I field questions about baby names every day. They run the gamut from the profound to the silly, the deeply personal to the can-you-settle-this-bet. The variety is boundless, but one familiar question comes up again and again:
I made up this name for my child, can you tell me what it means?
On its face, this might seem like one of the silly questions. If you created the name yourself then surely you know where it came from. It's a new twist on a popular name, or a combination of your grandparents' names, or the catchiest arrangement you could make out of your Scrabble rack. That's its origin and thus its meaning, right? But the fact that this question is asked so often suggests there's more to it. Think of it as a call for connection in an era of extreme individuality in baby naming. We all want to go out on a limb, but with the comfort of knowing the tree's roots are still down there somewhere keeping us grounded. So parents choose a name first, then hit the books to reassure themselves that the name is "real."
Perhaps the greatest beneficiary of this post-hoc search for meaning is Jaden. Jaden is a biblical name. Don't take my word for it, look it up in an online name dictionary. You'll learn that Jaden is a Hebrew name meaning "God has heard," from Nehemiah 3:7. Granted, the Biblical version is Jadon and it isn't pronounced to rhyme with Aidan, but close enough:
Next to them repairs were made by Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite--the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah--who were under the jurisdiction of the governor of the province Beyond the River. (Ne 3:7)
Nehemiah 3, if you're curious, chronicles the vast construction project of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. You read of the many men (and a few unnamed women) who replaced bolts, rehung doors and repaired roofs. In fact, it may be illuminating to see the full range of names mentioned in this chapter. Due to space concerns, I'll limit myself to the first half, verses 1 to 16:
Eliashib
Zaccur
Hassenaah
Meremoth
Uriah
Hakkoz
Meshullam
Berechiah
Meshezabel
Zadok
Joiada
Paseah
Besodeiah
Melatiah
Jadon
Uzziel
Harhaiah
Hananiah
Rephaiah
Hur
Jedaiah
Harumaph
Hattush
Hashabneiah
Malchijah
Harim
Hasshum
Pahath-moab
Shallum
Hallohesh
Hanun
Machijah
A fashion goldmine this is not. As recently as 15 years ago, when the revival of Old Testament names like Ethan and Hannah was already in full swing, not one of the dozens of names in Nehemiah 3 cracked the top 1000. Even the best known of the names, Uriah (familiar through a different character in the book of Samuel), was a relic. But Aidan and rhyming names like Hayden and Braden were rising fast. A few Jaydens and Jadens -- not Jadons -- crept in around 1994. Then in 1998 Will and Jada Pinkett Smith named their baby boy Jaden. Open the floodgates! Overnight, Jaden was red-hot in every imaginable spelling, just like Aidan, Hayden and Braden. And parents of Jadens, Jaydons and Jaidens were explaining to friends that they chose it because it's a biblical name.
Are those parents wrong? Delusional? Not really. If they cite the biblical connection, I assume it's legitimately important to them. It may not be the real reason behind the choice, but it's a lasting justification. Knowing a biblical Jadon is out there gives parents a reassuring glimpse of the roots of a tree of fashion that we're climbing dizzyingly higher every day. Thousands of years after his first job, Jadon the Meronothite is performing another round of maintenance work: helping parents stay happy with the name they chose.
Comments
Hi Kathy Lincoln. I'm one of the people who expressed enthusiasm for A.J.'s posts, and I will stand by it. Note the caveat in her assertion that Destiny is not a name chosen by the elite "Might it happen? Sure."
We're talking about our impressions of names, which naturally means we're *generalizing* here. And I have to say, I'd bet the farm that statistics would probably back her assertion about Destiny.
I can understand why you're a little miffed (you know someone who doesn't fit the stereotype, and you want to defend them), and I'm glad you posted (funny, I graduated from Sarah Lawrence too. I'll wager that many, many eccentric names spring from Sarah Lawrence grads . . .) and I think it's great when people express strong opinions about names and naming trends.
Discussions about socio-economic naming trends tend to get a little heated, understandably. Hope it won't keep you from participating.
