I considered the "Pagan Name". You know, the pseudo-Native American, misspelled gemstones and nature stuff type of names that only Pagans and celebrities seem to ever consider: Storm Saffyre, Rayne Eagle, Apple Dumpling, Feenix Onyx, etc, etc.
I didn't go with that for many reasons. First, my kids would be going to public school, I knew that. I don't have the patience to home-school, and trying to do so would be detrimental to all of us. Whatever name I gave my child would have to survive 12 years of typical kiddo jerk-ness.
Second, my kids would be raised Pagan, but would they STAY Pagan? I don't know. I hope so, but I don't know. And giving them the equivalent of their magical name as their actual legal name... It felt like robbing them of some choice in the matter.Third, my kids would be getting jobs around the age of 16 - and employers, for better or worse, judge applicants partially by their names. This is a fact. My act of rebelling against the naming status quo of society would very likely make it harder for my kids to find work and support themselves.
Next, I considered the "traditional" or family names. Typical, North American, Most-Popular-Names-in-History stuff. Names that my ancestors shared. Names like Edgar, Betty and 3.7 million names straight out of Christian myth: Jeremiah, Josiah, Peter, Paul, and Mary, etc.
Those seemed either way too common or way too old-fashioned for my tastes. After all, I was the one who would be screaming that child's full-name every five minutes while they rampaged their way through the grocery store. (No, that doesn't actually happen.)
Then I considered less traditional names. Ones that are relatively "a
cceptable" in mainstream society (aka, won't keep them from being CEOs and taking over the world for its own good), yet are a little edgy.
Perfect. But which ones?
I found a book (I don't recall the name, but I can point it out on a shelf) that talked about the meaning of sounds in your name. I looked up the sounds associated with my top choices in names. It was cool, but not something that really spoke to me.
Finally, I hit upon the kids' due dates. I knew around when they would be born, so I could guess at their likely sun signs.
The boy would be a Gemini, unless he was late... then he'd be a Cancer. Hmm, two signs that could use some serious grounding energy to balance them out. And my top name choice for the boy? A first and middle name that both meant types of land: a bog and a hill, if memory serves.
The girl was going to be a Taurus, no doubt. Because of the nature of the Bull sign, I decided that her weakest aspects would be in regards to finding and fulfilling her destiny. After all, Taurus loves to be comfortable, and destiny tends to push us out of our comfort zone. So she got a name that meant destiny or life path, with a surname of a goddess of grain (abundance, harvest, etc).
Do I regret how I chose my kids' names? EVERY DAY! :P
The boy (a Cancer) is both emotional and practical to an extreme. He is everything his name and sign should be, which means he tries to manipulate things to meet his desires. We call him Loophole Boy. He is so smart and keeps us on our toes. And while his emotions weren't necessarily mitigated by the power of his name, there is an influence there that seems to balance some of that out.
The girl, meanwhile, is domineering, a goddess in training and in her own mind. She knows what she wants from her life and she goes after it like a bull plowing through a brick wall. She's also a pretty, pretty princess and you better agree or she might attack. Keeping that girl in check is a full-time job, but I never have to worry that she will be a fad-follower. She doesn't cave to peer pressure; she IS the peer pressure.
How did you choose your kids' names? What do you like or dislike about my methods and reasons?
