If Genesis can make it, why can’t Temple? A religious name that has the potential to soar, Temple feels like a modern answer to names like Temperance and Tempest of the past, a word name or surname that could be ideal for your little girl or boy, depending on your location. Today, I’m taking a look at some of Temple’s strengths and weaknesses, some areas in which it’s clear why parents embrace her and others where children or adults with the name could point out flaws. So is Temple too wacky to make it big, or even to suit an average child? Or is Temple a lovely choice with a pleasant sound that has potential? This name has been suggested by fellow Name Warehouse reader and enthusiast Priscilla. Thank you so much, Priscilla, for taking the time to submit my form with your request and having the patience for my recent tight schedule. Let’s get into some of Temple’s best qualities, dear readers!
Pros
For many people who do practice a religion, whether it’s Sikhism, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, or Mormonism, temples are very special and meaningful places. In these religions, where temples are primary places of worship and spiritual guidance, a Temple is a place of community and a home for their God(s). To encapsulate the wonderful associations expecting parents have with their spirituality without going for something as subtle as Noah, Temple is a lovely choice with wonderful connections that very explicitly carries those associations. So if you’re in the market for a spiritual name unlike Ruth or Mary that feels very loudly religious or you’re searching for a statement word name that also incorporates your faith, Temple would be a wonderful route to honoring your religion and allowing your child’s name to be reminiscent of a lovely religious experience.
On top of that, there’s a bit of old Hollywood glamour mixed in. Shirley Temple, one of the most famous bearers of this surname, was famously a child star, her adorable face becoming culturally iconic from the age of three. Although Shirley Temple may not be a point of huge inspiration for parents outside of the child star business, she does add that sparkle of fame and glamour that parents saw and loved in names like Ava and Monroe. With that added bit of Hollywood glam, Temple is even more of a showstopper than she already was with rarity and religious significance alone. While Shirley Temple wears this word name as her attention grabbing last name, Temple Grandin wears it as her first. This Temple was born Mary Temple Grandin, quite a special example of a middle name that stands out, and has her own biographical film, called Temple Grandin. An autistic woman who advocates both for autism awareness and adaptation and against animal cruelty and poor treatment of livestock for meat, Temple Grandin is potentially a wonderful role model and honoree for your daughter or son. Whether you’re a vegetarian or vegan or are simply interested in the wellbeing of animals or know someone or are someone with autism, Temple Grandin may be a beautiful association for your child’s name to carry. Intelligent, passionate, and hard-working, Temple Grandin’s influence definitely makes this name more appealing to some people.
Cons
One of the biggest issues I have with this name is the drink. The star’s legacy extends almost further through the drink than it does through her movies, at least today. I mean, I’ve never had one, and I’m sure they have to be relatively tasty, but a combination of ginger ale and soda isn’t exactly child-naming material. Even though the drink traditionally doesn’t contain alcohol, hence the name of a child star being the moniker of choice for this concoction, I still don’t think that parents will sit down with a list of names and go, “Temple....like the Shirley Temple drink? That’s so inspirational! Such a lovely choice.” And even if one namer says such a thing, assuming they have another parent or namer helping them, it’s very unlikely that the other will respond, “Ah yes, the Shirley Temple drink is so dear to my heart that it would be ludicrous to not name a child after it! What a fine and dandy idea!” In fact, the name of the drink may actually turn parents off, as it may overshadow the religious significance for the expanding family or pale in comparison to other names with better associations.
And even that religious significance may not be a good thing. I’m not denouncing religion at all, as that is a very special part of plenty of people’s lives. However, as your child grows, they may shed the religion of you as the parent and take up a different religion, one in which temples are irrelevant, or they might decide not to choose a life of spirituality in that way at all. Choosing Noah when your son grows up to become an atheist is one thing. Naming your daughter Temple and her growing up to abandon religion is another. With a name that is so blatantly and obviously religious, your child is sure to get plenty of “So which church do you go to?” or “Are you (insert religion)?” Maybe that doesn’t bug you, but to a child who has removed themselves from the religion their name clearly marks them as following, those types of questions can be frustrating. Not only that, a name like Temple can make it difficult to go incognito at job interviews or doctors appointments even if your child sticks with your religion. One look at a name like Temple and people will generally assume that the child belongs to a certain religion, attention towards a very personal subject that your daughter or son may not adore. Not only that, to me, a temple is also a part of your face you press when you have a headache. Nothing major, just a strange little undertone that comes with reading a lot of books in which plenty of characters press on their temples, complaining of a headache. Finally, while I will admit that Temple’s style is on trend, her sounds aren’t quite there. She’s closest to a Tempest-Temperance type family, but I haven’t really spotted any Temperance’s swinging on the monkey bars lately, and I sure haven’t seen a good number of Tempests selling Scout merchandise at my door in the past few years. Temple just doesn’t have a current sound, and unfortunately, I doubt that will change much in the next few rounds of data.
Combos
Lucy Temple
Temple Frances
Elijah Temple
Temple Lucien
Judah Temple
Predictions For Temple:
Temple’s sounds aren’t in style, and for a name to make as huge of a jump as Temple would need to make in order to get a substantial amount of momentum, stylish sounds are absolutely necessary. So while in theory she’s a nice idea, I don’t think it’s nice enough an allure to win over a large crowd of parents. I do think we’ll see a small rise in Temple from her current spot of #6124, but I’m not sure about any larger jump than maybe five more children with the name. Thanks to Priscilla for recommendation, and have a lovely rest of your day, readers!
Sincerely,
-Delphina Moon