So They Named Her Charlotte
As soon as I saw that Charlotte was in the running for the royal baby, I knew that my classically elegant, not so popular baby name was in trouble. I thought I was safe because of Prince George, but clearly Kate put her foot down on number two. Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Obviously I’m biased, but they really hit it out of the park this time around. My name, Jessica, was the most popular baby name in the 80’s when I was born. I learned that my name wasn’t particularly distinctive and I quickly made my peace with the fact that when my teachers said "Jessica" 20% of the class turned their heads. I didn’t even recognize the beauty of my name until I was older and heard it less frequently out in the world. Now, Jessica hasn’t even graced the top 100 list in the past 5 years, and I think what a shame, it is such a lovely Shakespearian name.
When we chose Charlotte we wanted something that had about as much popularity as my husband’s name, Clark. It was not too common and was not a Blanket or Blue Ivy situation either. Of course, as a parent you truly believe with every ounce of your being that your child is unique. I don’t want my daughter in any way associated with a spider, Jane Eyre, or now a princess. There was, nor will there ever be another Charlotte like her on Earth. To me, she is the only Charlotte that matters.
My Charlotte on her throne
Here is what this little disappointment has taught me. The thing that makes Charlotte special is not her name. Her uniqueness has yet to be determined and is still unfolding before my eyes. While I have read plenty of other blogs and articles about the tragedy of Charlotte being discovered; one mom is actually contemplating changing her baby’s name, what I have yet to read is any of these moms putting on their big girl panties and getting the hell over it. Next time, name your child “Squirrel” or just the “@” symbol and then you can feel legitimately mad and territorial about its reuse. Yes it’s a royal pain, but you gotta ask yourself, who's being the baby here?
