JENN McKINLAY: Names. They're so interesting, aren't they? Writers spend an awful lot of time thinking about them--character names and setting names. If you write under a pen name, you even get to make up your own name, which brings me to my question for the day. Would I have chosen the name Jennifer if I'd been given a choice? Probably, not (sorry, Mom!).
Seriously, though the Jennifers owned the 70's and early 80's and you couldn't throw a rock without hitting one of us. There were so many Jennifers in my suburban high school that my squad changed my name to Nnifer just to be sure to get my attention and not that of the twenty-five other Jen, Jenn, Jennie, Jenni, Jenny, Jenifer, and Jennifers who would all answer to any of those variations of our ubiquitous shared monickers.
What would I have chosen? I really don't know. I loved the names Sabrina and Zoanne when I was a kid, which is likely why the heroine in WITCHES OF DUBIOUS ORIGIN is named Zoanne. But now, I'd like something more old fashioned like Eloise or Astrid -- yeah, I don't look like either of those but give me a few years to let the grays come in!
When I worked at the library with a friend named Susie (the Jennies of the 50's), she told me that if she could change her name it would be Tina and she would tattoo it on her chest like one of our younger colleagues had done. She was fascinated by that tattoo. Lots to unbox there, I know, but the point remains that she, too, would have changed her name.
So, how about you, Reds and Readers? What name would you choose if you could have any name you wanted? And has it changed over the years?
Hhmmm . . . I never considered changing my name. Of course, Jean and I are sort of a "matched set" [I guess that happens to twins] and that has everything to do with whether or not I'd change my name . . . .
ReplyDeleteJenn, my oldest (born in 1970) had the same situation, only her name is Christine, aka Christy. There were five Christines of various flavors on her soccer team! Her stepsister, Jenny, was on the same team. They called her "Fer", to differentiate from the two other Jennifers!
ReplyDeleteI always liked the name Karen, although when I was a kid I wanted a nickname. Everyone in my family had one but me. That ended up being what I liked about it as an adult. In my high school class of 1969 there were six Karens, five Kathys, and five Lindas. My mother came really close to naming me Linda, which would have been interesting today. Both my sisters-in-law, one on each side, are named Linda.
I was named for my mother and she was named for her grandmother and on and on and on... a Southern thing. Actually I was going to be called Selden whether I was a boy or a girl. It's my middle name. And that part I would change. Though I'll keep my first name until I die, it's a pain because it's an 18th century English name that isn't pronounced the same way any more, and then I married and changed my last name to a 13-letter Austrian name, which is an impenetrable thicket of consonants to those who don't know German. The combination with Selden stopped traffic. After about a dozen years of manful struggle, I dropped this married name in daily life, going back to my maiden name, but I never bothered to change anything. Thus on legal papers I am often Unused First Name/ Unused Last Name. For Medicare, which strangely limits you to 16 letters, the Austrian last name takes up 13 and I'm only M.W. Selden is nowhere. I'm incognito! Despite all this side hassle, I have always loved my name. (Selden)
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, Selden. What a challenge our names can be! Very few people 'get' my surname when they first hear it and have no idea how to spell it; and many forms do not have a long enough line for me to write my full name, including middle name...
DeleteA family member's little daughter is Madeleine, with an 8-letter last name. That poor kid.
Deletewow Selden, that's so complicated! I do love the name Selden, but I wonder why it was made your middle name?
DeleteNaming trends! In my seven decades, I have met exactly two Edith's who are younger than me. My great aunt was Edythe (she fancied up the spelling when she was in college) and others of her age. I didn't like the name when I was young, and everyone called me Edie. As an adult, it took a long time to shed the nickname (family and friends from those early years are still allowed to use it). I keep waiting for it to make a comeback, and there is a toddler Edie in Ida Rose's music class. I'm happy with Edith as a name, although I've made up two pen names out of necessity.
ReplyDeleteIn the mid-nineties, there were what felt like dozens of girls named Caitlin/Katelin and all other spellings in my sons' classes, and lots of Jasons.
Edith, I just realized one of our neighbor's twin's name is Edith. She goes by Edie, and her sister is Leah. I think Edie is named after her grandmother. They are now in their mid-20's.
DeleteWhat's in a name? So so much!
ReplyDeleteI would not choose mine, either, Jenn. Mine has too many soft sounds and I would choose a name with a hard consonant, like maybe Kate or ... or what? That's the thing: I cannot imagine having another name even while knowing I would not choose the one I was given lovingly by my parents. So. Here I am: Amanda. Never Mandy -- that was my cousin Miranda, who was often Mandy.
That said, I was always the only Amanda in my class. But then the name became newly popular due to an American daytime soap opera character, I believe. The time we lived in Germany (1968-72), my name was considered hopelessly old fashioned -- friends' grandmothers or great-aunts might be Amanda but never anyone of my own generation. In fact, the name was so rare to find in someone my age, that my language teacher had invented a character named Amanda to help her teach grammar -- that Amanda was always getting into mischief and my classmates and I would laugh at her. I think that teacher was astonished to find a little Canadian girl with that name in her class for that year!
Growing up, I was the only Grace in school, and I liked it.
ReplyDeleteMy mom chose the name Grace since she liked the actress Grace Kelly. She watched Hitchcock movies in Japan in the 1950s and that is how she learned English.
Also, we have the same initials: GK
I have never contemplated changing my name and am stumped as to what other one I would even choose at this stage of the game.
ReplyDeleteIt has been interesting constantly meeting new people in a 55+ community. I have become a collector of names. A lot of the names are the same or similar. Noreen, Doreen, Maureen (and I already have old friends names Shereen and Laureen) In one direction from our house there is a Dori (Doris) and husband Phil and in the other direction there is Dori(Doris) and Bill. There is a Tana(like Montana) and a Tina. There is Anne Marie, Annamarie, and Anna. There is Mona and Nona. There is Ronna and Donna. Two Deborahs one goes by Deb. Shelly and Kelly. Jeanine, Jeaneen, and Janine. Patricia and Patrice.
The men are the same way. On my side of the street, in order, Brad, Dan, Corky (the first person he met at softball was named Cork), Dan, Brad, skip a house and another Daniel. The other side of the street is a Tim and a Jim next door to each other. You get the picture. We are up to at least four Mikes and 3 Cindys, and yes, another Brenda G., at pickleball in our neighborhood of the community.
I've not met many Roberta's over the years for sure! I wouldn't change it now, but I do love being Lucy in my writing life. Such a pretty, easy name to say and spell, and has my grandmother's legacy as well:)
ReplyDeleteGrandma recommended giving daughters names worthy of a Supreme Court Justice. She, of course, was Wilhelmina. I never thought about my name one way or the other, though was grateful not to be Candy, Krystal, or Phyllis.
ReplyDelete