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Bored Panda spoke with Lynn How, the author of “Positive Young Mind,” an experienced educator and life coach who specializes in supporting educators, parents, and children with improving and preventing of mental health issues. Lynn also runs this Facebook teacher coaching group that offers support in either leaving, changing their mindset, changing their schools or setting healthy work/life boundaries.
Having been an educator for 20 years in 6 schools and in various roles, Lynn has seen a huge amount of various children’s names. “I'm from the UK so our most popular names differ slightly from those across the pond! There are certainly fads when it comes to popular names. A decade ago, for example, I taught 5 Matthews at the same time! Not so many about now in primary school,” Lynn said.
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“Different cultures have their own most popular list but I would say that in the UK, some traditional names are still very popular, such as Joshua and Jacob.” Moreover, Lynn argues that “for girls, many names that were reserved for the older generation are coming back into fashion, such as Molly and Elsa.”The professional educator added that she has worked in a number of schools and the type of name is very dependent on the demographic of the students.
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According to Lynn, names are coupled with identity so it is an important choice and very personal to individuals. “I remember being worried about people liking our chosen names for our children and not revealing them in case others we knew used them first! As a teacher, naming children is harder as there are so many students that you associate with certain names.”
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“When naming my children, I considered whether it would look ok on a CV when they are older and whether it sounds ok screamed across a crowded playground,” Lynn recounted. “If you are undecided, use the scream test for your chosen name. For example, shout '*chosen name*, get back here now' at the top of your voice, and see how it sounds.”
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Lynn also said that it's lovely for children to have interesting names but added that “sometimes calling them names that are associated with other things can be problematic.” She recounted: “I knew a Gabriel who was far from an angel, for example. I also knew a very unoriginal William Williams. Just consider whether your child will be happy with their name at 25.”
Having said that, the educator concluded that “nothing is set in stone and if children wish to legally change their names, then they can.”
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