Ok, Eleni, you've found my hidden weakness! Here is the full list of names we've considered:
(Remember- Amann like salmon last name)
Charlotte (afraid too popular)
Alana (afraid too pop.)
Sylvia (DH hates it)
Chloe (MIL fave- too popular)
Jane (scared because it's too plain?)
Skye (scared cause it's hippy)
Really, Johanna was the only one we felt good about, except for the rhyming-rhyming with the last name. Kill me now, I hate every name. I can only hope this is just pregnancy!
I must agree with Eleni - discussions of socio-economic trends are always the ones that provoke outrage but AJ does write in an informed and articulate manner and his/her observations (even if you don't like them) are correct and
I for one hope that he/she continues to post...
Nina: hilarious! loved your story :-)
Astrid: your name is uber cool! ignore idiots!
Anne: It is do-able. My mum and auntie both named sons James. Although my auntie had used this name first, my dad had always said that his first son would be a James AS it has been in every first born son's name on my dads side for as far back as we can look - being a stubborn man he just wasn't prepared to to deviate. (Did I mention that both of these boys dads are Richard's too!) We are a close family too, after a while you grow accustomed to it...
Everyone, thanks for the suggestions. Zane is been on my list, if I can get DH past "zany".
Ok, quickly before I head to work for the day, here are some of our criteria for the boy we might have.
1) First, our last name is Louie. No, not a misspelling...just like the nn. Names ending in E are out...too cutesy, although that doesn't seem to be problemati with boy names.
2) Needs to be something people have generally heard before so the chances of them getting the spelling right, etc. are good.
3) I'm leaning toward the use of surnames as a first name. Your basic Michaels, Johns, etc., are out. Too many of those in use in my large, extended family.
4) It needs to be similar to Hudson. Now, Elijah Louie sounds really good but I can't imagine naming Hudson's brother that...because they are so different: one geographic and one biblical.
5) Limited ability to turn it into a nn, which means Hugh Louie is automatically out given the instant ability to recite all three of Donald Duck's nephews.
Thx!
How about Carter or Carson to go with Hudson?
I just thought Elton - or if you want placenames, Eton?!
More fave existing names: "Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown". Just because it's fun to say...
Jazz and blues artists often have superb names don't they? "Billie Holliday"; "Bix Beiderbecke". And for apt names, how about the incomparable "Fred Astaire"? Jaunty and ethereal, like he was, but somehow also grounded in its "fredness". His real name "Frederick Austerlitz" has an amusingly Prussian ring, but would it have glided quite so well with Ginger?
I am not sure if this has been said or not----But why in the Hell are people being so mean and nasty to AJ this is a place for opinions and hers is as valid as the next!
Denise,
What about Kingston?
Denise, I love the way (as Helen suggested) Carter goes with Hudson!
Also -- love and agree with AJ's posts.
Off Topic-I clearly am a namer in need of help. A dear friend(male) called this morning, before my coffee, and mentioned that someone had suggested CJ as a name for his grandson-to-be. Instead of saying, "that's an option" or "how creative", I think I may have said,"yes, there were 3 of those initial names on my street growing up-I always felt bad that those kids didn't warrant a real name."I think he replied,"OOOh,that's right-you are so opinionated about names." I do remember thinking that EJ, CJ and RJ were catchy the first time I heard them. But,name nerdiness strikes again!In the wonderful world of names--I just want everyone to be bestowed with a loved, well-considered moniker-with vowels. Is that too much to ask? Going for coffee now.
I can understand people that don't wish to name their child after the father as I never was much inclined to do it growing up. My husband however, really really wanted to do this. It is part of his family tradition and having grown up with a brother named after his father didn't see it as that hard to distinguish between them. I really like my husband's name and so we went with that decision. I think that because I am used to having people named after someone (I was named after the character in Gone with the Wind) it fit in my naming style to name my children after people I love and admire. I think that it is one of many ways to create a sense of connection and belonging to the bigger picture for a child. I don't think it has to be arrogant.
