Sunday 5 July 2020

What's in a Name . . .


According to this my Mermaid Name is "Reef Atlas."  Umm  . . . does anyone want to know the way to the nearest reef?  Don't ask me, I have no idea, lol.

All kidding aside, what is in a name? A name is something we all have and are given shortly after our birth. In these modern times, most people now the sex of the baby before it is born and have already had their child's name picked out well ahead of time.   

Most people put a lot of thought into what they decide to call their children. Giving a child a name is a very important decision. After all, it is a label that they will have to carry around with them for the rest of their lives . . .  others name their children stupid things  . . . especially celebrities. 

Some parents have been crass or unfeeling enough to give their children names that will make them the butt of jokes for the rest of their lives, like the farmer named Hogg who named his daughter Ima. A man in Minneapolis by the name of Legg named his two sons Harry and Seymour.

Some stupid celebrity's children's names:

Audio Science Clayton
North West
Tu Morrow
Spec Wildhorse Mellencamp
Diva Thin Muffin Zappa
Moon Unit Zappa
Blanket 

You get the idea.  What were they thinking?  


What's in a name?  That which we call a rose,
by any other name would smell as sweet.
~Shakespeare 


A person's name is the greatest connection to their own identity and individuality. Some might say it is the most important word in the world to that person. It is the one way we can easily get someone's attention. It is a sign of courtesy and a way of recognizing them.

Shakespeare was right when he wrote the above. A name does not change the qualities of the object being described by the name.  A name however can make all the difference in the world in a child's future. Given the wrong name, you could be setting them up for a lifetime of ridicule . . .  perhaps, but most certainly in Grade School where low levels of maturity mean that anyone different or with a "different" name will most certainly be targetted  with unwelcome attention of a very negative kind.


Names are important.  They define us in many ways. They are special and magical.  They are a very  important form of identification.  There are some names that are so associated with bad things, that people change them.  For instance . . .  who would want to be associated with the name Hitler or Manson, to name but two.

The history of names is so ancient that no one knows the beginning of the story. Since written history began, and as far back as oral history reaches, people have had names. Historically speaking,  most names appear to have had some sort of original meaning, usually descriptive, rather than being simply a pleasing collection of sounds. 


My first name is Marie, my second Alice, third Joan.  Almost all of the women in my family have a first name which is a derivative of Mary. This is a very catholic thing.  My name Marie Alice came from  my father's mother who was Marie Alice. Joan, apparently was the name of one of my father's old girlfriends. (Unsual choice to say the least.) 

Names are often carried on down through family.  My oldest son was named Anthony Lloyd, which was the  names of both his grandfathers.  I got more fanciful with my girls. Eileen Patricia . . .  Eileen was a name I had always loved. She was named after a girl I went to school with who was pretty and smart.  The Patricia was after my then husband's regiment in the army, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.  Amanda Mary-Elizabeth (our youngest daughter) got the name Amanda because the sone Mandy was very popular at the time and of course Mary and Elizabeth were both the first names of her two grandmothers.  My middle son, Douglas Alfred Macleod . . .  his first name was the first name of my ex's brother who had no sons, the first name of my late father-in-law and Macleod because my mother in law had once expressed to me how she would have loved to have given her sons her maiden name as one of their names.  My youngest, Bruce Vernon Mitchell . . . Bruce after my brother in law who had no sons of his own, Vernon after my mil's father and Mitchell because I liked it and had a huge crush on Mitch Blake from Another World at the time.   




Some people choose their children's names because of deep meaning  . . .  whole books have been written about the meanings of certain names.  With some it is obvious, but others not so obvious.  Such names can be projections of the hopes that parents have for their children and their children's fuures.  My daughter in law named both of her boys after angels, my other daughter in law gave her boys all names that started with the same letter, "J".  Love my angels and j-boys, and their names seem to suit them. My youngest daughter picked a very unusual name for her daughter. Maryn Grace, which interestingly enough sounds very similar to my mother's name, Mary Grace, although I am quite positive that is only co-incidence and not on purpose. Cameron David, I have no idea where that came from.  

