fleur de Lisa]

You've got to be kidding me.

Lion?

Sorry, but I am so over the whole celeb culture, baby naming thing. Apple. Inspektor Pilot (Jason Lee's kid). Moxie Crime Fighter (Penn Jillette). Lion.



Lucky---
Now I'm LOLing!!

[allegrita]

Ma Fleur, I must beg to differ with you very slightly, and most respectfully. I think it would be more accurate to say, "the whole creative culture, baby naming thing." I think there is a tendency among extremely clever, creative, intelligent people to use that creativity in naming their kids. I know for a fact that among creative people here in Southern California, most of whom have no pretense toward celebrity, there are many, many kids with names that lots of people would call outlandish. It's by no means limited to celebrities... they're just the folks whose kids' names we hear about. In fact, I think it's safe to say that Alex had no inkling at age 20, when Saxon was born, that he'd ever be a celebrity.

Whether other people think those creative folks are right or wrong to use their creativity in that particular way, they have every right to do it. And I think that kids raised by creative people are very lucky people in a lot of ways. They are surrounded by all the possibilities that the imagination can create. And when they get older, if they don't like their given name, they can choose another one. I think little Lion, however his name is pronounced, will be raised in such a way that he will be able to cope with everything the world throws at him... including possible criticisms of his name.

[Lucy]

The "h" messes with people.

I can relate. People never pronounced my name wrong but it really irritated me when they left the "h" out. Now that I'm older I've learned to let that go. I even skip the "h" if there's clearly a language barrier on the telephone; it isn't worth the energy.

I think I'm adapting to the name Lion- especially when I realized that it was the meaning of so many other names. And this is a man who named his other son "Saxon" which isn't exactly common either.

I feel like he has an ancient castle somewhere.....and one day the three of them will suit up in chain mail and armour and defend the moors. Until then, they'll sit at a round table.

[Lucy]

Ma Fleur, I must beg to differ with you very slightly, and most respectfully. I think it would be more accurate to say, "the whole creative culture, baby naming thing." I think there is a tendency among extremely clever, creative, intelligent people to use that creativity in naming their kids. I know for a fact that among creative people here in Southern California, most of whom have no pretense toward celebrity, there are many, many kids with names that lots of people would call outlandish. It's by no means limited to celebrities... they're just the folks whose kids' names we hear about. In fact, I think it's safe to say that Alex had no inkling at age 20, when Saxon was born, that he'd ever be a celebrity.

Whether other people think those creative folks are right or wrong to use their creativity in that particular way, they have every right to do it. And I think that kids raised by creative people are very lucky people in a lot of ways. They are surrounded by all the possibilities that the imagination can create. And when they get older, if they don't like their given name, they can choose another one. I think little Lion, however his name is pronounced, will be raised in such a way that he will be able to cope with everything the world throws at him... including possible criticisms of his name.

SHANNYN SOSSAMON has defended her choice to name her son AUDIO SCIENCE.
The KNIGHT'S TALE beauty gave birth to her first child in June (03), and
decided to name the tot after a word special to her.
She explains, "We wanted a word not a name, so my boyfriend read through
the dictionary three or four times.
"We were going to call him Science, but thought it might get shortened to
Sci, as in SIMON."
12/11/2003 21:09
In March 2012, she announced that she had given birth to her second son, Mortimer.



http://www.contactmusic.com/news-articl ... -baby-name

She's listed in the 50 Most Ridiculous Celebrity Baby Names
http://www.babble.com/celebrity/celebri ... -sossamon/

[cassysj]

Whether other people think those creative folks are right or wrong to use their creativity in that particular way, they have every right to do it. And I think that kids raised by creative people are very lucky people in a lot of ways. They are surrounded by all the possibilities that the imagination can create. And when they get older, if they don't like their given name, they can choose another one. I think little Lion, however his name is pronounced, will be raised in such a way that he will be able to cope with everything the world throws at him... including possible criticisms of his name.

That is a very good point. I'm reminded of Free Carradine (David Carradine and Barbara Hershey's son who must be near 40 now) He rejected the name Free totally and completely in his teens and changed it to Tom and his parents accepted it. David also has a daughter named Kansas because she was conceived in Kansas. I do agree that a lot of people non-celebrities give their children non-traditional names. A true story there is a child in the NYC public school system whose name is Abcd (pronounced Absidy and her parents aren't celebrities just wanted their child to have a unique name.

My name is not at all unique but it is an "old" name and there was no one my age that had it when I was growing up and I hated being different so I would have really hated a name like Abcd. I would go with a popular name if I was picking one for a child but that's just me. If you look in most kindergartens today what we all think of as normal names are rare and in twenty years there will be a "new" normal.

[francis]

It's Alex' and Malia's choice, so it's really none of my business. This day and age names can be so creative and different that being named John or Anne could be more of a stigma than being called Radio or Lion.
He could just go by Leo if he wanted to be more regular. But as I strongly believed no-one should be subjected to any kind of bullying, there shouldn't be bullying for his name either. Not later in high school, not now on the internet.