That said I will admit I nixed any idea my husband might have had of naming a potential daughter after me. I just have no personal desire that way and want my name to stay mine. I do like that the name I have picked out is similar in style and sound to mine.
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I think that this is what Laura's post is all about -- people want to find a way to connect the names they chose to some kind of meaning and a connection to a greater context as was previously stated. Even people that go for a name because they like it usually have some kind of association with the sound, a picture of what that name portrays. I think people just have different styles for how they go about it.
I already mentioned that I could care less what "meaning" there is to a name partly because it is clearly something that my parents never cared about with our names. My good friend, however, had sentences made up by her mother regarding the meaning her and her siblings first and middle names and has continued that tradition with her son. It is what works for her and I think it is great to have a "story" of some sort to tell about your name. It makes things feel less arbitrary than saying these are syllables that just fell together to mean me.
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I think that this is what Laura's post is all about -- people want to find a way to connect the names they chose to some kind of meaning and a connection to a greater context as was previously stated. Even people that go for a name because they like it usually have some kind of association with the sound, a picture of what that name portrays. I think people just have different styles for how they go about it.
I already mentioned that I could care less what "meaning" there is to a name partly because it is clearly something that my parents never cared about with our names. My good friend, however, had sentences made up by her mother regarding the meaning her and her siblings first and middle names and has continued that tradition with her son. It is what works for her and I think it is great to have a "story" of some sort to tell about your name. It makes things feel less arbitrary than saying these are syllables that just fell together to mean me.
Responding to Expecting in Dec.'s comment:
"Kill me now, I hate every name. I can only hope this is just pregnancy!"
This is happening to me, too! Before I was pregnant, I loved coming up with possible baby names...now the thought makes me more nauseated. Anyone else feel (or felt) this way? Fortunately I am not due until March, so there is time.
This is a fascinating discussion because it delves into why we name the way we do. Someone upthread said that even if we are trying to avoid trends by choosing a trendproof name, we are still trendy because we are still trying to set our child's name apart. I had to laugh because I am guilty of that. I named my son Benjamin, because it is timeless, Biblical, classic, blah blah blah, and all of my acquaintances with little boys are using Jayden, Cayden, etc. But "Benjamin" happens to rank #24 in the SSA, and it happens to have a "en" sound at the ending! So it turns out I can be just as trendy as the next mom.
AJ, I can see the points she is making but I do find her blanket statements about "class" offensive. "Lower middle" doesn't always mean trashy or uneducated or likely to smoke cigarettes in your child's playground. My husband and I are college-educated, yet we make less than 40K a year. We drive slightly rusty used vehicles. My favorite names include Henry, James, Charles, Oliver, Lily, and Annabelle.
Denise,
Have you considered Dexter (Dex) or Desmond (Des) as a sibling name for Hudson? I love the name Dexter! (And it has a similar sound, to my ear.)
Julianne, I believe you have made the most nuanced and sensitive argument re: stereotyping and names. Thank you.
With "Hudson", has anyone mentioned "Roscoe"? To me they both have that pleasantly retro feel. I had a friend named "Winslow", another one that seems compatible. He was of course nicknamed "Win", which I think is charming.
tess-- Did those neighborhood children not have any real names to go with their initials? That, I wouldn't like! But I do find it intriguing when authors just go by their initials, like the aforementioned "F. Tennyson Jesse", and "P.G. Wodehouse". Then I can never rest till I learn their real names!
I'm not a fan of naming kids after yourself, boy or girl. Of course, part of that might be because I think a subconscious requirement for all of my favorite names is that I don't personally know one. (ex. Alice, Frederick, Theresa, Peter...)
Of course, this makes me quite sad, because one of my top favorite boys' names is Niko (and I may never forgive Nike for stealing the name of the goddess of victory), but as a Nicole I think I have to strike it off my list...
Denise- Some possible sibling names could be Maxwell, Reid, or Evander. Roarke, suggested above, also sounds good.
