BBC随身英语｜取个好名字到底有多重要？

How important is choosing the right name?,

New parents often spend a long time debating what to call their newborn. Should they name them after a relative, a famous person or just pick a name at random? For many of us it can be quite the gruelling task, but it's our children who need to live with our choice. So, how important is the name you choose?
新手父母往往会花很长时间来讨论给他们新生儿取什么名字。是给他们起一个亲戚、名人的名字，还是随意取一个名字？对我们中的许多人来说，这可能是一项相当累人的任务，但我们的孩子需要接受我们的选择。那么，你选择的名字有多重要呢？

Names usually stay with us for a lifetime, unless we decide to change them. They become part of our identity. Quite often we hear stories of celebrities giving their children unusual names, while other people give their children names which have special meanings, for example, the name Sarah comes from a Hebrew word meaning 'princess'. Sadly, though, our parents don't always get it right.
名字通常会伴随我们一生，除非我们决定改变它们。它们成为我们身份的一部分。我们经常听到名人给他们的孩子起不寻常的名字的故事，而也有人给自己的孩子起有特殊含义的名字，例如，萨拉(Sarah)这个名字来自希伯来语，意思是“公主”。但遗憾的是，我们的父母并不总是取对名字。

So, what if you don't like your given name? A study led by psychologist Jean Twenge found that a person who hates the moniker given to them is more likely to have greater psychological adjustment issues – possibly due to low self-esteem. This is because our title becomes a symbol of our self, and if we loathe our name, our confidence may be affected.
那么，如果你不喜欢你的名字呢？由心理学家让·特文格领导的一项研究发现，一个讨厌别人给他们起的绰号的人更有可能出现较大的心理适应问题——这可能是由于自卑造成的。这是因为我们的名称成为我们自我的象征，如果我们厌恶自己的名字，我们的自信心可能会受到影响。

And what if your name is no longer popular? While names like Ethel and Gladys were once in fashion, they now sound a bit out of date, which can be embarrassing. And when it comes to unpopular names which aren't trending, they may even affect our love lives. Studies have shown that people with old-fashioned names are more likely to be rejected on dating apps.
如果你的名字不再流行怎么办？埃塞尔(Ethel)和格拉迪斯(Gladys)这样的名字曾经风靡一时，但现在听起来却有点过时了，这可能会让人感到尴尬。说到不流行的名字，它们甚至会影响我们的爱情生活。研究表明，在约会软件上，名字过时的人更容易被拒绝。

However, if you choose an unusual name, it's not all bad news. According to a study conducted by Professor David Zhu, people with uncommon names can develop a sense of uniqueness and can often become more creative and open-minded.
不过，如果你选择了一个不寻常的名字，也不全是坏消息。根据大卫·朱教授进行的一项研究，名字不常见的人会产生一种独特感，而且往往会变得更有创造力、思想更开放。

So, when choosing your offspring's name, there are a fair few things to consider – but going for something too common or too old-fashioned may not be a great choice. And, if your children hate your choice, they can always select a nickname.
所以，在为你的孩子取名字时，确实需要考虑很多因素——但选择一个太常见或太过时的名字可能不是最佳选择。而且，如果你的孩子不喜欢你选的名字，他们总是可以选择一个昵称。


词汇表
newborn [ˈnjuːˌbɔː(r)n] 新生儿，婴儿；新生的
name… after… 用…的名字给…命名
at random ['rændəm] 随便地，任意地
gruelling [ˈɡruːəlɪŋ] 累人的，使人筋疲力尽的
live with  接受，容忍（困境或令人不快的情形）
celebrity [sɪˈlebrɪtɪ] 名人；名声
Hebrew [ˈhiːbruː] 希伯来语（的），希伯来人（的）
given name （出生时取的）名字
moniker [ˈmɒnɪkə(r)] 名字，绰号
psychological adjustment 心理调节，心理适应
low self-esteem [ɪˈstiːm] 自卑，低自尊
loathe [ləʊð] 讨厌，厌恶
in fashion 流行，时兴，风行
out of date 过时的；过期的
trending [trendɪŋ]（在一段时间内）流行的
old-fashioned 老式的，过时的
open-minded 思想开放的
a fair few 相当多的，不少
offspring [ˈɒfˌsprɪŋ] 后代，子女，孩子
nickname ['nɪkneɪm] 绰号，昵称，小名

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