Jenre Genre

What’s in a name…no, no, no…boring way to start a blog entry. How about, ‘Jennifer’ is a fad name. 

I know, right????

According to Reader’s Digest magazine, (June 2014) and a writer named Tim Urban, ‘Jennifer’ was big during Generation X. In other words, my era. It’s fallen out, and is considered as dated as Cheryl, Shirley, or Linda. 

Exactly! Who names their daughters those, anymore? But really, even if it wasn’t my name, I’d still think it had a young ring to it. 

I’d asked my mom some time ago what I could’ve been named, and she said she toyed with Heather, Holly, and Amber. Hmmm…a flowery plant, a holiday shrub, and a fossil resin that could possibly hold a Jurassic era mosquito.

Say your own name aloud, and ask yourself if it truly sounds démodé. 

In truth, I do tend to shorten my name to others. (“Call me Jenn.”)  But there is the occasional flirty fella that will slur all eight letters on his vodka-soaked tongue, before ruminating about a ‘Jennifer’ he knew back in high school; usually on the pep squad, or the librarian’s nerdy student-assistant.

But, hey, I’m not the only one branded with a fad name. ‘Twihards’ and ‘Tributes’ that had babies in the last six years have spiked the movement for Katnisses, Bellas, Jacobs, Peetas…and maybe even something as Victorian as Edward. (Though I do find that name deliciously regal!)

However, the practice of passing down a family-name, antiquated though it may be, has that wanting of a little history in our future; of not allowing us to forget why a name was so important. I get it. My middle name came from a grandparent. My brothers combined names come from three relatives.  

To judge whether a name is dowdy, archaic, or no longer used is a waste of time; it only serves to fuel a bully’s stockpile of verbal munitions. So, if one introduces themselves to a stranger, she/he should state their name proudly. 

But if that stranger then chooses to snerk over your fad name, you can turn and leave them wondering why you chose not to learn theirs.