Denise-- if you like the Z in Zane, consider Zander or Zion (although that has religious implications...)
Place names:
Austin
Bryce
Tyler
Denise-
Why did you choose the name Hudson? Is it a family name? I'm curious because it is my surname, and it really shocks me that anyone thinks it is worthy of use as a first name.
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Maybe that's why people are so quick to announce the meaning of names they choose. Perhaps they feel possessive of certain names, and want to let people know that it is "theirs" to give because it has personal meaning and history. I know I feel irrationally annoyed when I meet babies named "Hudson", because it is "my" name.
Hudson hit the top 1000 list back in 1995 and it has only gotten more popular since then. Last year, it was ranked 249th in the country, with 1,356 boys being named Hudson. Goldie Hawn's daughter Kate Hudson named her son that. Also, the name Hudson was starred as a hot name in the "Baby Names Now" Rosenkrantz/Satran book of 2002. In view of the above, it's not shocking at all to see Hudson used as a first name. In fact, it's totally mainstream.
NJJM, I was surprised to see you mention the name Theresa. I have always loved that name and would seriously consider it were I to have another child. I was shocked to see how low it is on the charts right now as it still sounds mainstream to my ears (yet another example of how those trends work!).
Hudson has three things going for it in terms of trendiness: 1) It's a place name; 2) It's a surname; 3) It ends in the "en" sound. I wouldn't be surprised to see it in the top 50 in a few years.
And as for great names: William Makepeace Thackeray; John Greenleaf Whittier; and Peter Gabriel (love his music, love the way his name flows).
I thought Kate Hudson's son was named Ryder?
I know a family with 1 boy and 4 girls where the youngest girl has the exact name as her mother. I think historically the tradition of naming daughters after mothers might be more prevalent in the South (U.S.)
Also, the comments about Destiny reminded me of the book Freakonomics. The appendix has a list of names matched with the average number of years of education of the mother. The mom's of Destiny's have an average of 11.65 yrs of total education. The lowest name I saw on the list was Chastity with 10.66. The highest one I saw was Linden with 15.94. The author says that the list is not exhaustive - more of a sampling.
Clearly, statistics such as these do not tell the complete story of a name, a person or a family. But I must admit that I was happy to see my own dd's name associated with higher education levels.
From the boys' list -- Tennyson 15.63; Jesus 8.71
The book is copyright 2005 It does make fairly controversial statements about names and perceptions of names, but it is interesting.
Denise- I have to vote for Zane as a great name! I am hugely biased though. We do sometimes call our son "Zany", which isn't such a bad nn for a 3-year-old. I'm not sure how he'll feel about it as he gets older. I also have an acquaintance with a son "Eli", which I had assumed was short for Elijah, but his son's name is actually Elias. That might work better with Hudson.
On Joaquin- I'm pretty sure that Jack would be the English equivalent, but not necessarily a standard nn. My FIL could have been Americanizing his name, or else it was an attempt to sort him out from his father and grand-father. All the first-born men in the family had the exact same name. My husband was fated to be Joaquin MN LN the fourth, but my MIL broke with tradition, and now we've just been sort of passing Joaquin down as a mn. I'm pretty glad it worked out that way, since there was no pressure to make my son into "the fifth", which just seems, to me, to go beyond narcissism and into weird realms of patriarchal feudalism, or something.
On initials- I always found "initial names" sort of strange. I think as a child I always assumed that you used your initials when you had a really awful first name. I went to school with an E.J., and rumor had it that his real name was Elmer James.
Interestingly, the grand-parents have started calling my son Z.J., on occasion. At first I was like, "What?! No way!" It just seemed so... odd. I'm still not sure how I feel about this particular nn sticking around. It will be interesting to see how (if?) the nn thing evolves.
"I also have an acquaintance with a son "Eli", which I had assumed was short for Elijah, but his son's name is actually Elias."
No way! That is my second cousin's name! I thought he was the only one (well, not really. But I've never met another.)
