Emilism
Emilism describes the tendency of parents to give their children traditional first names. It is the counterpart to Kevinism .
Characteristic
The term Emilism goes back to Jan Weiler . Similar to Kevinism, Emilism also tries to give children a first name that is perceived as an individual, but they tend to fall back on names of biblical or literary origin, which, in contrast to Kevinism, is a sign of educational proximity and cultural distinction . The names of grandparents or older relatives are also passed on as a sign of greater family ties and an allegedly old family tradition. In Emilism, not all old first names are revived, which is especially true for names of Germanic origin. The particular popularity of first names perceived as emilistic is due not least to the fact that these names are often given as second names.
The question that remains unanswered is the extent to which the name choice is already deliberately differentiated from Kevinism with the ulterior motive of making it easier for the child to later go to school and professional life, as the traditional first name should rather suggest the impression of an origin from an educated middle class.
Web links
- Jan Weiler: widespread disease Kevinism
- Die Welt: The fear of giving the baby a name
- Die Zeit: Names: Trend towards tradition
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Karoline Ströbele: Trend zur Tradition ZeitOnline, April 14, 2008, accessed on May 5, 2018
- ↑ Ischta Esther Lehmann: The fear of giving the baby a name welt.de, Iconist, September 30, 2013, accessed on May 5, 2018