What's In A Name?

What's in a name? Do the names parents give to children matter, and is one's name related to how popular, successful, or happy he or she will be in life? There are studies out there that say yes and no; I'm not sure what to think about it, so does it really matter? Anyhoo , I recently came across an article which listed the most popular boy and girl names of 2009, and in no particular rating order, these are the good ones on the list.

Boy Names/ Girl Names

Aiden Abigail

Caleb Ava

Gavin Bella

Jacob Ella

Luke Grace

Owen Lucy

When I look at this list, I am reminded at how boring my name is...Lynn, four letters and only one syllable, and no real vowel, Blah! How I got my name is very uninteresting...let's just say that after three girls, my parents were positive that their late in life baby would be a boy and that his name would be Thomas. Huh! Surprise, another girl and no girl names had been picked out so my parents left it to my three older siblings, Connie Gail, 15, Brenda Jo, 14, and Deborah Ann, 8. The only requirement dad had was that Lynn had to be a part of the name. Marilyn and Jacklyn were batted around, by Connie, Brenda, and Debbie but these were vetoed because dad did not want any daughter of his named Marilyn Malone...Too close to Monroe and dad thought that Ms. Monroe was a hussy, and with Jacklyn dad was worried that it would be shorted to Jack or Jackie, and he did not want his girl child to have a boy's name.

I was four days old before I had been christened with my full name, and my oldest sister Connie, finally come up, I mean created a crazy French name that all could agree to bestow upon me. Re'Jean, (crazy made up French name), is my first name, and to keep with dad's one requirement, Connie tagged Lynn behind it for my middle name.

Dad was not thrilled with the crazy made up French name but he gave the okay just as long as it was agreed by all that my middle name Lynn would be the name used, and that the crazy made up French name was only to be used for official government stuff, like when it was time to get my social security number, enroll in school etc. All agreed that the crazy made up French name was exotic and groovy, so mom put the crazy made up French name on my birth certificate to make it legal and official. To this day I say WTF....Why? I would have preferred almost any name then the crazy made up French name that Connie created after smoking a joint. Connie was 15 when I was born, a child of the 60's, and at the time we lived in Walnut Creek, California; not too far from San Fransisco so God only knows how she came up with Re'Jean. That must have been some joint...Thanks, Connie! I still love ya...but.....really!

With a hippie, pot smoking made up French name like Re'Jean it's no wonder that on several occasions during my childhood I lied to people as to what my name was. For instance on my first day of Kindergarten, when Ms. Nancy asked each student to stand and introduce themselves. I listened with envy to all the pretty names of my fellow female classmates. There was a Pamela Sue, a Susan Leigh, a Karen Ann, a Laura Jean, a Lisa Marie and an Elizabeth Joan....after hearing all of these pretty names I could not introduce myself as Re'Jean Lynn....Noooooway Jose! I wanted a name more beautiful than what I had or heard; I had to think quick....what would I say my name was? When it was finally my turn to introduce myself I proudly stood up and said, 'I'm Veronica Suzanne, but you can call me Vicky-Sue." Yep, that's affirmative, you can call me Vicky-Sue is what I said. Is this the only name I could have come up with? As if some red-necky/hill-billy girl name was better than a hippie, pot smoking made up French name? The mind of a five year old who hates her name...SCARY!

When you were a kid did you hate your name too, and did you ever want to change it? If so, what did you want your name to be?

BTW, when Connie had her children....she had stopped smoking pot, and she gave each a beautiful name!