Kids' Names

When I was a child, I was reading Genesis in my closet and in one of the chapters, I cannot remember which one now, I came across the name Zillah. I had always wanted my names to be a little different, and I really found this one to be pretty and decided I would name my daughter Zillah. Of course for her middle name it was harder for me, I had my mother help me out. She gave me a list of names to consider and I settled on Zillah Renee. I often do get strange looks about my daughters name, but I think it is very pretty.

My grandparents had the last name Hopping...they named their son Peter Hopping (and it never occurred to them that kids would associate it with Peter Rabbit).

Of course they named 2 of their daughters Mary (both girls went by their middle names) and gave another daughter (my mom) the middle name Marie.

They did have 8 children, so maybe they were running out of options, but we never did understand that...

Billy Bowlee. Ha!

I could tell you dozens of unfortunate names being a teacher... My favorite though was an old co-worker who got married to a man by the last name "Roach." Needless to say the kids would have a field day with her name so she did not take on his last name.

Maybe I can use the whole young girl name / old lady name thing as more ammo for my hubby. Our baby girl can be Zia until she goes to college where she can be called Ines (pronounced 'ee - NES').

Mikki that is so sweet to let your husband name his children. What an honor for him. Its so hard for men to feel part of the birthing experience and that is a great way to include them.

Debra

Elsie Ellis--that would have been funny! But you're probably right about there being bigger issues there. Grin

Okay, I'll add one more. My mother divorced my biological father when I was very young and my brother was just a baby. She remarried a couple years later and my step-father adopted us so we'd take on his name. This was the early '70s and it was very odd then to have a different last name than your parents. So overnight, I went from being Cheryl Straight to being Cheryl Bowley (pronounced bowl-ee). Not too bad for me. However, not so great for my younger brother named Billy. Billy Straight? Not bad. Billy Bowley---the poor kid!

Worst part is most people probably thought that was his name from birth and wondered what on earth my parents must have been thinking to give the poor child such a name!

Oh, I actually love Jessie for a girl!

No offense to anyone at all, but one name both my husband and I agreed was out of the question was Madison for a girl. There are jost SOOO many Madisons out there now. It might have been cute at first, but now it's just way too popular for our taste. But the funny thing is both boys have a bunch of Madisons in their grades at school and I'm sure we'll run into many more as they get older. I laugh with my husband that the chances are pretty good that one of them will eventually marry a girl named Madison. Of course, then this poor girl will go through the rest of her life as "Madison Morrison". Shocked

We really all do have different takes on names, don't we? I guess that's so much better than everyone being named John and Mary!

My husband picking the names was just something he was really passionate about. He had known what names he wanted from so early on, and didn't have the opportunity with the previous marriages so he first came on real strong about the name Jessica when I first found out I was pregnant, when he realized I wouldn't fight him choosing the names he relaxed and shared more on why he wanted it. When the second pregnancy came along he says, "The baby already has a name, Aaron." I responded, "If it's a girl?" He said, "Erin" He just knew what he wanted and I wanted him to have that pleasure and joy in naming his children.

When Morgan came along he showed more difficulty in name selection. Because of the trauma pregnancy we knew her sex well before delivery so we knew this one was a girl and his favorite girl name had already been used so I suggested Morgan and after chewing on it for a while he liked it, and added Breanna

For me naming our children was something that meant so much to him that I didn't have the heart to interject too aggresively. No tradition, just a personal heart felt desire to hand over the task.

Mikki Hogan
Publisher of UniqueParenting.com

Maybe you won't have a Madison Morisson for a daughter-in-law...the name itself may turn her off. I dated a boy and one of my big concerns was that my name would be Elsie Ellis... :-\I hated the sound of that...obviously there was a little more going on if one of my main reasons for not marrying him was his last name...but still, it did weigh into the decision because it just never "felt right" and the name was part of it.

We still haven't reopened the Owen discussion...I suppose I have to go with it as a middle name. At least then he won't be called by it...but then I could see my grandfather in law insisting on calling him Owen...

