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  • #1

    Names

    OK...so it is a bit early to start thinking about names, but I've got a bit of a dilemna already. If the baby is a boy, Thomas is adament that the child's middle name be named after his father who recently passed away. This is very reasonable and I understand why this is so important to him. Thomas' dad's name was Adolf though...and really, at the end of the day, I guess I don't have a huge problem with this...we wouldn't be naming the child after hitler, but after Thomas' father...who was named after hitler...but you know...that is a part of history and the history of some of Thomas' relatives. However, there are a lot of people that find this wildly offensive.....I'm not really sure how we would handle this...or what to do. Does anyone have any early pregnancy thoughts for me on this?


    kris
    ~Mom of 5, married to an ID doc
    ~A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss
    Tags: None
  • #2
    If you guys want to give the baby "Adolf" as a middle name I wouldn't worry about it. If someone gets offended at a common German name given to the child of a German father then that offended person needs to get a grip and find more important things to be offended by. I say name him/her what you want and tell anyone who protests the name to stick to naming their own children.
    Who uses a machete to cut through red tape
    With fingernails that shine like justice
    And a voice that is dark like tinted glass

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    • #3
      If it means a lot to your husband, then I guess I wouldn't worry about the other people's reactions. Maybe if you just tell them you are honoring your husband's father and leave it at that. Who could possibly find offense in that?
      Awake is the new sleep!

      Comment

      • #4
        Unless you want to play with it, Kris, and tell them what Sue said which is that the name is in honor of your husband's late father, Adolf. And then you could say, "Yes, his father was a very important man who played a prominant role in WWII." That would freak them out!

        Just kidding. A little.
        Who uses a machete to cut through red tape
        With fingernails that shine like justice
        And a voice that is dark like tinted glass

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        • #5
          heheeh

          Well...if the truth be told, Thomas' grandfather was an SS officer and the reason that Thomas' dad was named Adolf was actually to honor hitler This is not something that Thomas' dad or Thomas embraced though.....I mean..obviously that was the 'zeitgeist' at that time....and I think that honoring his father that way would be a beautiful thing...

          kris
          ~Mom of 5, married to an ID doc
          ~A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

          Comment

          • #6
            Well, I think you should go for it if you both feel it is a good name. I do think you could have some fun with nosy dorks who have "issues" with the name. :P Heck, you can even tell them the truth of how the name came about and leave it at that! (In other words if they're going to get their panties in a wad over a name you can have some fun with it at least!) :P It's not like people stopped naming their kids "Theodore" after Ted Bundy was caught for goodness sakes! People can be really weird sometimes.
            Who uses a machete to cut through red tape
            With fingernails that shine like justice
            And a voice that is dark like tinted glass

            Comment

            • #7
              My opinion (and I would never say if you hadn't directly asked) is that I really, really would advise against the name Adolf. Life is hard enough without being saddled with a name almost universally associated with history's greatest monster. Yes, he can explain that he's actually named after his wonderful grandfather, but how many people won't give him that chance, but will just make silent assumptions instead? Surely there's a way to honor your father-in-law that won't require your son having to face raised eyebrows and explain himself countless times over the next 80 years.

              I have two middle names, and even THAT I've had to explain over and over and found mildly embarrassing as a kid and occasionally annoying as an adult. And it comes up surprisingly frequently. Both of my brothers have dropped their second middle names. What's the chance your kid is going to enjoy being named Adolf?

              I'd go with the father-in-law's middle name as the baby's middle name.

              (Sorry for the rant. Even if you name him Adolf I'll still cheer when he's born and enjoy hearing stories about him. 8))
              Married to a hematopathologist seven years out of training.
              Raising three girls, 11, 9, and 2.

              “That was the thing about the world: it wasn't that things were harder than you thought they were going to be, it was that they were hard in ways that you didn't expect.”
              ― Lev Grossman, The Magician King

              Comment

              • #8
                Well, Julie does have a good point - society often does judge a person with a name that is universally seen in a certain light. I guess since your son would be living in the US presumably for his childhood it would be a kind thing not to give him a name that could cause problems.

                Is there a variation of Adolph that you could possibly use as the middle name or use (as Julie suggested) your fil's middle name instead?

                Anyway, I vetoed my husband's first choice of name for our son - Wolfgang. No joke.

