Many of us will see our families over the holidays – if we haven’t already!
And while that brings a mix of the joyful, stressful, and just plain complicated, it’s also an opportunity to think about names.
I recently discovered that my Great Aunt Betty wasn’t Betty at all. She was Rose Elizabeth. The Elizabeth part was routine; the Rose? Absolutely stunning. Because she was older than my grandmother by at least a decade, and because her children live in another part of the country, I might not have a chance to ask about it over Christmas. But there is one aunt who might know, and I’ve made a mental note to inquire.
If you’re thinking about adding to your family in the near-ish future, and family names appeal to you, this is your reminder to steer the conversation that way at some point during your gatherings. As a bonus, they’re often amazing ways to connect across the generations, and it can be joyful to reminisce.
Another bonus: even if you don’t uncover a great name, you’ll almost certainly hear some great stories.
If you’ve used family names, how did you learn about them?
ELSEWHERE ONLINE
We all know that names like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are on the decline, but the way Laura lays out the data makes it even more clear that the way we name is changing … maybe forever.
Adalet, Evren, and Elif are favorites, and there was an adorable little Musa at my kids’ school a while back. More Turkish names can be found here.
How Joan became Aubrey. I think this year-end edition of name quotes from Nancy is especially good.
Tabitha and Talitha in the same birth announcement round-up from British Baby Names? Maybe we should be watching for long girl names beginning with T in 2023. I do have Tallulah on my list already …
I haven’t mentioned Bronze, but I kind of love it. Patrick Mahomes, the charismatic quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, recently welcomed his second child with wife Brittany. Their daughter is Sterling, and the new baby is Patrick Lavon Mahomes III – nickname Bronze. Patrick credits his brother for suggesting it.
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That’s all for this week. As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!
Aw, I’d love to use Tallulah but the nickname “Lula” wasn’t similar to word in my family’s native language meaning “dizzy”. Even if it weren’t a nickname that my child was teased on the playground, I’m not thrilled if their nickname made family members a reason to tease. It’s tough when you’re not just considering the culture you live in, but the ones you grew up with that have different languages involved for naming future children.
I have always loved Tabitha and the Romani Talaitha! I love Lula as a Tallulah nickname.