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Celebrity Baby Name Update: Will Nicole Richie's Sparrow Fly?
Filed under: Celeb Kids, Celeb Parents, Baby Names, New In Pop Culture
What makes celebrity baby names strike a nerve? Sometimes they're cutting-edge stylish, like Maddox, Angelina Jolie's litte boy. Sometimes they're offbeat, like Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter named Apple. Once in a long while they're truly eye-popping, like Bronx Mowgli, Ashlee Simpson's son. So what's the secret behind the latest water-cooler sensation, Sparrow?
Sparrow Midnight Madden is the newborn son of reality-TV star Nicole Richie and musician Joel Madden. Sparrow's big sister Harlow was a style maker, widely hailed as one of Hollywood's most fashionably named kids. The name Sparrow, though, is meeting with a much cooler reception.
The problem? Well, it's certainly offbeat. Few of us have ever heard of a person named Sparrow. The real point of contention, though, seems to be that the name sounds feminine.
It's curious that a name you've never heard of can feel too feminine. It's not the sound of Sparrow that does it -- when words like Shadow and Arrow show up as names, they're usually masculine. The issue is the sparrow bird itself. The charming little parts of nature, including flowers and songbirds, are expected to end up in the girls' names column. (Somewhere out there, a macho male sparrow is chirping in resentment as it tears a bug limb from limb.)
In our society, a female with a slightly masculine name is usually considered the height of style. Think of Cameron Diaz and Hayden Panettiere. A male with a slightly feminine name, though, can be an embarrassment. Young Sparrow has run into that double standard.
If you'd like to read more about Sparrow and all the latest famous baby names, take a tour of the new site NameCandy.com. You'll find a daily celebrity name blog, a baby name lookup to see who in Hollywood has chosen your favorite name and, best of all, the second home of me, The Name Lady.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
9-17-2009 @ 5:30PM
Mary Sullivan said...It's none of my biz, but when I first heard the name, I thought Sparrow for a boy is a little too feminine, yeah...because of the image of that little bird, like you said. It's cute, but...
Then again--not my bambino, so none of my business ;)
Mary
http://www.squidoo.com/greatfamilymovies
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9-21-2009 @ 3:59AM
Bunny said...Nicole richey is an unthinkful airhead. I lost respect for her when she said thoses mean things about her father lionel richey. He raised her as his own and gave her everything and he still supports her no matter what she did. The person who is your family and your father is the one who took care of you through everything. She go celebrity status through daddy. I glad she has a man and has to beautiful children that is wonderful. But I could careless what she named her son it's not big news at all to me. She needs to grow up and get a clue and learn some manners and become a real woman. I wonder how she would feel if one of her sons grew up and said the ugly things she said on televisions about her stepfather lionel richey. Stop starving yourself, put on a few pounds be proud of who you are and your dad and then blow off the world and tell them about your happiness. Until she gets a better attitude and grows up and stop just thinking about herself only maybe someone will actually care but until then who gives a flying holy crap about her or anything she does.
9-19-2009 @ 6:41PM
A Britt said...I'm sorry, but what about old fashion values? This is Nichole and Joel's second child together...why are we talking about names and not the fact that they have yet to get married??? We wonder at the downturn of morals in our culture and tsk, tsk at the teen pregnancy rate yet no one talks about it when it is with a celebrity? Not that I blame Nichole and Joel for wanting children, they are wonderful gems. And I have heard rumors that Nichole would like to marry her boyfriend...great! But why are they talking and not acting on it? And why is it just now coming up? I am sick and tired of celebrities getting a free pass just because they have money. They are not held accountable for their actions...set an example people!!!
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12-28-2009 @ 3:41PM
Sarah said...What about Robin? That's a boys name! Only recently have I noticed girls stealing it with spellings like "Robyn." Robin Hood suffers no emasculation for sharing a name with a bird.
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