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Name-inspired news and notes for your Sunday reading.
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I think we sacrifice something when we don’t talk about names with people in our lives.
Some of what we lose is worth discarding. Judgement, of course. Shocked gasps, possibly. Arguments that your sister has dibs on Evangeline if she ever gets married and if she has a daughter.
So I fully understand why we hesitate. Better safe than sorry and all that.
But we also miss the chance to hear really helpful things.
Maybe your mom had a dear childhood friend named Elaine and she loves the idea of a granddaughter called Lainey. That could be just what you need to narrow your list of three favorites to just one that feels exactly right.
Or you can’t decide if you should spell your son’s name Elliot or Elliott, when your friend notes that she’s always thought Elliott looked more complete. And while she doesn’t expect you to listen to her, it does somehow make it feel like the obvious choice.
The thing is? It’s not on the person sharing their possible names to do better. They’re already being vulnerable.
It’s on all of us listening and responding to change our behavior.
If someone in your life is kind enough to share their thoughts, it’s on us as the listener to be kind and extremely gentle in offering any opinion or information. People didn’t stop talking about names with their loved ones because they aren’t interested in discussing such a big decision. People stopped because they became really, truly concerned that they’d receive something other than loving, unconditional support. We can fix this.
Elsewhere Online
Oh, I love it when a name is a plot point! Serious spoilers for the 1923 finale ahead, but we already know that John is a significant name in the world of all things Yellowstone.
The marvelous Ms. Rachel, that mainstay of toddler-friendly online content has welcomed a second child. Her name is Susannah, which is amazing and perfect, and I really hope her mom is singing out songs about banjos right now. Big brother is Thomas.
So much like our list. So completely different. Nancy has the most popular names in Ireland, if you’ve like to challenge yourself to pronounce Fiadh, Clodagh, Páidí and more.
Updating & Thinking About
Is Ernest the next Arthur? (Because I’m convinced Arthur is the new Theodore.) I can absolutely imagine Ernie fitting right in with Archie.
Claudia offers a lot of patrician strength. My mom’s Italian neighbor pronounced it more like CLOUD-eeyah and I’m here for it.
Bonnie is back, so how ’bout Clyde? I’ll confess that I hear the Pac-Man sound effects in the back of my brain when I see this one, but I’m guessing than an adorable baby Clyde would change that instantly.
That’s all for today. As ever, thank you for reading and have a great week!