Mikki-Your husband picked the names? Is that a tradition in your church? It's not something I've ever heard anyone say before, so I'm curious.

Girl names-I never thought of her having to live with that name as an adult. That will make me think twice when we come up with a name for a girl...Hubby likes "Lydia". I want a name like Peyton/Taylor...something that can go both ways because MIL vehemently told me that she doesn't want a granddaughter of hers to have a boy/girl name...and we all know how I feel about being told what to do..

Madison Morrison now there is a name!

Mikki Hogan
Publisher of UniqueParenting.com

When it comes to girls you are safer with a grown up name than a little girl name, I must agree, we are adults way longer than we are children

I never really though much about that, of course my husband was responsible for naming the kids and I gave my input on whether or not I like the sound of the name or an association with that particular name. I know Jessica was a name he had selected from childhood, it wasn't my favorite because I really hate the name Jessie for a girl, it just isn't right for me, but it meant so much to him that Jessica is her name (even with the occasion "Jessie" from friends and family)

Mikki Hogan
Publisher of UniqueParenting.com

This is getting funny! Debra, I never thought about having to yell the first and middle names together, but you're absolutely right! And I love not wasting a name you really like.

It's funny that you mention the girl's name sounding like an old lady's! This is exactly what gave us so much trouble when were thinking about girl names--I'm so glad we ended up with two boys!! It just seemed that all the girl's names were too "cutesy" or too "old". I would have trouble calling a little baby Ethel, for instance. But I just can't bring myself to the idea of having a grown daughter named Brandi, for example. (And I hope I'm not offending anyone with my examples!)

Here's what I used as a real test. Imagine your little daughter grows up and becomes a doctor or lawyer or other real professional. They've got to have a name that instills some confidence. How would you feel if you're on the operating table and your surgeon is named Brandi?

This whole thread is getting hilarious. Elsie - I am right there with you, girl!

Cheryl - That names sound well together... - PRICELESS.

We shouted the first name and middle name together "Joakim Isaias Walters!" But we never thought about calling all the kids at once.

If my husband doesn't like a name I just talk him into making it a middle name. People rarely use their middle names and "you don't want to waste a name you really like," it's what I've said. For example: I picked Joakim and he came up with Isaias. But no one even knows about the name Isaias because middle names are rarely used. Since we have nick named him Joa, I doubt he will want to be called Isaias when he gets older.

When we have our baby girl, I will be using this rationale to name her Zia Ines. My husband thinks Ines sounds like Agnes, which makes him think of an old lady

Debra

Cheryl-LOL...I love the point that you have to like the sound of the names when you shout them together! Grin

We haven't discussed girls names very much yet. We've only ever had boys and my husband is convinced that that's all he makes...So we focus on boy names first. Although I like Mercy for a middle name for a girl, just because we've been through so much to get here and God has finally shown us mercy by giving us our long-wanted second child. But hubby wasn't jumping up and down at that name.

We'll see...I'll keep you posted.

You guys are funny!! And I'm right there with you! I might love a name, but as soon as I was told to use it, that would be the end for me!

But I'll agree with Mikki. I really do love the name Owen. And when you say Aiden and Owen together, it just sounds right. That was one of my tests when picking out names. I knew I'd be shouting the names together at some point and wanted to make sure they flowed well with one another!

Any thoughts on a girl's name?

So good to know I'm not the only one. It probably has to do with the fact that I'm the oldest child and grandchild in my family...I never had to listen to too many people telling me what to do, besides my parents...and it was always fine coming from my parents...but anyone else...watch out!

My hubby has yet to pick up on how to manipulate me according to his wishes...so SHHH! don't tell him!

I second the "don't tell me what to do" syndrome, my husband has started using it to his advantage by telling not to do things he really wants but he is very good at me now knowing he's doing it

I personally LOVE the name Owen! It will be a good choice whether it is his first or second name and it will make grandma quite happy

Mikki Hogan
Publisher of UniqueParenting.com

Well...we've started discussing this again for the new baby. It's our favorite part of expecting and I think we're just trying to grasp everything we can because we know how quickly a pregnancy can change Cry. So we've been discussing names. I think for a boy we'll go with Owen since that's my husband's grandfather's name and it would mean a lot to him. I'm really wrestling with it though and here's why...