If he has nothing else to promote adolescent angst (like braces, scrawny bones, weird hair style, celebrity father, brother named Spike, slight Australian accent adopted from his father or whatever...), there is still the name to have angst about. Every teenager needs something.

[maggatha3]

I love the name Lion, girls! It is a name people only rarely give to their sons anymore in Greece, it is a good Greek name ,though ,that belonged to some emperors of the Byzantine empires. Here in Greece we pronounce it Lε-on. I was happy Alex chose it for his son, in my ''ears'' much better than Saxon...far better than Spike - almost as happy as when I heard his interview where he said that his dad named him after Alexander the Great. Besides...I love names with an ''L'' at the beginning or in.



BUT!! No matter what name Alex would choose for his baby...in my heart and eyes it is always Alex's baby - a baby that came in such a lovely time of his life - and it is too precious for me to ..care whether I like the name or not. His parents do...and hopefully he will too, when he grows up.

[MoonMarg]

Its an interesting name. I prefer Spike better - I think its cute. I know a few Spikes (although it isn't the officially name but more of a nickname they now go by). I also know a few Saxon's. I also know a few Leon's but definitely no Lion's!

And as long as Alex and Malia love it - it doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks.

[wpgrace]

Ma Fleur, I must beg to differ with you very slightly, and most respectfully. I think it would be more accurate to say, "the whole creative culture, baby naming thing." I think there is a tendency among extremely clever, creative, intelligent people to use that creativity in naming their kids. I know for a fact that among creative people here in Southern California, most of whom have no pretense toward celebrity, there are many, many kids with names that lots of people would call outlandish. It's by no means limited to celebrities... they're just the folks whose kids' names we hear about. In fact, I think it's safe to say that Alex had no inkling at age 20, when Saxon was born, that he'd ever be a celebrity.

Whether other people think those creative folks are right or wrong to use their creativity in that particular way, they have every right to do it. And I think that kids raised by creative people are very lucky people in a lot of ways. They are surrounded by all the possibilities that the imagination can create. And when they get older, if they don't like their given name, they can choose another one. I think little Lion, however his name is pronounced, will be raised in such a way that he will be able to cope with everything the world throws at him... including possible criticisms of his name.

This is similar to what I said on the previous page. Anyone who has been anywhere NEAR an elementary school in the last 10 years has delivered Valentine's and birthday invites to classmates with far more unusual names than Lion. Some are made up names that are simply melodic and pleasing to the parents, some are simply non AngloSaxon names, and aren't weird in India or Pakistan or Kenya or Romania, but seem challenging here TO PARENTS, but the children simply learn their classmates's names, and spellings, and move on. Yawn.

As I said, they are growing up with a president named Barack and a runner up named Mitt, and while that upsets Limbaugh and O'Reilly, it does not even register to young people. They celebrate every religious holiday and African, Latino, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian holidays and Holy days with equal interest. Plus Halloween. There is not a Mary or a Susan or a Tom anywhere near my son's class. There is a Sunjay, a Petunia, a LeKeshia, a Mamie, a Jasani, and a Stavros. Lion would fit right in.

And who the parents are still matters. Lion's parents are pretty and known; Malia's people are homefolks. It's not your father's school yard anymore, ladies. Lion's gonna be fine.

And Marg, I imagine Alex and Malia don't particularly care what the "world" thinks, outside of their own circle and local culture... Hawaii is a multicultural crossroads. It isn't Gary, Indiana or Camden, South Carolina, or Milton, Delaware. It's a place where Wo Fat doesn't seem like an overly odd name...

[PNWgal]

I don't believe we're talking about names that are commonplace in other cultures - my teenage niece informed me the last time we spent some time together that she has very few Caucasian friends and her friends all have names I would consider different, but they are perfectly "normal" (for lack of a better word) to those particular families. I work with names every day and I have seen some that are definitely weirder than Lion. I don't care for those names, either, but I laugh or raise my eyebrows and move on to the next.

My point, at least, is this Hollywood trend of coming up with the oddest names for their offspring smacks of attention-getting - it's not cute or clever to name your kid Audio Science, it's borderline cruel. Reese Witherspoon just named her new baby Tennessee, which I completely dig. I don't like Lion - personal opinion on my part. I am allowed to still have that, I assume. It all comes down to personal preference.

Just because a name is "normal", doesn't mean everyone's going to like it. My youngest niece's name is Flora - I hate it, but her mother loves it, and Flora is a beautiful little girl. My own mother put up such a hue and cry when I wanted to name PNW Jr. Joshua that I came up with something different - she hated the name Joshua. There's a very good reason my niece who's expecting won't share the name she and my nephew came up with - it's personal and special to them and they don't want anyone to rain on their parade.

