There are 50% more first names now than there were 25 years ago. Why? Because the gulf between rich and poor is “nowhere clearer than on the nation’s birth certificates”. Names used to be relatively classless; the sons of a labourer and a lord might both be called Anthony. Now, middle-class parents stick to old-fashioned names, while the working class increasingly ape the Americans with their Kalvins and Kaceys and other made up sillynesses. This matters, because we live in an “apartheid of names”: studies show that everything from university applications to life expectancy is reflected in your name. “Memo to celebrities: if you insist on choosing a name like a bad hand of Scrabble, get a dog.” (Adapted from an article by Allison Pearson, Daily Telegraph).

What parents don’t always understand is that calling your kid after some footballer or starlet in Hollywood sends messages to people who might be thinking of admitting you to college or offering you a job. It can be a burden (my mother was incorrectly registered as “Leslie” – man’s spelling – at birth, instead of “Lesley”, and spent her life explaining).

Epicureans are careful not to burden their children with daft names they will hate as adults.
It’s about kindness and thoughtfulness for others.