I don't like being told what to do. It just doesn't go over well with me Undecided. I had always liked the name Owen and had even discussed the possibility of using it for one of our children one day, but my husband didn't like the name and nixed it when we first discussed it...and THEN...my husband's grandmother sat all three boys down (they are the only 3 grandchildren on that side of the family) and told them that she would like one of them to use the name Owen to carry on their grandfather's name (no, he's not dead or anything...she just felt the need to express her desire to have a namesake for her husband)...That's the point where I thought I would never use that name because I hate someone telling me what to name my child, and my husband began acting like Owen was a good choice....

So I told him a few months ago that if we got pregnant we could use the name Owen...Right now we're thinking it will be a middle name...but I'm having a hard time really wanting to use the name...and mostly because we were told that we should. If no one had said anything I'd be fine...

So no matter what the final decision on the name is, we're keeping it a secret from family members...we don't want their imput. We certainly had enough feedback from them when we chose Aiden instead of Jonathan after my husband's dad and my husband (who is a junior)...Although Aiden carries the same middle name as his grandfather and father--so we weren't complete rebels.

Hormones...I find I get so angry at everyone when I'm pregnant Tongue...Even these little things become biggies!

I've always wondered about Mikki's name! I love it! And I bet no one ever had the same name as her in school!

When I was a kid I hated my name, but my mom was a Sue who grew up in the 60's and she'd wanted something original, so I was named Elsie Lou after my great-grandmother and great-grandfather Elsie and Lewis. Eventually I came to see the sense in not having the same name as everyone else. After all, it's really embarrassing to hear your name called in a crowded hallway, and to respond, only to realize that no one was talking to you! So I knew I wanted my kids to have original names...

When we decided on Aiden, it wasn't a very popular name. Like Cheryl, we had family members pucker up their faces in confusion when we told them his name would be Aiden. "How do you spell that?" my MIL asked. In fact, we got so many opinions on naming our son a "rare" name that we decided when we were pregnant with Chase that we would leave the name as a surprise. The funny thing is that now the name Aiden is quite popular. Tongue Who knew? And Cheryl, our Aiden also carries his father's name, Michael. In fact, my husband was a Jr. so we had a lot of pressure by my FIL to name Aiden directly after his father making him a III. My husband always has the worst issues with being a Jr. Especially since he goes by his middle of Michael in order to prevent confusion in the family...Then he has issues with plane tickets that a secretary secures for him using the name Michael instead of his legal first name "Jonathan" and legal documents...So we weren't passing on that confusion to our son for the rest of his life.

When it came time to name Chase we hadn't really decided yet. I knew I wanted a middle name from my side of the family. One branch of my family is the Lukens branch, and since I like that Luke is a part of the Bible, Lukens was decided early-on as the middle name. When I was admitted to the hospital at nearly 18 weeks, we hadn't decided on a name yet (we'd only just found out from an emergency ultrasound the night before that he was a boy). When we knew for sure that I had an infection and we'd have to induce labor we decided that we didn't want to take a so-so name from our list to "save" the best name for a later child. We loved our child so much and we wanted him to have the best name we could give him. So we picked our favorite name from the list: Chase. While we didn't think of the significance at the time, ever since he was born the verse about "chasing after the prize" has been on my heart and in my head...I love that God gave us that name in the midst of our sorrow, because when I think of Chase I am reminded that he has only gone ahead of me for a time, we aren't separated forever, and if I continue the race and keep the faith we will be reunited one day. Grin

~Elsie

That is a great story! Thanks for sharing.

Baby Names,

Now there is an area that can present challenges. But I do have a story to tell you. When I was of the age to name babies I teetered on the brink of allowing the child to name themselves.

