His Friends Know Him as

Petroswickonicovick
By SIMON ROMERO FEB. 1, 2014
Photo

Petroswickonicovick Wandeckerkof da Silva Santos has also turned heads as a soccer prodigy.
Credit: Lianne Milton for The New York Times

SO PAULO, Brazil When he became a teenager, Wonarllevyston Garlan Marllon Branddon Bruno
Paullynelly Mell Oliveira Pereira did what any self-conscious person worried about merciless taunting
from his peers might do: He pleaded with his parents and the courts to let him change his name.
I never had anything in common with Marlon Brando, he said, referring to the American actor for
whom he was partially named. So with the permission of his parents and the legal system, he whittled
down his nine names to an economical four, Bruno Wonarleviston Oliveira Pereira.
I just didnt want to go through life with something more complicated than that, explained Mr. Oliveira
Pereira, a 19-year-old university student.
Carrying an extraordinary name is remarkably widespread in Brazil. Glance at the Facebook timelines of
Brazilian friends. Strike up a conversation at a Sunday afternoon barbecue. Or merely stand in line at a
notary public and listen to a pencil-pusher call out the people waiting for documents to be stamped.
You will be awed by some of the names you hear.
Mike Tyson Schwarzenegger Pradella. Errolflynn Paixo. Charlingtonglaevionbeecheknavare dos Anjos
Mendona, a 31-year-old plumber who prefers to go by Chacha, melodically pronounced Sha-sha in
Portuguese.
Some scholars say the practice stems from a tendency to hold certain rich countries in higher esteem
than Brazil, prompting some parents to aim for foreign-sounding names that may seem illustrious. A
minor tradition of honoring American presidents has produced names like Abrao Lynconn Sousa
Santana and Francisco Lindon Johnson Menezes da Luz Junior. The other side of the ideological divide
is represented, too, in a name like Mao Tse Tung Lima de Moura.
Others say it reflects centuries of immigration, conquest and slavery, a process that has mixed
indigenous, African, European and Asian cultures to produce a fusion of identities. In a country with an
array of musical traditions, from the melodious bossa nova to sertanejo country music, naming experts
also mention the symphonious way some unusual names resonate when they are coined by expecting
parents.
A name like Sherlock Holmes da Silva, pronounced SHARE-Lockee WHOLE-mees in Brazil, certainly
does have a distinctive ring to it.
You ask someone why they chose a name and they say because of the sound, said Elaine Rabinovich, a
psychologist who has explored Brazils naming practices. The people who are doing this are still not co-
opted by mass culture. I think this is great.
Some countries, like Germany and Iceland, strictly regulate the names parents can choose. Officials in
Portugal, Brazils former colonial ruler, provide a list of approved names requiring parents to stick to
tradition, allowing a name like Neteles but eliminating Neptuno.
But Brazil, unhindered by such hang-ups, ranks among nations where naming has evolved into
something resembling a competitive sport. Neighboring Venezuela is also a contender, with its Stalins,
Nixons, Hiroshimas, Tutankamens and Taj Mahals. Honduras has Llanta de Milagro (Miracle Tire).
Zimbabwe has its Godknows, Lovemores and Learnmores.
Brazil is much less freewheeling, however, for the unfortunate souls stuck with names they do not like.
Changing ones name requires the approval of a judge who can rule whether it is ridiculous or offensive.
But the process is often drawn out and laborious, as are many bureaucratic matters in Brazil, requiring a
lawyer.
The tendency of the courts is to deny name changes, said Gerson Martins, a lawyer who specializes in
helping Brazilians change their names. Its a shame, because many names in Brazil are little more than
alphabet soup.
Though some people with incredible names press to change them, many Brazilians relish having a name
that twists tongues, drops jaws or starts conversations.
I have a marvelous name which makes me stand out above the crowd, said Creedence Clearwater
Couto, 34, a student named in honor of Creedence Clearwater Revival, the American rock band.
Now, almost no one in Brazil knows who they are, and 90 percent of the people cant pronounce it
correctly, said Mr. Couto. But these were the guys who did Bad Moon Rising, he added, referring to
their 1969 hit single. I am honored to be named for such artistic geniuses.
While the elite tends to hew to traditional names in Portuguese like Pedro, Gabriel, Julia and Carolina,
American popular culture clearly fascinates broad sections of society, explaining a name like Olede Jos
Ribeiro, a retired athlete whose first name is a phonetic spelling of Hollywood.
Not far from So Paulo, a television network recently found a family in which seven children were named
in honor of Elvis Presley: Elvis, Elvisnei, Elvismara, Elvislei, Elvicentina, Elvislaine and Elvislene.
Encountering such names can be a little bewildering to newcomers.
Never think he or she was making a joke about his or her name, the Mexican novelist Juan Pablo
Villalobos, who lives in So Paulo, wrote in his irony-soaked Brazil: A Users Guide, published in
Granta. No matter the name they told you, its the actual name.
Some Brazilians contend that naming has fallen from previous heights. Ruy Castro, a newspaper
columnist, recently noted that melodious names like Eustquio, Pancrcio, Hermenegilda and Hilria
can now probably be found only on gravestones.
Others warn that naming has grown so extreme that limits are needed.
We have reached the point where an alarm must be sounded, said Osny Machado Neves, 73, a lawyer
who worked for more than 35 years in a notary publics office. Astounded by the names he came across,
he compiled about 8,000 of them into a book.
Sometimes parents dont know the trauma they are inflicting on their children, said Mr. Neves, citing
first names like Colapso Cardaco (Cardiac Arrest).
Sources of inspiration vary widely. Jos Miguel Porfirio, an accordionist in Recife, named his three
children Xerox, Autenticada (Notarized) and Fotocpia (Photocopy), words he saw on a sign at a civil
registry.
Then there is Petroswickonicovick Wandeckerkof da Silva Santos, a 12-year-old soccer prodigy who has
begun training with Corinthians, one of Brazils leading teams. Even in a country flooded with amazing
names, his 19-letter first name and 12-letter middle name have raised eyebrows.
The boy said it took him awhile to learn how to pronounce his own name. His father, Jos Ivanildo dos
Santos, a soccer coach, has been repeatedly questioned about the choice.
The woman at the notary publics office thought it was terrible and called me crazy, Mr. dos Santos
said in a televised interview. But I told her Id name my son my way.
Taylor Barnes and Lis Horta Moriconi contributed reporting from Rio de Janeiro
NY Times 2014 A version of this article appears in print on February 2, 2014, on page A6 of the New York edition with the headline: His Friends
Know Him as Petroswickonicovick
RI.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from
the text.

