Name Game

A friend of mine (and his wife) just named their baby boy "Freeman." I have nothing against the name, but I do wonder about the wisdom of naming your child so that he sounds like the protagonist of a libertarian science fiction novel. This hits me so strongly that I almost feel that I could sit down and write this novel this very afternoon. Maybe this is the effect they are going for.

Neither of them is Mormon (at least he's not), where unusual names are common, nor African-American, where it might be a function of using a family last name as a first name. I really do believe the name choice is politically motivated. Isn't one of the big benefits of having a dog that you can give it any kind of crazy-sounding name and (1) he won't mind and (2) it won't have any negative impact on his life? (Actually, a dog might take exception to the name Freeman; you'd have to go with Freedog, which also sounds like the name of a band that the musician from Lost might have joined post-Driveshaft if he hadn't done that whole shipwreck on an island thing. Then there's always "Freebird"...)

I hope the kid grows up to have the kind of self-confidence and charisma to pull off a great Number 6 From The Prisoner costume party persona -- "I am not a number, I am Freeman!"