What's in a Name?

One blog I love to follow is Kelly's Korner and this week's Show Us Your Life topic is sharing about your kids' (or future kids') names. Since I've always been fascinated by names and find it interesting to know why a particular name is given to a child, I thought it would be fun to join in the discussion.

So, what's in a name? Meaning, origin, history, identity, and popularity all play a role in choosing a name that will encompass everything you want your child's name to be.

November 29, 2006

When we found out we were pregnant, I put pen to paper almost immediately and started "the list". This wasn't the first time I had thought about names. I can remember even as a little girl naming my dolls and choosing kids' names when playing M.A.S.H. with friends. Even during our dating days and engagement this topic would come up in conversation from time to time. We had thrown around a few ideas, but never settled on any names. The list had several rules:

1. Our child would be called by his/her first name. Not a middle name or nickname.
2. Since both of  us are teachers, we agreed that our selected name could not remind us of former student who had left a sour taste in our mouths. 
3. It must be a family name or have a tie to our family history.
4. Boy names could not start with a vowel (a crazy rule Scott came up with).
5. It must be unique and interesting. A name should tell a story.
6. Our child would not be named after a professional wrestler (a logical rule I came up with since Scott would suggest these names to aggravate me).

Ultrasound Day--March 15, 2007

When we found out we were having a boy, I knew I wanted to incorporate my maiden name since the baby would forever be a Blake. The problem was how to do it. My maiden name was McRoy. I knew that didn't sound good for a first name and Roy was out of the question. So I suggested Mack. This was a nickname that my family was known by. My dad was often referred to as "Mack" or "Big Mack" by his friends and coworkers. Some friends even called me Kecia Mack. It was also important to me to honor the memory of my grandfather by using this family name. However, Mack Blake didn't really work. It sounded like a new McDonald's sandwich. So I was back to the drawing board.

One night while visiting our closest friends, I picked up this book that was lying on the coffee table.

While flipping through the book, I became interested in the story of ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and wife Lee. There beautiful story of love, determination, and family captured my attention. As I read about their family, a name jumped out at me. Lee's maiden name was Mc-something , and they had named their firstborn son Macklin in honor of her family. I loved it! Adding another syllable was a simple fix. Why didn't I think of that? The more I said it to myself and thought about calling my son this beautiful name, I loved it even more.

I suggested it to Scott, and he was on board almost immediately. It fit all of our rules. Scott's only suggestion was changing the "i" to an "a". I was easily convinced. The middle name would either be Scott or Keith. Our fathers share the middle name Keith which is also the name they answer to. We debated between the two middle names, polled our family, and settled on Scott. I wanted our son to have a special connection to his dad. He would always have a tie with his paternal and maternal grandfathers through his first and last names.

That's how there came to be...

Macklan Scott Blake  

our firstborn son

Macklan meaning: Son of the Ruler, Greatest

Scott meaning: Painted Warrior

Three years later, I'm still in love with the name Scott and I chose for our little one. The name is strong, unique, and ties him to family. There is no other name that fits him.