What's in a Name? Naming Your Baby After Someone Else

by tedgar | More from this Blogger

30 Oct 2009 02:19 PM

When we were searching for a baby name, the most difficult thing to juggle was the connotation that each name brought forth. My husband and I both teach, and so we've encountered just about all of the common names worn by many, many different children. As each name came up, it came with connotations from years gone by.

Can't name her Brianne...it reminds me of someone who tormented me in school. Alana? Kids with that name are always jokers, and since our child will be a model of perfection, well, that name's out. And wasn't there a 1980s star who sported the name Tiffany? What will people think?

We may have been a bit overly obsessed. In the end, we chose a name that my husband liked and that I could tolerate. Why? Well, I knew that once my daughter had that name, I would love it because it was my daughter's name. We would own the connotation, and my daughter would make the name her own.

I chose the two middle names: one is Jane, which is my middle name. This is a family name that has been passed down for four generations of first girls. My daughter's is also named after a lovely woman who passed away several years before my daughter was born. I wanted my daughter to have her lively and lovely sense of humor, and I wanted to honor the friend, so I gave my daughter the name Anna as her other middle name.

Would you name your baby after a relative? A friend? Many of us do. Are we asking too much of our children when we give them these names, or are we simply honoring those who have had the name before and creating a connection between two people? What about serial names? I don't think that I would name my daughter Tricia Jane the Second. That would be a little odd, especially because my mother-in-law also happens to have the same first name as I do. It could be efficient, thought: calling our name at dinner would bring in the whole family.

Do you consider your past connections with a name when you are choosing a name for a new baby? Is this the most important factor in your decision?

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Tricia Edgar is a mom of one lovely daughter. Before her daughter was born, she decided to be guided by the needs of her child, and this led her to attachment parenting philosophies.

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