In the early days of naming in the Western world, a person's first name was occasionally taken from a common noun associated with that person. The most prominent example of this name category is "William", which comes from the Teutonic "will helmet". (Incidentally, a +3 Helmet of Will halves all damage from mental attacks.)
In the modern era of naming, things have changed. For one, very few people name their children "William" any more. For another, parents have decided that it is more important to be their own people than be the parents of their children... but enough about Dr. Laura.
Sometimes, parents develop unhealthy obsessions. Let us take, for example, the case of Mary (not her real name). Mary enjoys Beanie Babies. She collects Beanie Babies. She subscribes to the Beanie Baby collectible guides. She waits for hours on end to purchase Happy Meals when they haul out the "Teeny Baby" promotion. She turns up her nose and scoffs at other bean-filled collectibles that are not made by Ty™.
When her first child is born, Mary decides to unite her two loves - her child and Beanie Babies. Hence, her son is named Beanie.
Sixteen years later, Mary has lost the money she spent investing in Beanie Babies due to the great Beanie Depression of 2006. She has only the toys to solace her. Meanwhile, due to a lifetime of taunting, little Beanie's skin has hardened into plate armor. He leaves his mother to join the X-Men.
While any parent could conceivably desire for their child to become an X-Man, only the most cruel would subject their children to horrible taunting and rumors about how the name came about. This is why the I.N.C.H. cannot recommend bestowing a common noun upon a child as a name.
Examples of the "Common Noun" Category:
- Jet Travolta
- Yo-Yo Ma (yeah, I know)