Twenty-Nine Gazza's. Published Bracknell News free paper. Sept 2007

I do family history research and there is no doubt that many of the names that appear time after time on the hundred year census returns have long been out of fashion, especially the two unfortunate females that, born during the Boer war on the day of the the relief of Mafeking took place, were patriotically baptised Mafeking.
Although Victoria, Louise and Charlotte, due to their Royal connections are still popular with the upper classes, I can’t see the names of Edith, Nora or Gladys so often used by the poorer levels of society ever making a comeback; while names like Beryl, Joan and Susan, which were popular half a century later, have faded into obscurity.

I was in my granddaughter’s nursery school cloakroom the other day and while I was waiting for her to come out, went through the names on the forest of waist high coat pegs. It was fascinating to see that old fashioned male names appear to have gone full circle, although foreshortened versions of those old favourites are now the norm. It made me wonder whether Harry’s mother realises in pre Charles and Diana days it was really a shortening of Harold.
I was glad to see though, that apart from one or two exotic choices John, James and even a Phillip or two, are still going strong,

The girl’s coat pegs were quite an eye opener. Considering the hissy fits young females throw over anything that makes them stand apart from their peers, I reckon as admirable as some places and people are, naming them London, Arizona, or Cheyenne after a Red Indian tribe, is a pretty cruel thing to do to a daughter

When they’re gazing at their newly delivered little bundle of joy, before finally settling on a name I think parents should be forced to shout out a few stock, parental demands across the hospital bed, such as: Arizona Reynolds, come and get your coat on this minute …Or: Cheyenne Jones, if you do that one more time, I’m telling your father! And then there’s my favourite [with apologies to Bob Geldorf] - Trixie Belle Smith, get indoors right now and do your homework!

I thought that was as bad as it could get, but not long ago I read that a trawl through birth registrations from the last few years threw up six Gandolph’s, two Supermen, two Rebok’s, one Addidas, twenty nine Gazza’s, thirty six Arsenal’s both male and female, And wait for it … 1,191 Tigers!

But for me, the worst example was a beautiful young American girl who had been named Brie. What a shame her parents were unaware of the existence of that popular French, soft runny cheese.