                I think this may be an American culture thing more than anything else. I mean, if someone took over the US and began invading Canada and Mexico, slaughtering entire ethnic groups and the handicapped and his name was "Bob" I think we would still have that name used in our society. It would be regarded as coincidence purely. BUT that same name would go down in infamy in every other nation on earth. Bob would be sinonymous with death and destruction for Brazilians for example. Anyway, I am thinking about this waaaaay too much and I'm going to shut up now and get off the computer. Sue's right, I need a life! :P
                Who uses a machete to cut through red tape
                With fingernails that shine like justice
                And a voice that is dark like tinted glass

                Comment

                • #9
                  Hi Kris,

                  Have you considered the name Adolphus? It is still honoring your father-in-law's name. After I made this statement, I researched both names and their meanings. Here's something to think about also.

                  ADOLF m German
                  Pronounced: A-dawlf
                  Modern form of the Germanic name Adalwolf, which meant "noble wolf" from the Germanic elements adal meaning "noble" and wulf. Association with Adolf Hitler has lessened the use of this name. He was the leader of the fascist Nazi party in Germany during World War II.

                  ADOLPHUS m Swedish
                  Latinized form of ADOLF. This name has been used by kings of Sweden.

                  This information can be found on Behind the Name Web site
                  http://www.behindthename.com/nm/a.html

                  I try to give information to back my opinion. Think of your child and how it would affect him in the future. Afterwards, if you and your husband are okay with your decision, yes or no to Adolf, then everyone else should be, too. I wish you the best with your decision.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    names

                    Well, I'm torn on this issue too..maybe it will be a girl and the whole thing will be a mute point? 8) Thomas feels strongly that there is no problem with this...though even in Germany people do not give the first name of Adolf anymore.....In the grand scheme of things, how many people do know your middle name? Well...I guess you have to put your full name on a job application, etc....though it might be a good icebreaker? Gosh, I don't know!!!

                    (Please God let it be a girl)

                    I do think that some of this is a cultural issue...in europe it is naturally understood that the first or at least middle name would be given from the deceased grandfather....We encountered a LOT of problems actually with the fact that our daughter is actually named Amanda-Fionnuala. She was born in Northern Ireland and we gave her the middle name of a dear family friend who is also irish...this is a way for us to preserve something neat about our daughter...that she was born in N. Ireland...and a chance ot honor a family friend....In any case, many, many, many people berated us for the "weird" name...and I was even told by a pretty good friend that I should change the spelling to make it more 'american'...the name is pronounced fanula...and we were told to 'change the spelling'. We have gotten plenty of weird comments about the name and no one seems to care about the meaning behind it. Our daughter is quite proud to call herself 'Finny' though...

                    Of course...there is a big difference between Fionnuala and Adolf

                    Oi...please let it be a girl...


                    kris

                    you KNOW it will be a boy and I'll have to tackle this issue
                    ~Mom of 5, married to an ID doc
                    ~A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      For the record, I LOVE the name Finny (and Fionnuala, which I correctly guessed the pronunciation of ).

                      And the naming thing is definitely a cultural issue. That's why you have to consider the culture your kid will be living in, though.

                      Good luck!
                      Married to a hematopathologist seven years out of training.
                      Raising three girls, 11, 9, and 2.

                      “That was the thing about the world: it wasn't that things were harder than you thought they were going to be, it was that they were hard in ways that you didn't expect.”
                      ― Lev Grossman, The Magician King

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Hmm, I see Julie's point, too. I was thinking only of how you would deal with the reaction when you told people his name, but didn't really think of what it would be like for the kid to have that name. Would your husband consider a variation or using the middle name like someone else suggested? It does seem silly to choose a name based on other's perceptions but at the same time you don't want the kid to get teased or judged. That's a tough one--how soon till you find out the sex???
                        Awake is the new sleep!

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          This is a tough one and I totally understand your husband's desire to have the baby's middle name be after his father. We did that with all our boys. Now Russ' dad's name is Myron. I know it isn't Adolf but .... honestly, I just couldn't get over the fact that I don't like the name Myron. HOWEVER, Russ' dad was called Mike by his friends and so we named our third boy Tyler Michael. Did your FIL have a nickname or some other name that would still honor him without calling him Adolf? I would look at all the possibilities first. Of all the names, I really think Adolf would be a difficult one to have. GOOD luck. I will hope you have a girl too!

                          Robin

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                          • #14
                            Adolphus might be a real possibility. That name doesn't seem to ruffle to many feathers. There's even a huge hotel in Dallas called "The Adolphus" that is quite nice. Just thought I'd throw that in there!
                            Who uses a machete to cut through red tape
                            With fingernails that shine like justice
                            And a voice that is dark like tinted glass

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              The Adolphus Hotel crossed my mind as I was typing the suggestion. My dh and I moved to Florida from Dallas(I totally miss it, too).

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