Bottom line - I don't like it, but I don't have to like it. It isn't my kid and it's not going to change my life or keep me up at night. WTH does it matter to me if Alex names his kid Lion or Bob or Clyde or Santa Claus? Given there's so many other things in the world that should be worried about, this hardly registers on my Scale O' Stress. It's a topic of conversation, nothing more.

[allegrita]

Yeah, what she said.

[MickLifeCrisis]

[wpgrace]

I don't believe we're talking about names that are commonplace in other cultures - my teenage niece informed me the last time we spent some time together that she has very few Caucasian friends and her friends all have names I would consider different, but they are perfectly "normal" (for lack of a better word) to those particular families. I work with names every day and I have seen some that are definitely weirder than Lion. I don't care for those names, either, but I laugh or raise my eyebrows and move on to the next.

My point, at least, is this Hollywood trend of coming up with the oddest names for their offspring smacks of attention-getting - it's not cute or clever to name your kid Audio Science, it's borderline cruel. Reese Witherspoon just named her new baby Tennessee, which I completely dig. I don't like Lion - personal opinion on my part. I am allowed to still have that, I assume. It all comes down to personal preference.

Just because a name is "normal", doesn't mean everyone's going to like it. My youngest niece's name is Flora - I hate it, but her mother loves it, and Flora is a beautiful little girl. My own mother put up such a hue and cry when I wanted to name PNW Jr. Joshua that I came up with something different - she hated the name Joshua. There's a very good reason my niece who's expecting won't share the name she and my nephew came up with - it's personal and special to them and they don't want anyone to rain on their parade.

Bottom line - I don't like it, but I don't have to like it. It isn't my kid and it's not going to change my life or keep me up at night. WTH does it matter to me if Alex names his kid Lion or Bob or Clyde or Santa Claus? Given there's so many other things in the world that should be worried about, this hardly registers on my Scale O' Stress. It's a topic of conversation, nothing more.

Not sure how my point contravenes yours. You most certainly don't have to like Lion. But I also don't think you can assume the O'Jonses are going for attention-getting. That has been far from their style in all other ways, and as Alle, and I, have said, unusual names are not limited to Hollywood. Moreover' as i said, Hawaii is a different culture from Hollywood and from where most of us live. I would guess Lion means something to the O'Jonses... tho not my business really and I cannot know that for sure.

And I made my post because i think the assumption that he's only trying to get attention a la Hollywood is an unfair assumption, and because there have been other posts making the point the kid will be abused by having a weird name. I disagree with both assumptions. There are lots of "weird" names far far from Hollywood and the kids have no trouble with them. They do not have the same definition of "standard" that older people have. I think that point is valid. Whatever one thinks about Lion, younger people, certainly Lion's own generation and my children's too, don't get all bunched up and judgemental about anybody's name. It's a different era.

And yes, it is a topic of conversation. That child's name changes no one's life but his own. Tho his parents love will matter far more than his name. You most def get to have your opinion about it and about the controversy that inevitably arises every time Alex takes a breath. I do too, though, right?

[aolver]

I don't believe we're talking about names that are commonplace in other cultures - my teenage niece informed me the last time we spent some time together that she has very few Caucasian friends and her friends all have names I would consider different, but they are perfectly "normal" (for lack of a better word) to those particular families. I work with names every day and I have seen some that are definitely weirder than Lion. I don't care for those names, either, but I laugh or raise my eyebrows and move on to the next.

My point, at least, is this Hollywood trend of coming up with the oddest names for their offspring smacks of attention-getting - it's not cute or clever to name your kid Audio Science, it's borderline cruel. Reese Witherspoon just named her new baby Tennessee, which I completely dig. I don't like Lion - personal opinion on my part. I am allowed to still have that, I assume. It all comes down to personal preference.

Just because a name is "normal", doesn't mean everyone's going to like it. My youngest niece's name is Flora - I hate it, but her mother loves it, and Flora is a beautiful little girl. My own mother put up such a hue and cry when I wanted to name PNW Jr. Joshua that I came up with something different - she hated the name Joshua. There's a very good reason my niece who's expecting won't share the name she and my nephew came up with - it's personal and special to them and they don't want anyone to rain on their parade.

Bottom line - I don't like it, but I don't have to like it. It isn't my kid and it's not going to change my life or keep me up at night. WTH does it matter to me if Alex names his kid Lion or Bob or Clyde or Santa Claus? Given there's so many other things in the world that should be worried about, this hardly registers on my Scale O' Stress. It's a topic of conversation, nothing more.

Yep...still don't like it. Guess I'm too old to dig this new trend. And names like Punjab or Barak are real names of those cultures... Indian and Muslim. Tula says Lion is a name of the ancient Greek culture, so it is obviously a real name, and not something made up like Moon Unit. Still not caring for it much though. But how I feel about it doesn't matter. I AM eternally grateful for having a "normal" name. (and yes, everyone had a normal name back then) Thank you mom.