A baby in Tennessee has been named Sarah McCain Palin Ciptak by her father. File photo / Aucklander
A baby in Tennessee has been named Sarah McCain Palin Ciptak by her father. File photo / Aucklander
KEY POINTS:
When Tennessee couple Mark and Layla Ciptak had a baby girl late last week they agreed to call her Ava Grace.
But Mrs Ciptak was in for a surprise come Monday morning, when she discovered her husband had instead registered their daughter with the moniker Sarah McCain PalinCiptak.
Mr Ciptak told the Kingsport Times-News he picked the name to bring attention to the political candidates he supported - something he was able to do without his wife's knowledge as they had both already signed two sets of blank birth certification documents.
Mrs Ciptak first learned of her daughter's registered name when the Kingsport Times-News contacted her husband after receiving a routine birth announcement notification from the hospital where the baby was born.
"To be sure, she (Mrs Ciptak) was not quite fond of me or of what I had done, but we've had some time to talk it over, and she has been really supportive through it all," said Mr Ciptak.
What this father hadn't expected was the extent of the media frenzy surrounding his decision.
He's had calls from NBC, Fox News, the New York Post and Entertainment Tonight since the story broke.
"I Googled my name late Monday and two hits came up. I did it this morning and it popped up thousands of times," he told the Kingsport Times-News on Tuesday.
But Mr Ciptak says he does not regret his decision as it has had the effect he desired.
"That's what it was all about, to get the word out, to be encouraging, and to be a breath of fresh air to the McCain camp and that ticket. It seems to have taken off," he said.
Under Tennessee law, the name on a birth certificate can be changed within a year provided an affidavit is filed with the Department of Health's Office of Vital Records.
Mr Ciptak says he and his wife - who have two other children named Annika and Isaiah - are yet to decide whether they will officially change their baby daughter's name to Ava Grace.
