In an unusual move, The Pope has warned parents against choosing 'celebrity names' for their children and urged them to turn to the Bible for ideas.
During Mass at the Sistine Chapel, Pope Benedict XVI said: "Every baptised child acquires the character of the son of God, beginning with their Christian name, an unmistakable sign that the Holy Spirit causes man to be born anew in the womb of the Church."
According to the Office for National Statistics, celebrity names such as Sienna, after Sienna Miller, Ashton (actor Ashton Kutcher) and Lily, like the singer Lily Allen are among the most popular names in England and Wales. Celebrities often give their own children even more exotic, sometimes ridiculous names.Celebrity Baby NamesGwyneth Paltrow has a daughter called Apple, Bob Geldof has Pixie, Peaches, Fifi and Tiger and Jordan aka Katie Price called her daughter Princess Tiaamii.
In Italy, children are often named after saints but even there Flavio Briatore, the Formula One boss, named his newborn son Falso Nathan.
Cristina Odone, a former editor of The Catholic Herald who grew up in Italy, said: "Many of today's names are not just un-Christian but they are also crass and consumerist."
According to official statistics, the most popular name for newborns in Britain is Mohammed, after the Islamic prophet. 7,549 newborns were given variations of the name Mohammed last year. Because there are so many spellings it doesn't actually officially rank as the Number One Boy's Name.
Monsignor Andrew Faley said: "Naming children after perfumes, bicycles and countries is putting a limit on their potential. They are not merchandise or commodities. When I was a parish priest, if I didn't agree with the name I'd suggest they should give the second name of a saint."
In 2008, a court banned a couple from naming their son Venerdi - Friday - saying it was "ridiculous" and that he would be teased by his classmates. Judges then ordered that the boy instead be christened Gregorio, after the saint's day on which he was born. The parents had originally gotn the idea for the name from that of Robinson Crusoe's manservant 'Friday'.
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