BBC News reports that more than half of the babies (8 out of 15) born in a hospital in Kisumu, Kenya the day after the election were named either Barack or Michelle Obama. Kisumu is near the village where Obama’s father was born and raised.
Fortunately, I was not born after an election. I might have come out a Ronald. Or a Nancy. Thankfully, my first name is partially an inheritance from my father John, and my middle name (Edward) comes from my great-grandfather Edward Albert Zindorf. He asked that I be named after him before he died.
How about you? Where do your names come from?
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November 6, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Stephanie G.
My first name came from wherever…my parents said they just liked it. My middle name, Kate, is my mom’s middle name.
November 6, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Lucia
My parents named me “Lucia” after a chick my dad met in Boston while trying to hitchhike to Woodstock (he didn’t make it in time).
If I had been a boy, they would have named me Ebiniah Spencer, so that my initials would have been ESP.
Thank God I’m female.
November 6, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Nick
Oh my… I would have been a Ronald as well. Not cool.
All of my siblings (11, 12 including myself) are all names taken from the Bible. My name, Nicolas, was a Proselyte from Antioch that was chosen by the Apostles to “serve tables” so they could preach the Gosepl of God (Acts 6.1ff). My middle name, John, was probably chosen because it goes well with Nicolas, I suppose.
November 6, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Ched
I have no idea. And neither do my parents, though I have my theories.
November 7, 2008 at 10:14 am
Tim
My first name, Timothy, was picked because my parents liked the name and its meaning (Timo - to honor; theos - God). My middle name was passed down from my dad - Paul. I always joke with people that if my last name happened to be Barnabus then I would have the discipleship ‘trifecta’ - Timothy - Paul - Barnabus! My dad’s middle name is Paul, but his first name - Clyde - was passed on from his dad. I’m so glad that he decided to pass Paul down to me and not Clyde (people usually associate either “Bonny & Clyde” or Clyde Drexler). Well, that’s my story!
November 7, 2008 at 11:06 am
Cindy
My parents weren’t planning to have a second child, but then changed their minds, so my Chinese name sounds like the word “addition”, but means “reward”. It’s now my middle name (”Chia, pronounced “jah”).
I think “Cindy” came from wanting another “C” in my name….so my initials are CCC.
November 7, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Katie Haas
I don’t think Kathryn has any significant meaning, but I love my middle name, Marybeth. It is a combination of both of my grandma’s names, Margaret and Elizabeth. Althogh I think it was a bit of a stretch to turn Margaret into Mary.
November 7, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Trenton B.
Trenton came from my Godmother who just happened to like it. I am lucky to have two middle names, honoring both sides of my family - Robert (My dad’s dad) and Newell (My mom’s dad’s surname).
It is interesting to note that my name has little to nothing to do with Trenton, NJ nor the River of Trent in Westenfieldshirebrookton in England.
November 8, 2008 at 5:21 pm
wife
my first name…. crystal… came from when my mom was working at taco bell… she was pregnant with me… and some other chic that worked there was naming her daughter crystal too.
middle name… jean…. my mom’s mom and my dad’s mom… both of their middle names are jeanne. my dad spelled it wrong when he was telling the nurses how to spell mine :)
my last name… cave…. came from being a child of my parents..
my new last name.. bowers… came from marrying you :)