WHY NOT TAX NAMES

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3376, 2 March 1920, Page 7

WHY NOT TAX NAMES

Why not tax freak names? If people will burden their babies with names by the dozen, or with those,of a more or less topical nature —well, make them pay. What chance of longevity had a girl named Irene Jacoby Fanny Jessop Cavendish de Rienzi Selina Anna Susannah Shelton Peter? None. She died young, in fact, at Lambeth, and, of course, the coroner's officer decided that an inquest was necessary.

Yet, undeterred by this fearful warning, a man named Pepper—plain Arthur Pepper—christened one of his daughters Ann Bertha Cecilia Diana Emily Fanny Gertrude Hypatia Inex Jane Kate Louisa Maud Nora Ophelia Phyllis Quince Rebecca Starkey Teresa Ulysses Venus Winifred Xenophon Yeni Zeus. Just as great an infliction on its owner may be the topical name. During the Crimean War there was a tremendous run on Alma, and long afterwards registrars became equally familiar with Rhodesia and Ismailia as names for girls. Kitchener's victory set a lot of people off again, with the result that Omdurmans became plentiful, and one poor little beggar was handicapped with Gordon Kitchener Omdurman. Then came the Boer War, during which this sort of thing was hit off in the doggerel:— For the baby's name is Kitchener Carrington Methuen Kekewich White Cronje Plumer Powell Majuba Gatacre Warren Colenso Kruger Capetown Mafeking French Kiniberley Ladysmith Bobs Union Jack and Fighting Mac —Lyddite —Pretoria—BLOßßS! But the craze reached its height in the early days of the late war, when such combinations as Jellicoe French, Albert Nicholas, Louvain Mons, etc.. were freely bestowed en hapless infants. Now the pendulum has swung back again, and the old favourites have returned to popularity. George, Ronald, and Edward for boys, and Joan, Kathleen, and Irene for girls, occur most frequently in the registers at Somerset House, though Welsh parents blessed with girls show a great liking for Megan, probably because of the hold on their affections that Mr. Lloyd George's daughter has gained. Ticketing children with strings of names, however, still continues, and a check is needed for that, if only because of the high cost of paper? So what about a name tax? 22