Be Careful, Mr. & Mrs. Jones

Naming children is fraught with potential mishaps.

When my sisters were in grammar school, they had a friend named Nancy Ann, a fairly common girl's name in the late 50's-early 60's. Her last name was Cianci. I've often wondered if her parents ever said that full name aloud before sending their unsuspecting daughter into the world.

How about initials? My wife and I tried steering clear of some of the obvious not-optimum combinations when we were picking names. First names starting with "B" or "T" seemed wise to avoid. For a similar reason, Star Wars also helped us put first names starting with "O" further down our list. It goes without saying that had we had a son, Martin would not have been in the running. And with all due respect to the parents of the Governor of my beloved State, even considering the seldom-used first name of Barton for a boy seemed like a cruel joke.  

If like me, you've ever tried using people's initials to help recall names, I'm sure you've stumbled across a few that have given you pause - Tom Vincent, Barbara Smith, Valerie combined with any last name starting with "D".  It can get much worse. For obvious reasons, I'm hoping my daughter prints and saves this post.