Our names really define us, don’t they? Hopefully for good, in your case.
Naming a child can be a lot of pressure for a parent. I mean, knowing that a name can define us, we want to choose correctly. I’ve had a number of friends who decided on a couple of names and then chose the final option once the sweet baby was in their hands. I’ve also known people who chose one name, but then looked at their child and said, “I don’t think so”.
I thought it would be fun to give you some insight into our kid’s names and why they were chosen. As well as the thought behind the name for this site.
For all the tough discussions and decisions Brandon and I have made (and will make), naming our kids was ironically not one of them. In fact, it was almost too easy. I love family names. Names with a meaning, a history. I realize that this sounds old or out dated. I really do love trendy names and think a ton are super cute, but I like them for other people’s kids.
We knew the gender of both kids before they were born. I couldn’t have done it any other way. I’m totally a planner, so that would have driven me nuts. Right after we found out our first-born would be a boy, the name Asher really settled on my heart. This is the name of Brandon’s grandfather. A solid Christian man who has had great influence on his life. I also had my grandfather’s name come to mind as he was one of the greatest men I knew. Also a solid Christian and patriarch in my family. His name was Lloyd. I tried each one as a first and middle, but Asher Lloyd just seemed to be perfect. Now to sell this to Brandon… I remember thinking that choosing a child’s name is going to involve a LOT of discussion and I braced myself as I started the conversation. I gave him my name idea and almost closed my eyes so I wouldn’t see his reaction. He said, “Great. I like it. Done.” I think my reaction was something like, “really??” So there you have it- our sweet Asher Lloyd, named after 2 very important men in our lives.
We told everyone who wanted to know. I realize that many of you kept your child’s name a secret until after he/she was born. And I realize this is done for a number of reasons; primarily because you don’t want to hear the crazy or negative thoughts people feel compelled to share with you. First off, when we told people Asher would be named after Brandon’s 80-something year old grandfather, no one scoffed at us. Secondly, if someone does disclose the name they have (most likely) painstakingly chosen for their child, either agree with them or button it. Just because you may have known someone by the name they chose (who you didn’t like), it doesn’t have anything to do with their child.
Mama bear just came out for a minute there. Lol!
There was a similar thought process and discussion when we found out our second born was a girl. I wanted a name with meaning again, so I started going through family names. I’ve always thought my mom’s name makes the perfect middle name- Jane. Plus, my oldest niece has Jane as her middle name, and I thought that would be a fun connection for the cousins. My middle name is the same as my cousin’s, and we always thought that was neat. Her first name was a little trickier. Somewhere along the way I learned that Brandon’s grandma’s name was Maggie. She lived with them in their home when he was going up. He had a great respect for her and they were very close. I admit, I’m a sucker for history like that. I love the name Maggie. (Margaret wasn’t my thing- no offense to all of you lovely ladies named Margaret out there.) Now to sell it to the hubs. We agreed right away. I’m telling you, it’s crazy how quickly we agreed. And so Maggie Jane came to be.
As for this site, again, I’m all about something significant. I was really wracking my brain on this one. I thought “redheads” should be somewhere in the title, obviously. Nothing was really hitting me that wasn’t already taken, or that some hosting company didn’t want thousands of dollars for. Really guys??
I’m a lover of old movies. I honestly sometimes think I was born in the wrong era. I see myself in the 40s or 50s. The clothes, the music, the movies, the way life was different. Not that there weren’t major crazy things going on in the world then, too. It was just different. One of my favorite movies from this time period is Bringing Up Baby. It’s actually from 1938 and stars Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. I could go on about how funny it is, but I digress. Brandon said, “What about Bringing Up Redheads?” And knowing me as he does, that was it. I’d found the name and it was perfect. And so, Bringing Up Redheads was born.
Are any of you into names with meaning? Family names? Are you named after a family member? How has that impacted your life? I’d love to hear. Comment or contact me.
Embrace Life!
2 Comments
Hey friend, I have a family middle name with an interesting background. My middle name is Loue (pronounced Lah-we), and it is after my grandma’s middle name. This came from her mother’s (my dad’s grandmother’s) first name, Louella. Conicidentally, my dad’s grandmother on the other side of the family’s first name was Louora. So I am in a way named after 3 different grandmothers on my dad’s side. I didn’t like my middle name growing up, but once my dad told me the hidtory, I thought it was so neat!
Caitlin- that is so awesome!! It really does make a difference knowing the history. I hope my kids appreciate their names when they are older. Thanks for reading and commenting!