Did you all see the news yesterday that Emily was knocked out of the top position as the most popular girl's name in America? Did you happen to notice that Jacob continued to reign as the top boy's name? Yes, those are my kids' names. LOL! There are six Emily's in her 8th grade class and at least four Jacobs in his 4th grade class. Back when I named my kids, I didn't know anyone who had kids with either name. Despite the "common-ness" I don't regret either name. Emily was ALWAYS my name for a girl and Jake was the only boy's name Dan and I could agree on--and Jake is eternally grateful because his father was interested in the name Cleetus for a boy--and NO, I am NOT kidding. He thought Cleet Force would be a cool name. Jake thanks God every day for his wiser, saner mother. I think we might someday have a dog named Cleetus as I had to make several concessions in rejecting my husband's very serious attempt to name my child that. I believe my exact words were, "The day you can push a 9-pound baby out your hoo-ha, you can name it Cleetus." (Luckily for me and my hoo-ha, the nine pound baby with the very large head came out via C-section, just like his sister.)
I love names and naming characters, and I love that old-fashioned names are back in vogue. Our nieces are Elizabeth, Anne, Patricia, Amy, Sara, Claire, Mary Grace and Isabel. Now those are some old names--and some of those nieces are in their 30s, so again, they were given those names before they were "back"! I have used a lot of older names in my books, as well. In fact, one of my favorite parts of writing is naming characters.
What are some of your favorite names?
I want to also say thank you for all the cards, emails, phone calls, and tremendous words of support about our recent loss. We sure miss Consuela and all her sweet, funny ways. I swear I still hear her paws clicking on the hardwood floors. We hope that she and Roscoe are having a grand reunion in dog heaven and are spending their days chasing blue racketballs and eating biscuits.
