I DIDN'T CATCH YOUR NAME

What is in a name anyway?

The beginning of every school year brings sweat to my brow as I try to learn (and pronounce) 150 new student names.  I find this one of my most crucial responsibilities, and I feel the pressure.  After all, our names are our identity.  It is great when someone remembers your name.  They are saying you matter.  Conversely, having to reintroduce yourself to someone each time you come in contact is not only frustrating but demoralizing.

I recently read several articles about the most popular and some unusual baby names for 2013.  (I was so relieved that Poopy and Butt did not make the list this year.  I still feel sympathy for the 3 Poopy's and the 3 Butts named in 2010).

For boys the top 10 names are:  Liam,Noah, Ethan, Mason, Jacob, Jack, Lucas, Jackson, Logan and Aiden

Four of those names have come through my classes during the past several years, and the name "Jack" makes me smile because I think of my beloved Uncle Jack.

So far, so good.

Girls have an equally beautiful top 10 list:  Emma, Olivia, Sophia, Ava, Isabella, Mia, Emily, Charlotte, Amelia, and Ella

Two of those names were used for my cousin's beautiful daughters, and four have been in my classes.

These are not the difficult to pronounce names though or even the usual names.  Let's go down the "What were they thinking?" road together.

Ajax, Panda, Stetson, Hurricane, Tulip, Chevy, Rocket, Phone, and Flower.  These parents must have played the game where you close your eyes for ten seconds and name the first object you see.  Voila!  They named their baby. 

The other set of unusual names are credited to the foodies.  They played a similar game, yet it could only involve something yummy.  In about 12 years, I may meet Kiwi, Cheese, Butterbean, Chow, or Danish.

My children are older.  My generation only messed with the spelling of names.  I am not sure why we wanted to confuse the masses and frustrate our children.  I named my daughter Marilynn (pronounced like Marilyn Monroe's name, not Mary Lynn or Maryland) and my son Jon (not short for Jonathan as you would expect).  My third child is simply Joshua, but we have always called him Josh.  About 2 years ago, he felt left out on the spelling craze and now spells his name Joshh.  I would have done it first if I had thought about it, but by the third child, my creativity and sleep was seriously lacking.

I have learned to always listen closely and look into someone's eyes when they speak their name.  If the name is unusual or difficult to pronounce (Amr, Baobao, Uther, Laki, Xochitl, and Aethylswyth to name a few), just say "I didn't catch your name."