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Sarah Palin Named Daughter Bristol After ESPN (Sort Of)

by Elise Nersesian (Subscribe to Elise Nersesian's posts)
Feb 6th 2009 1:00PM

382Comments

Filed under: Celeb Parents

Sarah Palin recently sat down with Esquire for a controversial interview, during which explained the meaning behind her daughter Bristol's name.

"Two meanings in Bristol's name," Palin began. "I worked at the Bristol Inn and Todd grew up in Bristol Bay. But also, Bristol, Connecticut, is the home of ESPN. And when I was in high school, my desire was to be a sportscaster. ESPN was just kicking off, just getting off the ground, and I thought that's what I was going to do in life, is be one of the first woman sportscasters."

Palin Family Album

    Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband Todd have five children with short, masculine and certainly unique names: Track, 19, Bristol, 18, (with Levi Johnston), Willow, 14, Piper, 7, and Trig, 8 months (not pictured). Read More

    Fredy Perojo, AOL

    "We both love each other," Levi Johnston, 18, told the AP in a rare interview about his relationship with 18-year-old Bristol Palin. "We both want to marry each other. And that's what we are going to do."

    Paul Sancya, AP

    Levi Johnston called himself a "redneck' on his MySpace page.

    Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

    Sarah Palin initially hid her pregnancy with Trig from the public, causing rumors that Trig was her grandson via Bristol.

    Win McNamee, Getty Images

    Gov. Sarah Palin, her husband Todd, and daughters Bristol,16, right, and Piper, 5, at the end of a 2006 inauguration ceremony in Fairbanks. Palin, 42, is the first female and youngest governor of Alaska.

    Al Grillo, AP

    "Trig is beautiful and already adored by us," read a statement by the Palin when Trig was born on April 18. "We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed."

    Paul J. Richards, AFP / Getty Images

    "Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned," the Palins's statement said when they announced her pregnancy. "As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows that she has our unconditional love and support."

    Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images

    Chuck Heath, 70, (pictured with wife Sally), Sarah Palin's father, said gift boxes for his newest grandson are piling up in the governor's mail room from all over the world. There's no way the family will ever be able to answer every letter, he said, although they are trying.

    Charlie Neibergall, AP

    Then-Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, her daughters, Piper, Willow, and husband Todd walk out onto the ice to drop the ceremonial first puck before a St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings hockey game.

    Whitney Curtis, Getty Images

    Sherry Johnston, Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston's other grandma -- besides Sarah Palin -- pled not guilty for charges of selling OxyContin. "I was in pain, and I'm still in pain," she told People.com.

    Al Grillo, AP



By giving her kids offbeat names (Will, Piper, Trig, Track and Britsol) it seems Palin wants her kids to have an edge to them. These names are short, masculine and certainly unique. And kids with masculine names are encouraged to pursue traditionally male fields like science, as opposed to girls with more feminine names, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Human Resources. Could be Palin wanted to give Bristol a strong name in case she decides to run for office one day.

In unrelated news, a New York federal judge criticized Palin for carrying her son Trig on stage after a vice-presidential debate last year. "That kid was used as a prop," said U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald during a settlement conference involving a little boy with Asperger's syndrome. "And that to me as a parent blew my mind."

That's not exactly fair. Her entire family stepped on stage after the debate; it's not as if she carried Trig on alone. If Trig hadn't come on stage, Palin would have been accused of "hiding" her son. If he does come on stage, she's accused of using him like a "prop."

The woman can't win. Would do you think?

Tags: baby names, BabyNames, bristol palin, BristolPalin, celebrity babies, CelebrityBabies, photo gallery, PhotoGallery, sarah palin, SarahPalin, unusual names, UnusualNames

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