What's in a name?

Working in a school system you run across all kinds of names and the trends that seem to change yearly making things interesting when it comes to giving children their lifelong name and title. The old school names seem to be making a big come back but the unique, non-traditional names are still sticking around. And spelling of any of these names....well that's whole other blog!

When you become a parent and are given the honor of naming your child there are those names that you know you will absolutely never use! Never! Working in education seems to have a strong affect on what names won't be on your family tree-contingent to the behavior or experiences with people/children in the past. But other factors also make or break naming-from childhood bullies or friends to annoying encounters-there are names that will never have a chance! The names that just don't conjure anything good for you. Family-ties may dictate what name is used-family traditions are pretty cool and a nice way to honor people-most of the time!

Looking back now I would maybe change a decision I made regarding my oldest son who was suppose to be named Ryne after the Chicago Cubs shortstop Ryne Sandberg. But I was not so sure about this name. I was looking at the Ryne as in watermelon "rind" (don't ask me why, I going by the sound of the name, not the spelling) and so after 48-hours of labor and two weeks of being miserable and overdue I changed Ryne to Ryan. Hindsight now I wish I would have stuck with my husband's wishes. Ryne would be really unique (but misspelled and mispronounced his whole life, I'm sure) but it would still be unique. Plus being named after a pretty cool baseball player would be cool! Ryan means "little king" which seemed fitting as he was the first born grandson on either side of the family. I still love the name Ryan-except for a couple of bonehead Ryan's I've had over the past years it still brings good thoughts and feelings for me, I'd still used it! (And this is what Ryne means or at least according to nameberry.com "Baseball player Ryne Sandberg's nickname is RYNO. Need we say more?" Actually it also means little king! Oh ya and I'd want my first born nicknamed "Ryno" after a horned animal as in rhino!!) Ryan is the first born so the "king" seems to fit!!

Daughter Ashlyn was another name chosen from the result of being overdue and miserable. Ashley or Aimee were our choices. But I was just never settled or satisfied with either name. The only thing I did know was Marie for a middle name was a must so whatever was the first name it had to go with Marie as a middle name. It is my middle name and my mom's. It was sweltering hot that summer 25-years ago and again baby number two was overdue and July had turned into August-I was one very miserable pregnant person.) The inability to sleep kept me up with a very active baby who would not make his or her appearance in the world and I was going through the baby name book AGAIN to pass my time early two days before the birth day, when I ran across the name Ashlin in the boy section of the book. Something clicked, changes made and now we have Ashlyn Marie-which was unique until the name started to catch on shortly after her birth. The only change I would have made-putting two n's at the end Ashlynn - to be like my Lynn. But hey, it's unique, it fits her and I still love the name. Ashlyn means vision or dream, which fits child number two to a tee!

Finally came child number three-again the challenge of names for either a boy or girl...we found a name that we liked for a boy but just would not work with our last name-so we kept looking. And with a coaching father the names as they would sound while being announced at a football or basketball game were the 'test run' for any male prospects-as was done with the previous two as well! Ranen was found again in the boy section of the name book and means "joyous". Putting William, which was pulled from both sides of the family tree seemed to work. If this baby had been a girl and had had red hair she would have probably been an Amber-maybe! Ranen seems to have a joyous outlook at life from the moment he was born. He takes the world as it is and has a positive outlook. Ranen is often called Will or William by his siblings, a habit that I'm not sure how it came about, but still fun. I still like the name Ranen after almost 22-years.


Finding items with my children's names on them has always been a challenge except Ryan, but if I'd went with Ryne his would have been as impossible as Ashlyn and Ranen. I had a teacher ask one of my kids once if all his siblings had strange names...really, that spoke volumes about the maturity of that person. Who says that to a kid? But I now don't care (at the time I wanted to tell that teacher to grow up) I like each child's name and their meanings seem to fit each one and their personality!

How we got the name we have may or may not have a story with it but it is what makes us who we are and are known by!

Positive thought of the day: All the people, good/bad/happy/sad I've met/enountered over my lifetime whatever their names are. You have passed through my life for a reason!