Thursday, July 13, 2006
Names and diminutives
I remarked today to a girl called Libby that I really liked her name, which set us to discussing the dimutives of Elizabeth (her given name). As well as Libby, we came up with Liz, Lizzie, Eliza, Liza, Liss or Lissa, Beth, Bess most of which we agreed were good names. We also agreed that she was lucky she wasn't born to an earlier generation where she might easily have been called Bette or Betty. It's interesting to think how many diminutives there are for people's names and I wonder, does a person grow into their name or does the name influence the person. Would thoughtful and gentle Libby be the same person if she'd insisted on Elizabeth into adulthood or adopted the much harsher Liz?
A book I've just read talked about names and quoted someone who'd said "if you want to ensure your son is strong caring and gentle with people, call him John." - hmmm, maybe there is something in this name business.
Years ago I read a theory that names choose people. That a spirit is wandering around waiting for a body to be born into and it suggests its name somehow to the prospective parents. I know the name of one of my sons came to me out of the blue. It was not a name under consideration, but one morning I woke up thinking that name and remarkably it was agreeable too to the child's father - when we'd been unable to agree on any other name - and so, without real discussion or forethought, that's what he became from that moment on.
A friend was pregnant (this is back in the dark ages when we couldn't choose to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl). She went to the markets and came home with a plaque bearing the name Joshua - and that was that - Joshua he was.
Most recently, a colleague had a baby about 2 months ago. When she was 7 months pregnant she was in a vehicle rollover and from the moment she and the baby walked away intact, we all started calling him "Lucky". Oh she's given him a flash first Christian name, but he's still got "Lucky" as his second name and we are all still calling him Lucky. Wonder what kind of a person Lucky will grow up to be?
A book I've just read talked about names and quoted someone who'd said "if you want to ensure your son is strong caring and gentle with people, call him John." - hmmm, maybe there is something in this name business.
Years ago I read a theory that names choose people. That a spirit is wandering around waiting for a body to be born into and it suggests its name somehow to the prospective parents. I know the name of one of my sons came to me out of the blue. It was not a name under consideration, but one morning I woke up thinking that name and remarkably it was agreeable too to the child's father - when we'd been unable to agree on any other name - and so, without real discussion or forethought, that's what he became from that moment on.
A friend was pregnant (this is back in the dark ages when we couldn't choose to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl). She went to the markets and came home with a plaque bearing the name Joshua - and that was that - Joshua he was.
Most recently, a colleague had a baby about 2 months ago. When she was 7 months pregnant she was in a vehicle rollover and from the moment she and the baby walked away intact, we all started calling him "Lucky". Oh she's given him a flash first Christian name, but he's still got "Lucky" as his second name and we are all still calling him Lucky. Wonder what kind of a person Lucky will grow up to be?
Comments:
At the McDonald's store in Broome the mainatence bloke's name is John. The windows are always perfectly clear and the toilets are always clean - because they're John's!
True story.
True story.
# posted by 
: 1:15 pm
: 1:15 pm
Well, I bet you'll be amazed to hear from me after all this time -HR Mommy that is.
Funny that your latest entry should relate to names choosing people. Don't know if you remember but we're Catholic and our story kind of relates to that theme.
Long before we conceived, we were praying for a baby and even, as a show of faith, had chosen names for the possible babe -Bianca for a girl; Vincent for a boy. Before very long -I think it was only about a month to six weeks- we were pregnant. In about my fourth month ( before we knew the babe's sex), in our church bulletin was a write up about St. Vincent Ferrer (did I ever tell you my surname?). We'd never heard of that Saint and it really threw us. We felt truly blessed. Still, I was hoping for a girl. Several weeks later I went for my sonogram and learned we would be having a boy. I was at first a little diappointed, but on the way home I realized -God had already told us we would have a boy.
I guess if you're not terribly spiritual it would just seem coincidence, but that would have to be QUITE a coincidence, wouldn't you say?
HR Mommy
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Funny that your latest entry should relate to names choosing people. Don't know if you remember but we're Catholic and our story kind of relates to that theme.
Long before we conceived, we were praying for a baby and even, as a show of faith, had chosen names for the possible babe -Bianca for a girl; Vincent for a boy. Before very long -I think it was only about a month to six weeks- we were pregnant. In about my fourth month ( before we knew the babe's sex), in our church bulletin was a write up about St. Vincent Ferrer (did I ever tell you my surname?). We'd never heard of that Saint and it really threw us. We felt truly blessed. Still, I was hoping for a girl. Several weeks later I went for my sonogram and learned we would be having a boy. I was at first a little diappointed, but on the way home I realized -God had already told us we would have a boy.
I guess if you're not terribly spiritual it would just seem coincidence, but that would have to be QUITE a coincidence, wouldn't you say?
HR Mommy
