A Whale of a Tale

I am so excited about the name Jonah that I almost forgot that it's a biblical name (thanks Jana R. for reminding me). I don't automatically associate it with the religious story, but if it helps little Jonah later get the lead part in the Christmas/random holiday pageant, bully for us.
I have noticed on some pregnancy message boards that some people resent gifts that are closely identified with the story their child's name comes from (i.e. Noah's Ark, Daniel in the Lion Den, etc.). I don't really see what the problem is. If you name your child Noah, you've got to know that people, no matter their religious background, are going to think of the ark story. Just like if you name your daughter Jezebel are people going to automatically think "Whore" (sorry to anyone who likes that name). While I don't think little Jezzie is going to get a bunch of dildos or vibrators at the baby shower (although....) what harm is it to acknowledge where you got a name from?
This is especially true with little boys' names, simply because there are less male names than female and it's quite the rage right now to give your daughter a name that could fit your son. People are going back to older names from the Bible in order to keep from having to say "Yes, that's my son and his name is Taylor/Cameron/Jaden." I've also noticed people who are ahead of the curve on naming trends and have 2-3 year olds with name Caden/Kaden/etc. who are being copied like mad now. I wouldn't blame those people if they went with Jeremiah or even good ol' Adam just to have an individual name for their child.
Anyway, the point of this post is to say that if anyone gets baby Jonah a whale or something, Mama won't be offended. It's natural to make an association with a story that is integral to Western culture. Just like when we have little Jesus I expect everyone to bring gold, frankincense, and murr (just kidding--only the gold is necessary).
:-)