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I’ll plan to do a proper spotlight on this name next week, but first I wanted your initial impressions: What do you think of the name Beretta as an honor name for St. Gianna Beretta Molla?
All I can think about is the gun. This is a total no go for me honestly, not even as a middle. Too violent.
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Yeah, definitely a gun. If you spelled it Biretta, then it’s like a hat, which is funny!
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And birretta would mean small beer, also pretty funny. As an Italian we do not do Surname names, I’m afraid.
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This is such an interesting tidbit, especially since we’re discussing an Italian surname!
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I just keep thinking of a hair barette, so while I like the creativity, it probably wouldn’t be a name I would consider. Maybe Etta as a name or nickname would work though and would be quite pretty.
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I wonder if you could name a girl Retta, with the understanding and intention that she was named after St. Gianna? I think Retta is really cute, and ages well, without the violent associations.
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I immediately think of a gun as well. Total no go for me. That being said, Retta doesn’t bring the same association to mind. I actually think of the lovely actress/comedian Retta who played Donna on “Parks & Recreation” so it’s a positive association for me.
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Retta always makes me think of her too!
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I love Retta from Parks and Rec, so totally a positive for me!
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I always thought she would be so fun to have as a friend!
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It also reminds me of a gun.
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A Beretta is also a Chevy car. It wouldn’t work for me.
I am not loving Retta, either.
On another subject, I heard the name Immaculee the other day, in honor of Mary, and thought it was kinda nice.
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I love Immaculee! A famous one is Immaculee Ilibagiza.
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I love Imaculee Ilibagiza! What a lovely, holy woman!
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Totally thought of the gun. Definitely couldn’t use it.
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So far I see listed name associations with a gun, a hat, a hair accessory and a car. 🙂
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All I think of is a gun.
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But I love Etta!
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I hate to be repetitive, but I of course immediately think of a gun as well. That being said, my husband is a gunsmith so it’s an easy connection for me to make. I know people who have named after guns (think Kimber, Remmie, Colt). We have a male cousin named Barrett. This name also makes me think of that. I like the name Giana and am considering Molly for my girl (Molla makes me think of Molly).
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Beretta could be perfect for a family with a gun-themed naming pattern 🙂
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Apparently (when I mentioned this post to said husband) Beretta is the largest Italian firearm company and the Vatican owns a majority of it’s stock. Light research on my end shows that the company was established in 1526 (whoa!).
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Oh that’s funny about the Vatican connection! And 1526 is impressive! I wonder if St. Gianna’s family is connected to the actual Berettas who started the company?
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I don’t care for the name, personally. It reminds me of the hat. However, I know a really cute Beret. She was named after a Norwegian ancestor. After knowing her, I really like the name – in spite of Giants in the Earth. 🙂
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How is Beret pronounced? Like the French hat, bear-ray (ish), or like barrett?
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Bare-it
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Beret is a Bridget variant. But the name reminds me of poor Beret going mad when the prairie wind howls in Giants in the Earth.
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I agree! Even when you know a really cute Beret and like the name, Giants in the Earth is always lurking in the background…
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I think of the handgun. And I really hate gun names. There’s also the television show from the late 70’s.
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That’s so interesting! I had no idea Beretta was the name of a gun company! My first thought goes to biretta, which is why I wouldn’t use it, personally.
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An earlier commenter mentioned “Barrett” which I think could work for a male St. Gianna namesake. But I think “Barretta” is too overwhelmed with negative associations to work.
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Just wanted to chime in on the immediate car reference. My Dad got one in “mid-life”. 😉
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I had no idea that this was the name of a gun! I did think of the car, though. You could approximate with Britta.
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Britta I automatically think – water purifier. Not much better, in my opinion.
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You could also merge the names Gianna and Beretta to get Greta, which would be a unique way to honor the saint. Not an obvious association, but very clear once explained.
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Very true!
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The gun & car images make this impossible in my mind (and make it a little more masculine), but Benedetta is a nice substitute.
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Benedetta is so similar, you’re right!
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IMHO, Benedetta sounds too much like vendetta.
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My husband is a gun enthusiast and was delighted to hear this name. He loves his 92FS and uses it to protect our family.
Our friends gave the middle name of Berrett to their son in honor of St. Gianna, whom they have a devotion to.
Also, the Vatican can’t own stock band cause it’s a privately held company. Hubby would own stock if he could!
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I really like it as a middle name for a boy to honor St. Gianna!
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Would your husband be interested in using Beretta for his own daughter? If he did, would you be okay with it? I’m so interested in the variety of opinions!
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We don’t have a particular devotion to St. Gianna, so I don’t think we would use it but I do think it would be pretty for someone else to use. We’ve been sticking to family names for our babies so far.
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Car. Not a good name.
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Wow this name generates a lot of discussion! I think, as a Catholic, one would have to ask the question: to what extent should worldly associations impact the choice of a saintly moniker for a child? Yes, there is a gun, but it is the maiden name of a saint nonetheless. And when other surname names (or place names) like Kolbe, Becket, Vianney, Avila, Lourdes, etc. get fair usage among Catholic circles, it doesn’t seem like Beretta should be an immediate write off. Actually perhaps there is reason to use it to “reclaim” the name so to speak, and when you are asked the child’s name it can be an evangelization opportunity to inform about St. Gianna Beretta Molla, and the Church. The gun association really may be the first association with the name depending on where in the world you live – seems like a predominant theme if you live in the USA, but not so apparent if you are in Canada for example. Also, the car was discontinued in 1996, so it is very doubtful any children named Beretta in the year 2017 and beyond would have that association, unless the car model is resurrected 😉
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I’m all about reclaiming names!
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Some might be too much of a stretch though, and I feel this one is. Also why not Molla, if using a saint’s surname instead of given name is going to be the “thing”?
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All I can think of is: a little hat! And it sounds like a lot of people think of guns.
I think being creative with twists on this name would be a better way to honor the saint. I liked the suggestion of Retta, for example.
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[…] my post on Beretta got a lot of attention! Not only did I get a lot of great comments here, but even Linda from […]
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[…] idea for it during the Damian/Damien conversation of April and May and the Beretta conversation of June and July (sounds so monumental!). I was just thinking about how so many of us have names we love […]
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