Conference oass::babynames

    My ex-husband came from a rather large family (7) so when I was
    pregnant everyone was rather eager to offer their suggestions on
    various names for my poor unborn child.  My mother-in-law wanted
    the child to be named either after her, Mary (if a girl) and after
    her husband - Charles, if it was a boy.
    
    Being of Spanish descent, my mother wanted it to be after my
    grandparents: Sylvester or Ramona (don't get me wrong, I love my
    grandparents dearly, but I couldn't see saddling my child with either.
    
    And naturally, my husband had assumed, if it was a boy, he'd be
    Robbie, Jr.  I, too, had settled on Robbie, Jr. up until they handed
    me the birth certificate papers.
    
    Then, without warning, I changed my mind.  I suddenly felt that
    my son deserved his own personality and name.  However, Lent (our
    surname) seemed so insgnificant and I didn't want his name to be
    too short; plus, I wanted his name to sound important since, unlike
    a girl, he'd be carrying it with him the rest of his life.  So I
    settled on Tyler Emerson Ashley Lent.
    
    At the time of his birth, my husband was in construction -- setting
    tile in a shopping mall.  Emerson was after Ralph Waldo Emerson.
    
    When I went to get Tyler baptized, I found out that neither Tyler
    nor Emerson were Catholic and I didn't want to add a "Christopher
    or John", nice as they are.  The priest lent me a book on Catholic
    names, hence, Ashley.
    
    Now he's 8 years old and likes his name just fine except the Ashley
    because so many girls are named Ashley.
    
    

    Gee--you'd think "Lent" would be Catholic enough!!
    

    re: .1
    
    I'm glad you found such a nice name for your son, but daughters
    deserve the same consideration.  Many girls will change their names
    when they grow up, but others, like myself, keep the same name forever.
    
                    Carol
    
    Incidentally, we like the name Tyler, too, but did not know that
    it would become such a popular name for little boys, so we named
    our CAT Tyler!
                         Carol

    I just started reading babynames so I hope this is continuing. 
    My daughter, Tessa, has a nickname "Bug."  The day I brought her
    home, my husband looked at her and said, "Everyone thought you were
    coming in May (she was due May 19th), but you were a June Bug instead."
    Now it has been shortened to Bug and yes we get a few curious looks
    when we say, "Come on Bug."
    

    My name is a conglomeration of stories.  Back about 21 years + (I
    won't tell my age) the nickname for Theresa was Tessie, and Terri
    was rare indeed.  My mother has a strong devotion to St. Theresa
    and wanted to name me after her, but hated the thought of someone
    calling me Tessie.  Every time my mother heard Tessie, she thought
    of "Tessie the Tease" at the shooting gallery on the beach.  She
    settled on Terri.  About a month before my birth, her mother, my
    Irish grandmother, on her deathbed told my mother she had seen me
    and I would be darkhaired and look just like my dad. Now my mother
    wanted to name me after my Irish grandmother who was called Nellie,
    but upon her death, found out her really given name was Ellen. Hence,
    Terriellen as one word.  My father planned on calling me Valentina
    as I was born on Valentine's Day.  Glad my mother won that arguement.
    My French grandmother was upset that I had my Irish grandmother's
    name (both my grandmothers worked together as charwomen for most
    of their adult lives and were always competing with each other)
    so to keep family unity going, my middle name is Deslongchamps,
    my French grandmother's maiden name (everyone veto'd Albertine,
    her first name).
                                                          
    Hope this hasn't bored anyone.  I only met one other Terriellen
    so far.  Both our mothers had the same first name, Helene.
    
