The second most poular name for girls in the USA is now “Madison.”
The only reason anyone would name their daughter this is that it was a joke in the movie “Splash,” starring Tom Hanks, that the mermaid claimed her name was “Madison” because she saw it on a street sign. The joke in the movie was that it was a stupid name but was the best the naive mermaid could come up with. Prior to “Splash,” the name was unknown as a girls’ given name.
If we allow uncaring parents to name their poor daughters Madison, we’ll soon be giving them any number of last names, and we’ll have girls running around name Maddox, Jackson, Washington, Phillips, and Farmer.
It’s a terrible name. Please, help stamp out “Madison” as a girl’s name.
What’s wrong with Madison as a name? Sounds perfectly lovely. It’s not like everyone who hears the name is going to think, “Hey, that’s from that really lame semi-obscure Tom Hanks movie from twenty years ago!” It’s not like people are naming their kids Lyfislika Boksachoclets.
And, btw, cite that no one was ever named Madison prior to 1984?
Apparently Madison is Old English meaning “son of a soldier”. Good name for a girl.
Anyways, the trick to a name crossing over genders is for it to become so unpopular that no one can think of someone with that name. Then it loses it’s gender and can be re-assigned, in this case by a Tom Hanks movie.
Well, I can attest that my cousin did name his daughter Madison after seeing Splash. He thought it went very nicely with his last name - Manden. He named his subsequent children Mason and Madeline.
“Anybody know The Madison?” - Brad (The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Heh.
I haven’t ever even seen Splash. I just thought folks were coming up with “different” names for kids. I think I need to maybe, you know, get out sometimes. I might could catch up to the early 80’s by November, if I really try.
[slight hijack]
I’ve never been a big fan of “crossover” names like Madison, Taylor, Morgan, etc. But what I really dislike are the brand new made-up names. You may know some little girls named “Kayla” which AFAIK is a recently invented name that has become very popular and at this point, pretty much mainstream. I’ve also seen more little girls named “Michaela” and “McKenzie” recently. But I saw the worst, most mutant combo name on an unfortunate little girl’s nametag at church not too long ago: McKayla
[/slight hijack]
Nuthin’ wrong with Mackenzie as a name. Fine old Scottish name. Boy’s name, mind you, and I’m not hugely thrilled to see it co-opted by the other gender, but it’s hardly new-minted. Been in my family for generations. Heck, I’m proud to be named Mackenzie. Especially since, according to my mom, it was that or “Struin.”
Me too, either. But I must point out that Michaela is the REAL name from which McKayla, Kayla, Kaila, Mikaila, or the absolutely reprehensible Mickayla derive.