DO POL-AMS GIVE THEIR BABIES POLISH NAMES?

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08	May 1, 09, 16:29 / #
These are supposedly the top-trendy baby names this year in teh USA. I'm wondering whether amongst Polish Americans there is any Polish ethnic input into the baby-naming process. For instance amongst Italo-Americans Dino and Gina are more common, and Patrick and Sean would be found more often amongst the Irish Americans. The first US-born generation of the old pre-World War I Polonia often pseudo-Anglicised such names as Czesław, Kazimierz, Władysław, Stanisław and Mieczysław into Chester, Cass or Casey, Walter, Stanley and Mitchell respectively. Most popular 2009 girls names in the USA Ella Grace Emma Elizabeth Lorelei Riley Rory Isabella Chloe Anna Top ten baby names for boys in 2009: Aiden Jayden Dylan James Gavin Benjamin Caleb Nathan Jack Andrew

anubisThreads: - Posts: 37 Joined: Apr 22, 09	May 1, 09, 16:41 / #
I don't know if you're old enough to remember the actor Ted Knight. He was a Polish-American born in Connecticut. His birth certificate read Tadeusz Czesław Władysław Konopka. So I guess some Polish familes in USA give their children Polish names. Nother example while going down memory lane is Liberace whose mother was Polish. His given name was Władysław (Władziu) Valentino - the latter in honor of his father's Italian heritage.

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08	May 1, 09, 16:48 / #
I'm quitye aware of the historicla aspects such as the fact that actress Stephany Powers was actually Stefania Fiederkiewicz (something like that). But I'm wondering whether US-born Pol-Ams now simply go with the flow or sometimes add Polish touches to their baby-naming process.

SoftsongThreads: 6 Posts: 588 Joined: Sep 2, 07	Edited by: Softsong May 1, 09, 20:55 / #
My friend, Eva (Ewa) was born in Poland, and moved to the USA when she was 16 years old. She had most of her children when she was in her late 30's, early 40's. She named her first son, Shaun. Her other children are Jakub, Ashton, Symone, and Monique. My mother was born in the USA and named Joanna. I am Joan. :-)