Child Desire Explored through Naming Practices
In Western societies, naming a newborn child is the responsibility of the parent(s) who sign the birth registration form, the very ones who have desired this child. They assign the child one, or both, of their last names, and choose a first name to give the new baby a unique identity. This article explores the link between childbearing desire, parentage and naming practices. It relies upon 25 interviews of Quebec parents recounting their conjugal and parental history and the birth and naming of their first child. The analysis of these narratives on the formation of the couple, of the birth of their first child and of the naming process helps us understand that for each parent the meaning of the child desire and of the couple’s project bears an influence on the choice of the child’s last name and of his first name as well.