Names like Lady Gaga, Beckham, Rhianna, The Boss, Tebow, and Madonna, might all sound cool but other than the one thing in common they have, which is that they are recognizable celebrity names or nicknames and that any company would die to have them be their celebrity spokesperson, they all also all have real birth given names and surnames. For example, who the public might recognize as famous R & B singer Rhianna her closest friends and family members know her as Rhianna Hannah Louise Kenny.

Even though there are many famous celebrities, musicians, artists and athletes that go by only one name or a nickname that doesn't mean you can go around telling people to refer to you by one name when walking around the streets of your home town. Surnames and given names are what make us who we are. There's a line of dialogue that was once uttered on the critically acclaimed HBO TV series 'The Wire' that you might have watched when it aired and went like this: "My name is my name!"

What the character that said those words was trying to say was that there's only one person with his name and people know you by your name. The name you were born with is the name that you will more than likely use for the rest of your life and that you might even use if you one day own your own business that you name after yourself. Whether your parents named you Carrie, Bruce, Mersiha, Maya, Craig or Joseph that's the name that was chosen for you.

The surname that goes along with your given name is a family tradition and can help you trace your roots if you ever want to know where your family came from. Generations and generations of people have grown up with a particular surname and that surname is a tradition that will hopefully be passed down to future generations. If you ever have children of your own you'll be tasked with the responsibility of choosing a name to give them while also passing along the family surname to them.

Some folks registered Internet domains with their name -- if for no other reason but to keep someone else from nabbing it! But for other folks, their name is their brand.

Many celebrities have come under scrutiny in recent years for giving their children unusual names like Apple, Suri, Kal-El, Pilot Inspektor, Kyd, Tu Morrow or Jermajesty but that's their choice. Just because we may not agree with their choice of naming their children after a piece of fruit or a name that Canadians would have a hard time pronouncing doesn't mean we can stop them from doing so.

The same notion applies to any name you give your children. They're your children and you can name them whatever want. However, you should keep in mind that they might be ridiculed by other children for their name if it's out of the ordinary so you might want to keep that in mind if say your last name is Chris and you want to name your child Chris Chris. It's a just a suggestion. :-)



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