After 40 years of thinking I had a lame name I have a new appreciation for it today!! My mom wasn't the best at naming some of her children....We have often had conversations as a family about the trials of the names she chose for a few of us. Many of my brothers and sisters came out unscathed....I wasn't one of those. Just prior to my birth my Mom's best friend's daughter died. Her name was Gale (spelled just that way). The fact that I was born in the parking lot of the hospital in a raging snow storm just solidified the name and I became Gale spelled just like the big raging wind. The spelling has been a thorn in my side as well as the fact that I have only met 3 other Gales in my life. One of those 3 Gales happened to live in the small town I grew up in and HE, yes he was the town butcher....I was cursed.
The only good thing is I am kinda like Cher, when I call someone I really don't have to qualify who is calling them the way I would if my name were Jennifer....I just say "Hey, this is Gale" and I am always pretty sure I am the only Gale they know.
I have always felt that it just wasn't a name that matched me. I would dream of the other names I could have been but then when I asked my Mom what she would have named me had Gale Lowry not died she said "Becky" and I am not a Becky so I would just be quiet and grateful for my name.
So tonight I found a website called http://www.babynamewizard.com/ .....NO I am not pregnant!!! Yet I reallly have no explanation as to why I was on babynamewizard but regardless, if you go there and go to name voyager, type in your name then you can get all kinds of info about your name.....What did I find out? That I was right, no one in the last 150 years has liked or used my name....it peaked in the 50's for a few years but basically other than that short ride on the charts it is no where to be found or used. For the first time I felt a new appreciation for my name, it is unique and suddenly I felt as though my name did match me. I do my own thing and I don't always fit into a lot of womenly circles, and to be honest I sometimes feel like I think a little more like my husband than my girlfriends. So what does this all mean? Nothing, except I go to bed tonight finally at peace with my name...I own it now!!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Whats in a name?
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4 comments:
I loved this post. For the majority of my 28 years I have not liked my name, Esther. For a while I wished that I had a "normal" name. Now, I've learned to love that I'm the only Esther I know. I looked at the name wizard and my name peaked in the early 1900's.
I want you to post on my new blog also. I don't want it to be just me. So I might just send you the log in info, and you can contribute whatever/whenever you want. You are an awesome and interesting writer!
Itlooks like we were both cursed with men having our same names...do you remember that Justin's dad was a Darcy too? Ok it's not spelled the same, but it really bothered me when I was younger. I had totally forgotten about the butcher. I LOL when you mentioned that. I wonder where Jimmy is these days....maybe you could google him...sah, I know you had a secret crush on him...Love ya!
Gale- I'm with you on the name thing. That is why I go by Jennie! :) I looked at that site, and it said Jenevie has never been in the top 1000 names in any century. It doesn't have a Jenevie listed at all. Yep- that's me one of a kind, I guess. :)
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