On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 19:04:21 EST, (andrea
baker) wrote:

Hi folks,

I'm thinking of Hypatia (after Hypatia of Alexandria) for my
daughter's first name, and Artemis (after the Greek Goddess of the
Hunt) for a second name. My parents are horrified, and think she'll
be teased. I thought if she doesn't like Hypatia, she can use "Patty"
for short. For reasons personal to me, it's important to give her the
name of a strong, unmarried woman.

Who else thinks this is just an invitation for bullying, or thinks
that there are other compelling reasons not to use these names?

How is your son dealing with having a slightly unusual name? Does he
go by a nickname? Do classmates and teachers try to bestow nicknames
on him?

To me, Hypatia is a bit too unusual - not commonly known, and hard to
pronounce or spell . I was about to suggest that you reverse the
order of names, because I think Artemis would be much more easily
accepted. Then I remembered that there is a current series of fantasy
books for young people in which the author or main character or both
(I haven't read them) is called Artemis Fowl and is male. This of
course annoys the teenage classicist at our house, but it means that
some people are going to think that Artemis is a male name, at least
in the short term.

Have you read the Madeleine L'Engle books in which one character is
named Polyhymnia? (In the last book, where she is seventeen, she has
changed her nickname from Poly to Polly.)

Any other suggestions for strong, unmarried female namesakes?

I'm drawing a blank right now, but might dig up our companion guide to
Judy Chicago's Dinner Party to jog my memory.

Wishing you and your family all the best,

Louise