Is Eli's father by any chance a Lutheran minister?
Expecting: I like Johanna Jane. I think Jane is far from too plain. It seems like one of those classics that will be back...
To Hudson's Mama: How about Riley?
Emily, you're right! It is Ryder. Oops. :)
Heather and Eo- I think that the boys I knew were named after their Dads in most of the cases-and the initial naming was in lieu of Junior,maybe. Although all of the fathers must have had J middle names! I think the letter "J" is the most often used second letter in this type of naming because it does sound like a name (I regretfully admit).This was a predominately Irish-American neighborhood and it might have been a tradition that I didn't know. When I hear of writers who go by initials, in their professional works, I am always curious as to what the letters stand for. I remember needing to know who T.S. Eliot really was. Perhaps that is my cranky objection, initial names deny me access to the real identity and just give me code letters to call a person. I want to buy them a name!
MMS & expecting: I too am hating all names currently. I have noticed that during my pregnancy I have fluctuated between being obsessed with names and hating all of them. I really didn't pay much attention to them before (sorry name-o-philes - what is the term for that?).
I can't remember who is considering Johanna/Jane Amann (expecting?), but have you considered June?
Hudson's mom: What about Dashiel (nn Dash) or Dennison (nn Denny)?
I also really like Evander, Cassius, and Dexter. I like Tate too, but it feels like a nn. I thought it was short for Tatum, but turns out that's a girl's name! I also like Ami (pron Om-mi) as in Ami James on Miami Ink. He's Israeli, so I guess the name is too?
Anybody have an idea for a mn for Elliot Carlson?
Sarah- I would think that you would want something that does not sound like a last name-because Elliott could sound that way, already. So perhaps some old time classic,such as : Elliott Peter Carlson or Elliott Henry Carlson or Elliott James Carlson. Perhaps I am being too boring-is this the direction you want?
On "initial names": One day I went to the bank with a friend. She was cashing a check from her grandmother and I noticed that her grandmother's name was printed on the check as Mrs. L.C. last name. I commented that I was surprised that her grandmother didn't use her own name and that her husband went by his initials. My friend started laughing and said that her grandfather had always gone by his initials and that no one, but no one ever said his name aloud. She did divulge to me that his name was Lesbia Columbia! No wonder! I did know a girl in Venezuela named Lesbia, but the name is more common in Spanish-speaking countries.
Sarah--Don't know if I'm right, but I say "onomatophiles" (as the word for the study of names is onomatology).
Re: initial nicknames--Tess, good J-observation! (The initial nn-ed ppl I know (all male) are TJ, JT, JR, JC, and PJ. Weird, I only just noticed that they all contain J (although,obviously, as a first letter for a lot of them)).
When people ask my son's name and I tell them it's Ronan, they always ask what it means and where it comes from. I always wonder, "What does it matter?" We picked it because we liked it, not because of whatever its supposed meaning is, or whereever it's supposed to come from. Yeah, I checked and made sure it didn't mean anything embarrassing, but other than that, don't most people just use a name because they like how it sounds?
Denise,
I love the name Elias. One of the reasons that I liked it, as I was looking for Elijah variants, is that it's a actually also a place name. Mt. St. Elias in Alaska is an 18,000 ft peak, and also the namesake of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, one of the biggest national parks in the US, and a place where my husband and I spent time while engaged. So, Elias would fit with Hudson in that they're both place names.
To Hudson: Kate Hudson was the "inspiration" for my son's name...not because I'm a huge fan but because I had ears open to any name that might work and I realized I really liked it. It met our criteria and I didn't know a soul with that name. As a first time older mom from a large family, everyone had already taken the "cool" names.
Many thanks for the ideas. Some of them are "taken" in my circle; others I need to float past DH.
As far naming a child after a mother or father, it didn't work out so well in my family. My dad and brother were Peter. Except Dad preferred Peter despite no one calling him that; my brother preferred Pete but got Peter or the even worse Petey. And then we can talk about my four uncle Johns. Drove me crazy that the family was devoid of creativity but that generation considered it an honor to repeat names.
