What's in a name?

Usually, my daughter goes by 'Jemma' - but her first name is actually Jemima. Although many people are familiar with Beatrix Potter's 'Jemima puddle duck' and 'Jemima' from Disney's "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," apparently the only thing they think of when they hear that name is pancake syrup...

The reactions I've gotten when I have revealed my daughter's name have ranged from raised eyebrows to outright guffaws. More than one person has asked me if I'm joking.

Today a man I was talking with expressed such disbelief that I felt compelled to go into a lengthy explanation of why I had chosen the name...

How it doesn't have the association with 'Aunt Jemima Syrup' for me because when I was growing up we never used that product. (Not that I've never heard of it - but it's hardly the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the name... Well, now it might be...)

I went on to explain that after I got married and took the last name "Smith" I had a run-in with MCI that made me vow never to give my child a common name... (It took me months to prove to them that, although I did have the same name as one of their clients who was delinquent in her payments to them, I was not, in fact, that Emily Smith.)

And further, that while the name isn't widely used in our country, it's very common in England...

The playgrounds in my neighborhood echo with the most pretentious and preposterous names imaginable. And who cares? We all want to give our children names that we think are special...
I gave my daughter a name that isn't used a lot... And it's a pretty name. I didn't call her 'lamp shade' or 'beetroot'... So I'm always a little surprised when people have a negative reaction to it. (Actually, what really surprises me is how comfortable people are being downright rude about it.)

After I'd finished my explanation the man shrugged, as if to solidify his criticism, "Well, it does have racial overtones."

I wonder whether this man - the whitest guy on the Upper West Side - has a problem with the name Ben, too. (Who knows, maybe his mom served him 'Uncle Ben's Converted Rice' when he was a kid.)

I wonder if he'll be concerned about 'racial overtones' when he sees me with the baby I'll be bringing home from Ethiopia in a few months... But then, I'm sure he'll feel free to let me know...