What’s in a name?
How did you name your children? What does your surname mean to you?
At a time of rapidly changing family arrangements, Dr Deb Dempsey from Swinburne University of Technology and Associate Professor Jo Lindsay from Monash University are looking to answer these and other questions about the meaning to parents of family and given names.
"At a period in Australian history where women's adoption of their husband's name on marriage is a choice rather than a legal mandate, and 35 per cent of Australian children are born to unmarried, same-sex or differently surnamed parents, it's time to explore naming practices," Dr Dempsey said.
"Many married women retain their birth name, and divorce gives rise to step and blended families whose members may have several different names, so surnames have lost much of their meaning as symbols of connectedness.
"Naming decisions may be guided by culture and tradition. They may also be shaped by our sense of connection or belonging to family history, other identity issues, personal taste and fashion," Dr Dempsey said. "We know very little about what Australians think about this topic."
In addition, the researchers are looking at how parents name their children.
"Naming their children is a decision parents spend a great deal of time discussing yet we know little about the taste or relational considerations that influence this process or how people feel about it," Dr Dempsey said.
The researchers are looking for a wide range of Australian parents to take part in an online survey or a telephone interview.
Find the survey at: http://whatsinanameaus.wordpress.com/
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Friday, 02 December 2011
Thursday, 08 December 2011
We ended up with the same name i gave to the main character in my Children's Picture Book series. Given our backgrounds & stories based around surfing, skating, snowboarding, it is relevant we chose 'Maiso' as a name for our son & character of Active Kids Books.
Maiso Malie; means 'Surf Boy' in native Australian dialect, found in a english (cross) aboriginal dictionary from the Cooma Library.
My Daughter is named Tiger-lily, after the beautiful flower thats not too soft & delicate but strong & vibrant. Plus, my grandmother has always grown Tiger-lily's in her garden ever since reaching Austrlia as a migrant.