Names

I’ve had a pretty good idea for awhile of the kinds of names I like. Luckily, Daniel and I agree on most of them. (Either that, or I just always win. I really can never tell). The one name I’m really set on is Atticus for a boy. I get mixed reviews on this one. My family hates it. My mom especially. She thinks it’s “trendy,” and no matter how much I tell her that in order for a name to be trendy it has to be used frequently, she doesn’t believe me. Oh well. I like the name because of the namesake, Atticus Finch from “To Kill a Mockingbird,” one of my favorite books of all time. We’ve gone back and forth on middle names trying to come up with something that not only fits, but that can be a back-up name if he really hates Atticus.

Also, I have a dear great uncle that I love very much. He’s not going to be with us for much longer, and I’d like to be able to pass on his name. Unfortunately, it’s Clarence. That’s a little too heavy in my opinion. But, as I was reading “The Baby Name Wizard,” I came upon this passage that inspired me. “If you don’t want two Margarets to create confusion at family gatherings, or just can’t bear to name your son after your husband’s grandpa Selig, try echoing the namesake with a slightly different choice.” And that’s when it hit me. Claire. It’s a perfect cute name with an old-fashioned feel. Obviously it would be for a girl, and may end up being a middle name, but I thought it was a stroke of genius.

There were some other real gems in this book that I’d like to share.

“Use whatever criteria you like to narrow down your name choices, but before you fill in the birth certificate, stop and give the name this final test: If you were starting life today, knowing everything you know about the world, is this the name you would want to represent you?” (Does your name fall into this criteria? Mine does.)

Also, there was a way funny chart that I don’t think was meant to be funny. It’s a do-it-yourself name generator. There were several options to create a custom name, kind of like you hear all the time now-a-days. Brylin, Kadlin, Jaysah, Baidee, Shayson. I got a kick out of making up outrageous names.