Статья: Английские имена

"People always grow up like their names. It took me thirty years to work off the effects of being called Eric. If I wanted a girl to grow up beautiful I'd call her Elizabeth, and if I wanted her to be a good cook I'd choose something like Mary or Jane." George Orwell (Eric Blair)

7. Связь с местом рождения. Так, имя Jennifer связывалось с Корнуоллом, Yorick - с западной Англией.

8. Желание избежать имен, встречающихся в устойчивых выражениях типа Simple Simon, Jack of all trades, Every Tom, Dick and Harry и др.

9. Зачастую имя дается в честь другого человека, часто ближайшего родственника. Много отцов поступают так, как м-р Домби в романе Ч. Диккенса «Домби и сын»: "Не will be christened Paul... of course. His father's name, Mrs Dombey, and his grandfather's." Ср. также у Филдинга: "...the little foundling to whom he had been godfather, giving his own name of Thomas..." (Tom Jones) или у Голдсмита: "Our oldest son was named George, after his uncle, who left us 10,000 pounds" (The Vicar of Wakefield).

В заключение приведем отрывок из небольшого стихотворения Ч. Лэмба, в котором маленькая девочка выбирает имя для своей сестры. В нем хорошо просматриваются многие из бытующих правил отбора имен для детей:

Now I wonder what would please her -

Charlotte, Julia or Louisa

Ann and Mary, they're too common;

Joan's too formal for a woman;

Jane's a prettier name beside;

But we had a Jane that died.

They would say, if 'twas Rebecca,

That she was a little Quaker,

Edith's pretty, but that looks

Better in old English books.

Ellen's left off long ago;

Blanche is out of fashion now.

None that I have named as yet

Are as good as Margaret.

Emily is neat and fine.

What do you think of Caroline?

How I'm puzzled and perplexed

What to choose or think of next!

I am in a little fever

Lest the name that I shall give her

Should disgrace her or defame her.

I will leave Papa to name her.

C. Lamb. Naming the Baby (1809)

Список литературы

2. Бондалетов В.Д. Русская ономастика. - М.,1983