A rose by any other name.

One important part of my research deals with taxonomy, the science of naming things and organizing them into a classification.  A interesting facet of taxonomy is etymology, or the meaning behind a scientific name.  Often these are Latin or Greek roots that have been adapted into English sounding words.  Sometimes the names are based on where the organism was first found, or are based on the name of the person finding them.  You can also name things for other people, a high honor in many circles.

Take for example the genus of snails I did my dissertation on, Lithasia.  Now that genus name actually tells you about the snail.  The root of the word is lithos, meaning rock.  The common name for this group is the rocksnails.  You find them in fast flowing water living on rocks.  Cool.  Now let's look at one of the species in the genus, Lithasia verrucosa.  The root verrucose means warty.  So, if you went looking for this snail, you should look for one that lives on rocks and has a warty shell.  And, surprisingly enough, it does.

I stress this same point with students in class, that if you can break down the roots of words, you can learn things easier, especially if it's a concept or a term you have not encountered before.  Some common pairings of suffix/prefix and meaning are: exo-out; endo-in; cyto-cell; chloro-green; rhodo-red; chryso-gold; rhino-nose; grandi-large; and so on.  It's really a cool study and once you get a few of the easy ones, it becomes a useful tool.

Human baby names have some basis in etymology as well.  Many names are based on these same roots, just in different usages and forms.  Some are translated from older bygone languages where a common root name has evolved into many recent names.  There are familial names, passed on from generation to generation.  There are names that denote some physical feature, like naming a boy with red hair Rusty.  Seasonal name exist too; have a girl in October and name her Autumn.

With that behind us, will someone please explain to me how we came to a point in our existence where the following are real, acceptable names?

* Shabeka

* Arcticia Oshun (yes, like Arctic Ocean)

* Yllanif (finally spelled backwards)

* Donkeydia

* Shoushounova

I embrace diversity in as many things as I can, but honestly people, WTF?  The data says that most of these names are possessed by African Americans.  How did their mothers come up with these combinations?  I attempted to take a Wiki trip and got nowhere fast.  Whatever the cause it can lead to some soured racial dynamic, especially when the "whites" call the "blacks" ignorant for "cursing" their children with unspeakable (if not unpronounceable) names.  Not that the caucasians haven't drummed up their own gems:

* Trigg

* Track

* Bristol

Those three alone get to join their sibs Piper and Willow in the Sarah Palin household (dontcha know).  We know of the Lear daughter Shanda.  And the birth records for every Kandy Kain, Ima Hogg, Sandy Beach, and Paige Turner are the things of (urban?) legend.  And who can forget the Zappa kids, Moon Unit and Dweezil?  Or Soleil Moon Frye?

Honestly, what are we trying to prove with these names?  Uniqueness is one thing, but we really ought to be showing some discretion.  Just because you can name your child Monkeywrench Chimpthrowingcrap Johnson doesn't mean you should.  And if you are going to be the tenth generation of Dikshit (a real last name in town), God bless you.  Here's hoping to see more Marys and Josephs before belong.

Footnote: Media mogul Oprah Winfrey's name is actually a mistake, according to some sources.  She was to be named Orpah, after the saint, but the midwife in Kosciusko, MS transposed the letters.