Response to an Email

I received the following email (which was also posted here as a comment). Although I have sent the sender a personal email in response, I also felt that it should be addressed here, in this forum.

Here is the email:

I lost a baby at 2 days old in March of 2002, I named her Nevaeh Dawn, which to me is not heavens spelled backwards, but her name signified Heaven's Light...Nevaeh meaning Heaven and Dawn meaning Light...I was stunned that you had not put into perspective those of us who have lost children with these names, and while you may not like these names for whatever reason, it may be a little nicer if you would put a footnote or something with an apology for anyone who was offended....you may have one, I didnt look, but I just wanted to state my opinion about my own personal attachment to the name Nevaeh, and the beauty I find in it, and hope that you will understand that there are a few of us out there who actually take the time to name our children by circumstances in our lives....that name means something of greatness to me....my daughter will forever be Heaven's Light in my eyes and in my heart!
Thank you for your time....
Sincerely,
Angel Baby Nevaeh Dawn's Mommy - Trina
12:04 PM
I posted this on the site, but thought I would send it directly just to make sure you got it....with all respect this is just the opinion of a mommy that misses her baby:(


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Trina: I am very sorry for your loss. I cannot even begin to imagine your pain.

Having said that, there are some points in your email I think should be addressed:

Yes, there is a disclaimer. A link to it can be found on the right-hand side of this page. It is called "Guide to Bad Baby Names."

In that disclaimer, I write:

"All babies are precious, beautiful and gifts from God. My entries here in no way reflect on the actual child themselves...only on the names. All babies are gorgeous, all deserving of love and all created equal...all baby names, however, are not. These names are bad by my opinion only---feel free to agree or disagree. Bad baby names are often in the eye of the beholder!"

I do appreciate that every name--good and bad--is chosen by the parents for a reason, and in most cases, a great deal of thought went into the choosing. Often, there are very personal reasons why a name has been chosen for a child. As I said above, bad names are in the eye of the beholder. All three of my children's names (which I chose for good reasons, and find beautiful) can be found on other bad baby names websites, most notably Baby's Named a Bad, Bad Thing (link to the right).

To the best of my knowledge, that site does not have an apology footnote...and neither does mine. This site reflects only my own opinions, and I won't apologize for having them nor for expressing them.

The names I write about on this blog are not personal statements or attacks against any parent or any child. They are commentary on the names alone, and my own opinion of them. It is meant only for humor purposes, and for the purposes of showing current naming trends in North America. That is the spirit in which this site must be taken.

I do understand that many people have strong feelings connected with a name. I have them myself. It is not, nor ever was, my intention to disparage anyone's connection with any name...only to give my own opinion on the name itself.

And finally, to Trina: thank you for your email (and for sending it, as you are right about my missing comments from time to time). I think the power of a connection between a person and a name cannot be denied, and I am glad you shared your connection with me. May God bless you and yours.

---Zen Angel