Wednesday 30 January 2013

What's in a name?

We were talking about names today... it seems that everyone in my office is called Linda... different ages, so no rhyme or reason... although at school we had four Susans, how Bunty like is that?

My sister was born on Easter Sunday and my mother managed to fight off the suggestions of Esther and Joy, still it could have been worse but fortunately Bunny did not feature

My father, who would not go to the phone box to ring the hospital when I was born wanted to call me Molly!  Still I have my brother to thank for revenge by proxy, he was sent on the phone box mission and returned to the house looking very perturbed, he broke it to my father that it was twins... he kept it up for half an hour before admitting that it was quality and not quantity!

Even my brother has a name tale... my mother was under Eamonn De Valera's son who was a gynaecologist in Dublin and like his father quite a Catholic.  He asked my mother if she would call her first born after the Virgin Mary... she said she would consider it, if it was a girl but frankly not one for a boy... however, my mother was so acquiescent which is why my big brother is called... oh it's bad but not quite that bad,  Michael James Mary... I kid you not!

And really there is only one song to listen to...

5 comments:

French Nanny said...

I don't think that should worry you or your brother. Here, in France, Marie is often given as a name to a boy - but hyphenated usually, as the second part of the name, like Jean-Marie

Lyn said...

Hello from another Lynda! I chose classic, single syllable names for my children so that they wouldn't get shortened to something awful, but as adults they both chose to have the suffix 'ie' with their names (which I quite like).

Kate said...

What a delightful and fun read - thank you!

Jan said...

I was going to be called Julie but I was given the name Janet instead and all because my brother (who was 5 at the time)insisted on calling me Janet from the 'Janet & John' books he had just been introduced to. :)

Jan x

Fiddly Fingers said...

All I know about names and mine in particular is that if I had been a boy I would have been called Ian instead of Alison :) My eldest daughter 'Clare' was named after the lady's daughter, my mum was next to, when they gave birth! My youngest daughter was called 'baby' for at least 3 days until my Dad suggested Kerry. There was a character in Neighbours called 'Kerry' at the time, I think this may have been his source - but it fitted her perfectly and still does to this day - she's now 22!