But that wasn't always a possibility in those days. As a matter of fact you had to name the baby before you left the hospital. Granted it wasn't near as rushed then as it is now.

In the vein of secretly wanting the baby to name themselves I waited till the last possible minute to pick a name for all three of my children. My son was easiest because I wanted him named after his father and grandfather.

But my girls were not so easy. I wanted a boy so bad with my first child I named my poor daughter Tommie Joe. Now the e on the end was my Mom's idea. I think she may have been trying to shock some sense into my stubborn head:)

Now we get to the good part. Most of you here know the person who carries this name. But picture if you will, I always knew my kid's names would come to me. Only this time I went into labor with nothing in my heart or on my mind. Even though I had had 10 months to dwell on it. Seems she didn't want to be born either:)

The day after she was born my Mom calls the hospital to announce she has the perfect name. Desperate by now I responded with, "And what would that be?"

She was so enthusiastic I couldn't turn her down. But ... "Well I have to work out the spelling, so give me a bit."

And a bit she got. The next day they came to get the name of my new baby. I called mom but she wasn't quite ready yet. So the aid kindly said she would return.

Return she did the next day only to hear the same response. This time she wasn't quite so friendly with her, "I'll return tomorrow."

The next day I was met with, "You have to name the baby today or she will be Jane Doe."

I frantically called mom and gave her the message. I could hear the nurse aides foot tapping at the end of my bed.

Mom says, "I've got it! You better write this down."

With pen in hand here is what I wrote:

First Name

Mi - for Michael
che - for Chet
do - for Dodie
lene - for Darlene

Middle Name

Ja - for Jackie
Mae - for Stephanie Mae

And now you know the origin of Michedolene JaMae the founder of this wonderful forum.

In case you are curious the names that go into the making of this name are my brothers and sisters.

Cheryl and Debra I love your boys names. And thank you Cheryl for this opportunity to reveal the story behind Michedolene's name.

Michedolene's Mom,

Sally Stoneking
http://www.nature-and-flower-pictures.com

This IS a fun topic, Cheryl!

I'm Puerto Rican, born and raised in PR. Yet, i do not look Hispanic. I look Black. Having the name Debra didn't give me away either. I just hated not having an obvious identifier of my culture. I decided that I would name my children Spanish names so that even if they had an American last name, they would stand out a little.

The name Joaquin is very Hispanic, but I wanted to give it a twist to represent my husband's African-American roots. So I decided to spell the name Joakim. I actually thought this up years ago before we were even married. When my husband and I decided to name our child Joakim, we liked the nick name Joa with a /j/. Therefore, we could not pronounce his name "hoakim" if his nick name was "/j/oa." So we agreed to pronounce his name "/j/oakim."

I put a lot of thought into this name, which I thought I had made up. At that same time, our school, University of Florida, introduced a new basketball star: Joakim Noah. I was so angry that he had MY name. We didn't want people to think that we had named our child after an athlete, but I really loved the name. We thought, in a few years, he'll disappear and no one will link our baby to him, but just our luck, he is on the news often for bad behavior!

Even after choosing the name we both agreed on, the name needed to pass one more test. We researched the meaning, because we believe names can leave a mark on a child. We wanted to name our children well. Joakim means "Established by God." being that Joakim's pregnancy was a surprise present from God, we thought this name was very fitting.

His middle name is "Isaias" which means, "Salvation is the Lord's"

When we have a girl, her name will be Zia. It denotes "one whose light can never be hidden." We are still not sure about a middle name. I like Ines, which means "Pure." But I have yet to convince my husband. Before I knew I was pregnant with Joa, i was sitting for some friends who were in the hospital having baby #3. They had a Bible name book at home and I browsed through it. The name Zia (originally a boy name) jumped out and grabbed a hold of my heart. Since that moment, I knew I would name my girl Zia.

If my next pregnancy is a boy, we will be back at the drawing board. Some boy names I like are: Lucas, Ethan, Caleb, Julius or Julian, Ezekiel, Joseas (my niece's mispronunciation of my baby's name).

Look forward to reading more stories!
Debra