Wednesday, June 11, 2008

The Name Game

Before Oscar's birth, we decided to not tell anyone the names we were considering. I actually liked telling people the names we were tossing around, but Adam was against it, so I stopped telling folks. It was difficult!

We took a list of several names with us to the hospital and Oscar was a few hours old before we named him. Adam was getting ready to send an email announcing his arrival and we realized we needed to be able to tell people his name. I asked Adam what he thought and he said, "Oscar." I said, "Yeah? You think he looks like an Oscar?" and Adam answered, "Yeah." I quickly agreed. I think I made him run through our list again, just to make sure. And then Adam went to the nursery where Oscar was under an oxygen tent to tell him his name: Oscar Joe Kreutz Gallardo. We chose Joe for his middle name in honor of both of Adam's grandfathers, his father and his brother.

So for those of you who were curious about what we were considering, here's the list we took to the hospital with us:
  • Oscar
  • Augustus
  • Stafford
  • Walter
  • Addison
  • Cheverdak
We'd discovered that we both liked Oscar long before we were married.
We liked the nickname Gus; Augustus is a pretty big name for a kid.
Stafford after poet William Stafford.
Walter is just a great name, as is the nickname Walt. Also a big name for a kid.
Addison literally means "Son of Adam." I love this name and its literal meaning. Unfortunately, it's being used more and more frequently by girls...and it was Adam's least favorite on the list, I think.
Cheverdak. By November, Adam was getting tired of regular names, their connotations, what others had to say about them, their wacky origins and meanings. He decided to make up a name for our baby (at this time, we didn't know it was a boy, so this name had to work for a girl or a boy). And this is what he came up with at the dinner table over Thanksgiving holiday with lots of friends and family around. He also imagined that it would give our son or daughter ample opportunity to get creative when answering the inevitable questions throughout his or her life about the name, where it came from and what it means. Pronounced shev-er-dack.

2 comments:

Stuart Rue said...

I think it's a good idea not to share the names you are considering with people. Ultimately the decision is yours, but people still try to lobby for or against certain names. Also, sometimes people don't give a name a chance, and it can feel weird picking a name you know people don't like (I speak as if from experience). But once the baby is born people pretty much shut up. (And for what it's worth, I think Oscar is a fantastic name.)

That's a great list of names. I'm with Adam on the unique name, but it's so hard to find something that doesn't sound ridiculous.

Melissa said...

Hi, Stuart, and thanks for reading my blog and commenting!