Commentary

Why Days of our Lives Is In Desperate Need of a Baby Name Book

Published by

Alina Adams

2 years ago

When it comes to original stories — back from the dead islands, brain chips, and Devil possession — Days of our Lives leads the pack. But when it comes to original names…not so much. They keep reducing, reusing, and recycling. And it’s getting confusing. Not to mention boring.

Days of our Lives: Exhibit A

When Alex Kiriakis (Robert Scott Wilson) returned to Salem, that meant Uncle Victor (John Aniston) now had two Alexanders he periodically schemes with and bosses around — his great-nephew, and his other nephew, Ale(Xander) Cook (Paul Telfer).

READ THIS: All Your DAYS Spoilers Are Here.

DOOL: Exhibit B

But this particular problem runs in the family. There’s Alex’s youngest brother, Sonny Kiriakis (Zach Tinker), who goes by that nickname because his full name, Jackson, is too close to Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford). And did we mention that Jack, himself, has a son named Jack Jr., who goes by JJ Deveraux (Casey Moss)? That’s not confusing at all!

Days of our Lives: Exhibit C

Meanwhile, Alex and Sonny have yet two more brothers. One, they call Vic. Not to be confused with Uncle Victor. The other they call Joe. He’s named after their mother, Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis’s (Judi Evans) mother, Jo Johnson. You know who else is named after Jo Johnson?

Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols) and Kayla Brady Johnson’s younger son, Joey Johnson. What happens if both cousins come back to Salem at the same time? Of course, in the real world, names repeat all the time. (See: Chris Pine, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Pratt, for example.) But it gets confusing when it happens in a town with less than 50 speaking residents.

DAYS: Last Licks

And then there’s Shawn Brady (Brandon Beemer). At one point, the character went by Shawn-Douglas, to differentiate him from his grandfathers, Shawn Brady (played by the late Frank Parker) and Doug Williams (Billy Hayes). And now, a boy who isn’t technically his son has been given the name Shawn Christian. So the pattern begins again.

Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Salem, check out all the latest that’s been posted on DAYS spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.