The debate over gun control in America has popped up a lot in the past few years in the US, but I never thought it would eventually have this impact. Parents are naming their children after guns. And they’re doing it so frequently that the name Gunner (with the help of Gunnar) even made the Top 200 list for boys.
Nameberry, a baby names site, says names related to guns and their manufacturers in the US are among the most dominant “violent names on the rise.” The site also notes that the name Cannon made the boys’ Top 1000 list. There are more names that parents apparently chose for their children — though, they’re not nearly as popular — in 2014, including Trigger, Shooter, Calibre, Magnum, and Pistol. The manufacturer names Barrett, Remington, Kimber, Ruger, Wesson, Browning, Benelli and Beretta have also started to crop up as of late.
Looking past the fact that the children who grow up with these names could end up having a major complex as a result of their title, naming children after firearms is just mean. It’s possible parents feel that naming their children after weapons will help the kid not be bullied or grow up tough. But the opposite is more likely and there’s just one reason why: Kids are mean. On the playground youngsters named after inanimate objects will face ridicule.
Nameberry didn’t try to guess the reason for why so many parents are picking intimidating names. But one thing is clear: it’s a scary time to be a baby.
Image credit: PROwoodleywonderworks / CC BY 2.0