CELEBRITY BABY NAME CRITIQUE
By Nancy Callahan

*Magnus*

Will Ferrell (former SNL regular and star of the recent film _Anchorman_) apparently couldn't quell his comedic urges long enough to find a more suitable name for his firstborn son than Magnus.

Magnus is a Latin word that means 'great' or 'large'--but who knows what Ferrell's true inspiration might have been. Did he own one of those wheezy Magnus Organs when he was a kid? Was Ultra Magnus his all-time favorite Transformer? Could 19th century physicist Heinrich Magnus, who first explained why curveballs curve, be Will Ferrell's personal hero?

Speculations aside, Magnus is a word one would expect to encounter while studying taxonomy, or shopping for handguns ("Hmm...the magnus or the glock?")--not sitting through roll call in a kindergarten classroom. Throughout elementary school (and middle school and high school), poor little Magnus will undoubtedly be called Maggot, Magnet, Magnum, Maggie, and who knows what else by his classmates (maybe by his teachers, too).

Not only that, but he'll have to be picky when it comes to a future career. If he chooses to be anything besides a professional wrestler, a Swiss porn star or a waiter at the local Schnitzelhaus, things might get hairy. (Think about it: would you buy a vacuum from a door-to-door salesman named Magnus, or would you lock the door and call the cops?)

Magnus gets points for being unique--it definitely beats yawners like John, Steve and Adam--but it's still a bit macho-sounding to make a fantastic moniker.

Rating: 3 (out of 5) stars