Now that I know the gender of my kid, I’m halfway toward finding a name. Not having any real family history constraints to guide the process, I thought it would be useful to put the gender constraint around it, so I found out with yesterday’s ultrasound. And here I am on the wizard this morning, where I eventually discovered a first/middle combination I might actually like. Popped it into Google. The first link on the list describes a nursing home serial killer. Bummer.
There are only so many names.
My name was unpopular enough for the first 20 years of my life that I’d actually turn my head whenever anyone said it. Then it became the most popular girls name 10 years running. Amazing it lasted as long as it did in the attic of memory, actually, because it’s such a wonderful, simple, short-but-3-syllable-packed name. Of course it’s hopeless to try to find a name that no one will have, that’s also familiar enough that people won’t make you repeat yourself, and where they might have a chance of knowing how to spell it (though popularity can kill this lovely trait; the rash of variations on my name has ruined this simple pleasure for me).
My dad may have been ahead of his time in claiming that my name came from a close associate of Patty Hearst. I can see I’m about to wander into that territory myself, Google making it impossible not to learn of all the other flawed and notorious adults in history with your brand new person’s name. I’m sure their mothers had good intentions, too.
Maybe a fruit-themed name? Lemon Squash? Kumquat Mango?
Ooh, yes, fruit-theme… I like Tomato Melon, with nicknames of Tommy or Mel. And the kid could educate the world with the fun fact that tomatoes are actually fruit.