    Terriellen Deslongchamps Michele LaPointe Banberger Miller
    

    My Dad's 7 younger sisters  all got really strange names, but that
    is another story. When my dad was born, everyone in the family put
    their choices in a hat and his mother drew out 2 and named him in the
    order that the names were drawn. He became James Howard. For most of
    his life, he was called Howard, which was his mother's favorite
    name and which I personally would not name a duck.
    Lately he has been called Jim, which he seems to like. I wonder
    how many other people were named in such a random fashion.

my stories:

When I was born, my father, William Preston Scratchley Jr, decided to not 
saddle his son with a "III".  done: I'm Glen Allan - my mother's parents 
came to this country from Scotland just before 1900, which is the originls 
of the spellings.  Four years later, just before my brother was born, my
grandfather (William Preston Sr) died, and my father relented, and my
brother became William Preston Scratchley III.  He used to relish in
correcting his grammar school teachers who either called him "Jr" or forgot
the "third".  (He got it from his father, who used to write "DECEASED" on
the front, and return mail addressed to "William Scratchley Sr")  My mother
wondered if she could call my brother "Preston" to distinguish them, but my
father announced that no son of his would be called "Pressie".  One day I
announced that my brother would be "Will" (my father has always been
"Bill"), and the problem was no longer. 

Now the punchline: I look nothing like my father - I closely resemble my 
mother's father.  My brother, on the other hand, looks enough like my 
father so that they have been mistaken for each other (at a distance, I'll 
admit, and before my brother outgrew my father's clothes.)



another name story:

In an earlier note (I'm too lazy to look up which one) there was a mention
of alternating son's given names in alternate generations.  My mother's
father's family in Scotland followed this same tradition: my grandfather
was Alexander Selkirk, his father was James, his father was Alexander, his
father was James, etc, back to the oldest records we have.  I don't know if
this is common in Scotland. 

One interesting (to me) note:  An ancester (Alexander Selkirk) was 
voluntarily marooned on an island for a number of years.  When we was 
returned to Scotland, he became acquainted with Daniel Defoe, who wanted to 
write the story of his (my great-great-etc-grandfather's) experiences. 
Since Alex didn't want his real name used, Defoe picked the name (from a 
tombstone, according to legend): Robinson Crusoe.   No kidding.

    Kind of an "oh how sweet" story, but I have always been bored with
    my name (lisa ellen) because it was so un unique and in fifth grade
    I read a fantasy series called by the Prydain series by Lloyd
    Alexander.  these were my favorite books and the princess was my
    idle having the name Eilonwy which I thought was *so cool*.  Well
    it turns out the prince figure in the stories name is Taran and
    I fell in fictional love with him at this time.  I looked up the
    name in a book and it means Thunder in Norse lore and I always wanted
    to meet a person named Taran or have a child named Taran ever since.
    Guess what, I met a person named Taran 3 years ago and went out
    with him for his name (great criteria ,eh?)  and we have been head
    over heels ever since.  Taran Ramage (thunder branch in Norse myth)
    I guess all of that fantasizing in fifth grade can really work!
     
    :)     :)      :)

    looks like I am having a grammar and sentence structure block today....
    
    -Lisa

    Mine is your sort of normal Mom had one name Dad another they
    both found a middle.  Dad's I hate it was Aireadne, (he was
    studying Greek Mythology in College).  Mom's was Heather (what
    is ironic is that people I don't know are always calling me
    Heather, they say I look like one).  The middle ground name
    they found was Kimberly (totally unpopular until two years before
    and two years after, I always had at least two other Kim's in all
    my classes).  One thing for sure is that I am always really glad
    Kimberly Ann (what else could the middle name be?)
    
    
    Kim
    

    re. .6
    
   
    My name was also drawn from a hat.  Kathryn - named after a great
    aunt, Dorothy, Maria, Melanie, we also in the hat and I don't know
    why other than my mother liked them.   Also my mother didn't
    believe in middle names so me and my sister did not get one.
    (yes, my mother has a middle name )
    
    
    Kathi
    
    

    
    My husband and I have yet to have a child but we've discussed names
    and if we have a boy we will not use George, Peter, Nicolas, or
    Timothy. My husbands grandfather came from Greece. His name was
    George Peter Makrianis. He had two sons, George Nicolas and Peter
    Nicolas. George Nicolas (my father-in-law) had two sons, Nicolas
    Peter and George William (the William is his maternal grandfather's
    name). My maternal grandfather and his son (my god-father) are both
    George. My husband is still sometimes called Georgie by his family.
    
    My father's name is Timothy and his father before him and his father
    before him, etc. My father is still called Timmy by his aunts.
    
    Patty

    My brothers Kenny and Wayne had nicknames as infants because :
    
       Kenny; he was called bulldozer because he used to crash into
    everything once he had learned to walk.
    
