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Home › Politics

Politics | 01/09/2009 10:15 am

Will Lisa Bonet's Untraditional Baby Name Inspire Ana Ortiz?

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
Ana Ortiz reportedly expecting/Wikipedia

There must be something in Hollywood’s sparkling water! In case you haven’t noticed, there are some new mother-related trends springing up from the celebrated land. First, it seems more and more actresses are waiting until "later" in life to procreate. And then there are all those bizarre baby names.

For an example of our first observation, look no further than 37-year-old Ana Ortiz, who plays "Ugly Betty’s" older sister on the hit ABC series and is reportedly pregnant. Ortiz counts as the second cast mate to wait until later before jumping into motherhood. Fellow cast mate, the leggy actress Rebecca Romjin, at 36, gave birth to twin girls last week with her actor husband Jerry O’Connell. Romjin celebrated Ortiz’s announcement this week, telling Monsters and Critics, "I’m so happy for Ana. She is going to be such an amazing and fun mom. And if she has a boy, he’s already got two dates for the prom. And if she has a girl, she’s about to get a ton of hand-me-downs!"

Romijn and Connelly named their twins Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip, which, by Hollywood standards, are pretty tame. But other baby names, as you know, are simply wild. Actress Lisa Bonet, 41, of "The Cosby Show" fame, just welcomed her third child – Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa. According to a fansite for the "Life on Mars" actress, the baby’s name is Hawaiian. The translation, reported in the Daily News, means: Nakoa (warrior) Mana (strength/spirit) Kaua (rain) po (dark) Nakoa (warrior) Mana(strength/spirit) Kaua(rain) po(dark). 

Other untraditional baby names:
Apple (Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin)
Coco Riley (Courtney Cox-Arquette and David Arquette)
Suri (Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise)
Sunday Rose (Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban)
Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Trig (Sarah and Todd Palin)

Ortiz is due in July and is married to musician Noah Lebenzon. For goodness sake, let’s offer them some traditional baby names.
Read more about: ABC, Ana Ortiz, Entertainment, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lisa Bonet, News, Rebecca Romjin, Sarah Palin, Tom Cruise, Ugly Betty