Anyway, I really appreciate the suggestions, and recognize my request was slightly off-topic given Laura's original article. But I'm hormonal and desperate. Thank you
Ronan seems to be on the upswing following its appearance in Harry Potter...
NAME POPULARITY: I hate to disillusion some people but I still have to spell out my name fn and my ln (the 10th most common surname in the US) for people. Just because a name is common doesn't mean people use their brains. My fn + ln DOES mean I share the same name with 2,370 other people in the US (http://howmanyofme.com/search/). I spent all of grade school through high school secretly wishing I could be something besides Kim T. Maybe it doesn't bother some people, but it sure bothered me--enough that I'm seriously considering tossing one of my favorite girl names (Lillian) because it and its variants/nn's are so popular.
WEIRD FAMILY NAMING: I also don't get the naming your kids after yourself thing. My brother is the 8th or 9th James (I forget) in a row. The weird thing is my grandfather was the 3rd son and I think his father was also a 3rd son. Also another weirdness (and on the same side of the family), I have some kind of great-great-great type uncle named Alabama Tennessee Thomas. Say what?
I've never been on this site before. Just wanted to say that my father and his father are named Harry. My husband's grnadfather, gret-grandfather and uncle were all also, Harry. We love this name and come from families that (obviously) names for family members. I never thought about it until a friend said something recently- Harry Potter. We are not fans. We have nothing against him but, it's not on our radar. Any thoughts?
Should we abandon the name that goes with both sides of the family because of the character? It's also a hard name to pair with a middle name. Harry ???
Anyone want to help or lead me to a place?
Kristen - well, Nymbler might help you find a middle name if you plug in at least one you like. How about Henry Harrison? It depends on the ln, though.
I used to dislike Harry a lot but it has grown on me. Despite the popularity of Harry Potter, I don't immediately think of him when I hear the name. Kids might, however...
Oh shoot - I just realized I wrote Henry Harrison. Harry Harrison is, I'm sure, not what you had in mind! Forgive the slip, I'm veggie out after a long work day.
Anyway, I would NOT abandon the name if you love it and it has been the family for generations. Go for it.
Harry Harrison is the name of a Science Fiction author of The Stainless Steel Rat series.
Denise, and I then went and misread what you posted. LOL
Denise-
How about Anderson?
Kristen: I like Harry (despite or maybe because of the fact that I am a huge fan), so if you like it, I say keep it. I think (and am not basing this on any actual knowledge) that most kids would think it is cool (until maybe high school, but IMO in high school if you're going to be made fun of you're going to be made fun of, so I don't think I would reject the name based on that).
Tess: I'm not really sure what direction I'm going with the mn. I thought of Dean. I guess I was kind of looking for how many syllables type of direction to start. (3-?-2)
Kathy Lincoln -- your note made me pause to realize something. A Sarah Lawrence girl (full disclosure: I use to teach there and the students are incredibly beautiful, talented, and more often than not shockingly wealthy) can pull off ANY name. "Destiny" may be more *statistically* likely to be the daughter of, say, a poor teenaged mother, I'm sure of that. But past a certain level of wealth, anything goes because all the other advantages are already there: that's why you sometimes meet upper-class people with officially "tacky" names. It's a form of shocking the middle class. I'm not saying your niece is wealthy; I don't know her. I do know that there are places where you are bestowed with (if you didn't already possess) a kind of bullet-proof class entitlement that gives you a free pass to take certain risks. Sarah Lawrence is one of those places... I say this with a certain degree of fondness but also with the knowledge that, as Fitzgerald put it, "the rich are different from you and me."
On the popularity of Harry - there is also Prince Harry.
On the repeated use of a family name: My older brother and his wife both had younger brothers named Donald and then named a son Donald. It has caused no end of confusion over the years, although the eldest of the lot insists on being Don and always signs that way, the next is always called Donald and the youngest answers to both!
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