       Wayne; he was called rugrat because he used to scooch(sp?) up the
    rug on the floor when he tryed to crawl anywhere.
    
      and me, well I really didn't have a nickname, but asked how they
    came up with my name, my parents told me that there was a TV show they
    used to watch that had a tugboat in it named the CHERYL ANN and that's
    where I got my name from!!! 
    

    WELL, I finally meet up with someone with MY name-Lisa Ellen!!  I have
    met many Lisa's in my time, but never another Lisa Ellen.  I also
    wondered why mom named me such a common name, but she said she didn't
    know anyone with a Lisa when I was born!!  I wish I could communicate
    more with you, but alas, my contract at Digital will end on Friday this
    week.  I work contract in Greenville R&D Lab.  Put a note back in if
    you want to communicate further, and perhaps I will read it at a
    further date.  Lisa Ellen Cromer
    

    I've got a similar story about a friend of mine.  Her name is Korilyn. 
    Her mom liked Corey and her dad liked Lynne so they sort of combined
    the two and came up with Korilyn.  I think it is a beautiful and unique
    name but she hate's it.  Too bad, I have never met another Korilyn --
    has anyone else?
    

    
    When Mom was pregnant with me, she and Dad couldn't agree.  She wanted
    Justina Marie, so she could call me JJ.  Dad won out with Raquel, named
    after ther obvious.  I have always disliked both names, but you
    wouldn't believe the problems I have with Raquel.  NO one pronounces it
    correctly, nor do they spell it right, and over the phone, which is my
    job, they don't even get the name right.  
    
    I have since met 1 other Raquel, whom I worked directly with, and out
    in the NY region of DEC, there are 2 Raquel's and I've talked to them
    both.  I have noticed, however, of all of them, I am the only one who
    is NOT of spanish decent.  Any other Raquel's out there?  It is so odd
    to talk to someone with your name, Especially when it is as uncommon as
    this.
    
    -raq

                                                                    
    
    	re -1:
    
    	I don't know another Raquel, but my name is Justine Marie, so when
    	I saw your note, it really made me laugh!  I was baptised in Latin
    	as Justina Maria, and my mother often called me that.
    
    	I never liked Justine when I was younger because NO ONE had heard of
    	it, pronounced it correctly (people stil call me Justin), or
        spelled it correctly.  I love the name now, and would consider it
    	for my baby if I didn't have a thing against naming children the
    	same name as the parents!
    
    	Justine 

    I have a friend named Charlene which is a combination of her parents
    names Charles and Irene! 
    
    /Kimberly 
    

    I just began reading this file and I have found it amusing and
    interesting.
    
    Isn't it something how much we try and please our families when naming
    children?
    
    Before I was born my parents decided that if it was a boy he'd be named
    after my father, and if it was a girl, they were going to name me after
    my grandmother, Ann.  Well, my other grandmother got all bent out of
    shape, so they considered.  They didn't want to name me Maureen (her
    first name) so they picked her middle name, Elizabeth.
    
    They toyed with Ann Elizabeth but ended up with Elizabeth Ann.
    
    They didn't want to call me such a long name...being a baby and all so
    they had to decide whether I'd be called Beth, Lisa, Liza, or some
    such.  Well, at the time I was born, everyone was naming their girls
    Lisa, so they decided on Beth.
    
    To this day I rarely meet anyone with the name Beth.  I think I can
    count on one hand the number of women I've met personally who are named
    Beth.
    
    In the movies...it's rare when you find a woman main character named
    Beth.
    
    But back to my point...my parents named me because they were intent on
    keeping the peace and not offending anyone.
    
    Another example:
    
    My family is from Scottish decent and all through the family as far as
    we can trace the following names exist:
    
    Ann 
    Mary
    Margaret
    Jamie
    Scott
    Duncan
    Ian
    John
    Donald
    Jackie
    Robert
    Brian
    
    Over and over ... all my cousins, etc etc.
    
    Again, to please the families...
    
    

    I just remembered.  My aunt was pregnant the first time "The Thorn
    Birds" mini-series was aired on television.  She named her daughter
    Meghan and calls her Meggie, like in the series/book.