Earlier this week, I found myself at a funeral. It happened to be for someone I’d worked for in my 20s, a kind and generous man. At the time, he’d had pictures of his first grandson around his office, and I’ll never forget the pride in his voice when he told me his grandson’s name: Max.
But I never asked about the name, and only at his funeral did I learn Max was a family name, passed down with love and intention.
The Max in question is now in his 20s, but they’re still telling the story of his name, a thread connecting the generations.
It’s a powerful argument in favor of family names, I think.
Elsewhere in the onomastic universe:
- I found myself watching a Facebook Watch series called Sacred Lies because the main character? Her name is Minnow Bly. It’s dark and spooky, and I’m not sure if I’m hooked – or if I should really stop watching. In a series of flashbacks, Minnow’s dad calls her “Little Fish.” I keep waiting to hear if there’s a story behind it …
- While searching for something else, I stumbled on a random fact I’d never noticed before: the Fantastic Beasts character Credence Barebone was born Corvus Lestrange. The name repeats on their family tree over the generations. It’s the Latin word for raven, which seems fitting for the family. But could anyone out here in the muggle world name their kiddo Corvus? Hmmmm …
- Oh, I really like Coco as a nickname for Colette. Robbie Williams and wife Ayda recently gave the name to their third daughter, a little sister for Charlton “Charlie” and Theodora “Teddy.”
- Love Coco, but not sure about Colette? Lots of other options here. I’m a big fan of Constance called Coco, too.
- I hear about situations like this from time to time. Apparently, Hilaria and Alec Baldwin were all set to name baby #4 Diego. But they had a last minute change of heart and he ended up Romeo instead.
- Speaking of things I hear an awful lot: do you feel pressure to find a name that’s different? This family is torn between Cal and Jack, and one of the reasons they were avoiding Jack? Because it’s too common … but I don’t think that’s necessarily a good reason to avoid a name.
- I’m liking Layton, from this birth announcement. The spelling Leighton leaves me confused about pronunciation, but Layton makes sense to my eyes.
- Ida tops the charts in Denmark, and yet it’s not even in the Top 1000 in the US! Should that change?
- Looking for strong word names? This list is a good place to start.
- Loving this letter to Duana: We’re not interested in passing Supreme Court tests because our baby will be brilliant and folks should want to hire her anyway.
- Will someone really name their child Harland to score an $11,000 payday? I feel like there might be a few takers …
That’s all for this week! As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!
I know a Corvus (born with the name) about 30, here in the PNW. I’ve always liked it. It wears fine.
Ooh! Thanks for sharing.