1. Based on the article His Friends Know Him as Petroswickonicovick, the authors tone towards the names
Brazilians use is ______.
a. Sarcastic
b. Incredulous
c. Judgmental
d. Sincere

2. What are 2-3 reasons people give their children such complicated names in Brazil? Give evidence from the
text to support your answer.

3. The article claims that, Others warn that naming has grown so extremem that limits are needed. Will this
happen in Brazil? How do you know? Cite evidence from the text.

RI.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text including how it emerges and is shaped
and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

4. Summarize, objectively, the article in no more than four (4) sentences and no less than three (3) sentences.

RI.3 Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they
are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.

5. What is the most likely reason the author presents a series of ideas in the order he does? Use examples from
the text in your analysis.

RI.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings;
analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.

6. The word awed in paragraph 5 means _____.

7. What is another word for freewheeling in paragraph 13: Brazil is much less freewheeling, however, for
the unfortunate souls. . .?

RI.6 Determine an authors point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or
purpose.

8. What is the authors purpose? Is the author effective in advancing that purpose? Why or why not? Use
examples from the text in your analysis.

RI.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is
relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.

9. Identify one fact and one opinion in the article:

Fact:
Opinion:



10. Short Essay: Write 2-3 paragraphs arguing for or against parents naming children complicated or ridiculous
names. Draw your support from the article and from your own experience.

L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.1a Conventions of Standard English: Use parallel structure.
L1b Conventions of Standard English: Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional,
absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to
writing or presentations.

L2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L2a Conventions of Standard English: Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related
independent clauses.
L2b Conventions of Standard English: Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.
L2c Conventions of Standard English: Spell correctly.

W1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient
evidence.
W1a Text Types and Purposes: Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and
create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
W1d Text Types and Purposes: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and
conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
W1e Text Types and Purposes: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument
presented.

W4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience

W5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on
addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

W9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.