35 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Sally K
I like names that speak to a particular child’s heritage and background, and what we have to remember is that this is a multicultural country. It’s a part of what makes our country the place that it is. I have worked with children all of my life, and I find it heartening that little Bianca plays alongside Muhammed as they both play with Gwyneth, Granya and Pietro. Let’s keep our eyes on the real issues, one of which is how to best educate Bianca, Muhammed, Gwyneth, Granya and Pietro to take their place in the modern world. And teaching to the tests ain’t it.
By Sally K on 01/09/2009 1:08 pm
HA BIBI
Sally, I agree. It is a wonderful thing that my children, both having unusual names, have always had friends that to, had unusual names. It is that that incorporates their heritage and brings the various cultures……Together
By HA BIBI on 01/09/2009 1:21 pm
Belinda Joy
Sally you make some important points for parents naming their children whatever they feel like in terms of their family’s ethnicity or culture. However, something that many people of color (specifically Blacks) do not take into consideration is we are unfortunately still a very “prejudiced” nation. I’m the Manager and H.R. director for a law firm and belong to several Human Resource organizations. A sad reality is MANY employers when reviewing resumes will immediately and without any second thought, dismiss resumes from people with names that are perceived as ethnic. Shaniqua Shaquan, Artiletus Jones, Shonte Williams, Esperanza Garcia, Muhammed Ahmed, etc. etc. etc. I can read your mind and that of my fellow bloggers, why should a family name their child a traditional, old fashioned American name just to assuage a racist H.R. employee reviewing incoming resumes? They shouldn’t have to. But that does not change the fact that these narrow minded people are indeed in a position to pick and choose who is considered for a job, and people like this will be in that position for many, many years to come. And the disturbing part is Shanique, Artiletus or Muhammed will never know why their home phone never rang offering them the option to come in for an interview. They will always be left with the assumption that they were being rejected on the basis of their skills, never knowing it was actually because of something as insignificant as their name. It’s a no win situation, but none the less something that families should (but sadly don’t) consider when caught up in the glow of a new born baby and the debate for naming that child.
By Belinda Joy on 01/09/2009 9:05 pm
Sally K
Belinda, unfortunately, I agree with you. At one point, I was employed as a job coach for women attempting to either enter for the first time, or re-enter the work force. What I, personally, find beautiful and wonderful in the area of names and celebration of people quite often says something quite different to others. In my own nuclear family, which is multicultural in the absolute extreme, many of us have de-ethnicized our names in the interests of economic survival. While such discrimination ,probably occurs more frequently in the case of people of color, it occurs to others as well. For my children, I gave them lovely family first names, and then culturally neutral middle names in case they wanted to join the corporate world. Thank God, none of them have gone in that direction, so I must have done something right. Thanks for your point of view, I appreciate it. Have a lovely weekend.
By Sally K on 01/09/2009 9:39 pm
Sally K
Belinda, unfortunately, I agree with you. At one point, I was employed as a job coach for women attempting to either enter for the first time, or re-enter the work force. What I, personally, find beautiful and wonderful in the area of names and celebration of people quite often says something quite different to others. In my own nuclear family, which is multicultural in the absolute extreme, many of us have de-ethnicized our names in the interests of economic survival. While such discrimination ,probably occurs more frequently in the case of people of color, it occurs to others as well. For my children, I gave them lovely family first names, and then culturally neutral middle names in case they wanted to join the corporate world. Thank God, none of them have gone in that direction, so I must have done something right. Thanks for your point of view, I appreciate it. Have a lovely weekend.
By Sally K on 01/09/2009 9:39 pm
Lee Harrison
Belinda, I think you’re absolutely right. There’s no reason to create roadblocks by saddling a child with a name that “labels” her or him. I also prefer female names that do not end in the “eee” sound…so they don’t sound like the diminutive of the name…just in case the girl wants to become president! President Belinda or Sarah or Elizabeth…but not President Amy, Peggy or Ellie!
By Lee Harrison on 01/10/2009 8:11 pm
CAROLINE MuLVEY
Very nicely said Sally. When you put it in those terms I totally agree !!
By CAROLINE MuLVEY on 01/09/2009 1:44 pm
Diana T
Poor kid when he/she tries to learn how to spell in kindegarten or first grade. And, the kid will be teased a whole lot; expect a change as soon as it’s 18 yrs. old. I don’t know; do the parents that give names like this every think about how it will affect the kid? Ethnic names are great, but too much of a good thing is, well, too much…
By Diana T on 01/09/2009 4:14 pm
rocky rocky
Diana T. Your name is “ethnic,” too. Try a little “reverse” exercise: How do you think a name like “Diana” sounds to someone whose native language is Swahili or Mandarin or Tsalagi?
By rocky rocky on 01/09/2009 4:35 pm
Diana T
Very difficult probably, but I do not think that the child we are discussing has plans to live there.
By Diana T on 01/09/2009 8:59 pm
rocky rocky
You have a point, Diana. However, the idea that anyone other than an Anglo-American is “ethnic” just doesn’t seem right or correct, considering how U.S. demographics are changing. I think children these days are learning via the wide variety of communication media —if they haven’t already learned—that we live in a big world and that our differences are plusses, not minuses. And if they aren’t learning that, we should all make an extra effort to help them see. Just my opinion.
By rocky rocky on 01/10/2009 9:40 am
rocky rocky
As people consistently reminded us during the campaign, Hawaii is a state in the good ole USA. And just like it is good and helpful and fun to know one’s heritage via our ancestors’ European language, it is good and helpful and fun to know one’s own heritage of Native American languages, if that’s the case, which includes Hawaiian, I believe. And I take exception to any name being called “normal” — “average” maybe, simple and familiar maybe, but just because it is common in London doesn’t mean it’s not normal. (grrrrrr)
By rocky rocky on 01/09/2009 4:30 pm
rocky rocky
And an impression about African-American naming traditions: When people have had their country, language, religion, and everything else that connects them to their past violently torn away and kept away for generations, why is it unusual or unacceptable for them to create anew their own names, their own spellings, their own “ethnicity”?
By rocky rocky on 01/09/2009 4:44 pm
rocky rocky
Thank you for your kind note, merrell g. Was I too acerbic? or perhaps too declarative. Apologies to all if so. I meant to point my ire (or angst) at conditions not individuals, definitions not character.
By rocky rocky on 01/11/2009 11:30 pm
CAROLINE MuLVEY
Wow !! I read every one’s (so far) opinion and not only are names different but in the long run we all have some ideas that connect us and some that are as different as names are. Good for all of you, I hope one day our children’ s children will become as different as all of your differences. Thank-You all for teaching me so much !!
By CAROLINE MuLVEY on 01/10/2009 11:36 am
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