What's in a name?

For some people, not much, I'm guessing...

Top Baby Names for 2004

Girls:
1. Emily (1)
2. Emma (2)
3. Madison (3)
4. Olivia (5)
5. Hannah (4)
6. Abigail (6)
7. Isabella (11)
8. Ashley (8)
9. Samantha (10)
10. Elizabeth (9)

Boys:
1. Jacob (1)
2. Michael (2)
3. Joshua (3)
4. Matthew (4)
5. Ethan (7)
6. Andrew (5)
7. Daniel (8)
8. William (11)
9. Joseph (6)
10. Christopher (9)

Twins:
1. Jacob & Joshua
2. Taylor & Tyler
3. Matthew & Michael
4. Daniel & David
5. Faith & Hope
6. Madison & Morgan
7. Ethan & Evan
8. MacKenzie & Madison
9. Alexander & Andrew
10. Nathan & Nicholas
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I thought it was interesting that they're all typical Caucasian, suburban names. No Shameekas or DaeQuons, no Maricelas or Juans. I'm guessing that, at least for the more AA-typical names, there are so many variant spellings and creative combinations that no one fixed name ever gets enough play.

For me, I have always tried to steer as far away from the popular, trendy names as possible. When I was in high school back in the early 80s, I thought Brittany and Chelsea were very classy, unusual names -- and they were -- but now they're extremely common and you wouldn't catch me naming a little girl either of those names. My stated reason has always been that I didn't want my kid to be one of three Michaels in his kindergarten class. Better to have your own, distinctive label... but I've also never been a fan of the variant spelling of commonly used names (Emmalee instead of Emily, for instance) because I try to imagine my child as an adult in a place of business sporting the name I've saddled her with, and sometimes the variant spellings begin to look childish and cutesy.

I chose my children's names because they were "normal" names but not typically used. I'm actually a little annoyed because the name "Isaac" has risen in popularity a great deal, as has his middle name "Evan." We chose Evan because it's the name of a great Welsh revivalist, Evan Roberts. The "Isaac" came because it means "laughter" and that's exactly what we did when we found out I was pregnant AND when we found out during the delivery that he wasn't actually a girl but a BOY.

The girls are named for their great-grandmother and their great-great-grandmother, respectively. Martha and Alice are both normal names, albeit much less used than they once might have been. Interestingly, when I take Martha to a doctor's office, the receptionists almost invariably assume that *I* am Martha, because it's a more grown-up sounding name and not commonly seen on a ten-year-old. I like that. Plus, my grandmothers are truly wonderful examples to look up to.

Then there was the angle of adoption. I wanted the girls to have a permanent, tangible connection to the rest of our family... something to tie them in and give them a sense of belonging, because in the research I've done, that can be a problem area for adoptees as they grow older. The best way I could do that for them was to give them family names.

The choosing of a child's name has always been a rather solemn undertaking for me... not to be taken lightly, and chosen with the ramifications clearly in mind.