My sister's grandchildren are Tristen, Atlas and Ivory Margaret.  My brother's daughter's each have two names, one to honor their Japanese heritage and the other biblical in nature.  

Names are important things.  They reflect ones culture, hopes, belief's . . . 

So what is your name and what does it mean?  Where did it come from?  I really would love to know! 

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *
All human wisdom is
summed up in these two words.
Wait and hope.
~Emily Dickenson•。★★ 。* 。 


  

In The English Kitchen today.  Millionaires' Shortbread.  So decadent!  These are actually surprisingly easy to make as well.

Have a lovely Sunday.  The sun is actually shining here at the  moment, but it is quite cold.  Don't forget! 


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And I do too!   
 



9 comments:

  1. Hi Marie, what an engaging post about names. I enjoyed hearing the history behind the names you gave your children. I think the name we are given at birth is perhaps the greatest gift we receive from our parents. It certainly is a lasting one. My brother and sister and I are all called by our second names. I am Florence Elaine. The Florence is after my maternal grandmother. Not sure why Elaine except that my brother and I are twins and it went well with my brother's name Eric. We were born on St. Patrick's day and were almost called Patrick and Patricia but mom thought what if peope shortened both names to Pat? Being called by our second names caused a few difficulties in school because sometimes teachers, in their wisdom, decided we needed to be called by our first names which was very strange for us until mom had to request we be called by our second names. Because my health card spells out my full name, I get Florence on most medical records and prescriptions. Be careful, too if the initials actually spell a word. Mine spelt "Fee" and my brother's spelt "Wee". Thank goodness they didn't catch on as nick names, lol. And here's good advice. Do not spell a common first name differently from the usual spelling or you will doom your child to having to spell their first name every time they give it. Case in point, my friend's name is Lisa but spelt Leesa. She has to spell it every time. Well, must go make our usual bacon and eggs for breakfast. I got that exact same recipe from a colleague at work 25 years ago. It became a family favourite at Christmas. Haven't made it in years. I must change that. Hugs and love from Bay Anemone Moonbeam

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    1. I loved reading about your names Elaine! We all went by our second names as well. Too many Josephs and Mary's. I grew up being called Alice and my family still calls me that. Love and hugs to you Bay Anemone Moonbeam! xoxo

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  2. I only know Marie for the catholic way..and Murielle for my adopted cousin's real name at birth.She became Andrée but was Murielle..this is what my memory remembers ;)Monique..no clue.

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    1. Perhaps it was one of your mother's fancies. It is a beautiful name. I love your name! xoxo

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  3. I agree names are very important. I named my first son Matthew which means gift of God and he was. It's very hot as in heat wave here and is supposed to stay that way all week. We are just doing everything to keep cool here. Hoping it soon warms up for you. After all it is summertime.

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    1. Things are quite cool here again this morning Pam. It feels more like September than July! xoxo

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  4. I was called by a name I quickly grew to hate which was my middle name. When we moved clear across the continent in 2003 I began going by my first name which I have always loved: Elizabeth. It has several meanings, but basically means "of GOD". So those who knew me prior to 2003 call me still by the other name, which is ok...and the new ones call me by Elizabeth. I have no idea how my first name was chosen other than it sounded ok with the other names I was told. I suspect it was my mother's main choice...as she was not hardly ever given a choice in anything by my dad. 2 of my brothers were called by their middle names too and the youngest was by his first name. Go figure...it does make a mess of things when doing taxes, and I at one time had to write them a long letter, making it simple enough for a 5 year old child to understand...but it is much easier here to simply use your first name. I enjoyed hearing how yours were named...is it usual to have that many names in Canada?
    Elizabeth xoxo

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    1. I am not sure it is usual or not Elizabeth. Most people have a first and a middle name for sure however. I have not known many people who only have the one name! Have a lovely week! xoxo

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  5. I was named after Raquel Welch. My dad liked her. My middle name is after my Mother, She is LaDawn and so Dawn is my middle.

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