What's in a name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

~Romeo and Juliet.

"I read a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe it. I don't believe a rose would be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage."

 ~Anne of Green Gables

I think sometimes about people and their names. When coming to give this baby a name, we decided pretty quickly. I'm still not 100% sold on the boys name, but I figure I will get used to it. But it makes me wonder. We make such a huge deal about the whole naming the baby thing. But when it's all said and done, it's just a name. And we all have such different tastes.

I think, most of the time people grow into their names. To be perfectly honest I don't like 'Robyn' that much. It's not what I would have picked. But if you gave me a choice to re-name myself? I couldn't do it. I am Robyn, it's that simple. The same way I don't really like the name Shane that much. But I like Shane. I don't know many people who do like their names. My Mum's name is Heather, and she's never loved it.

I think people make a name good or bad, most of the time. A lot of the time you seem to like a name if you've met someone you liked of that name, and vice versa. I know that there are certain names that I just cannot come at, because of my childcare experience. For instance, Abbey is a name I like. But I knew about 8 different Abbey's in my center alone. It was such a popular name. So I could never have a child called Abbey. I also cannot like the name Braidon because I had one in my group who was an absolute horror.

I think our dog Chloe is an interesting one. I'm not really fussed on the name Chloe. I just don't like it that much. But when Shane and I were talking about getting a dog with our nieces, someone asked my niece Rachel, what our dog's name should be. She replied Chloe, because she had a kindy teacher by that name. We kind of laughed it off, but then, when we were looking at dogs, we saw her, and both just said "It's Chloe." And that was that.

I also don't  re-use names. I'm not one of those people who has a few girls and boys names set in stone, and know that is what I will call my children. I know a few people who have had names they liked since childhood. But I've never done that. I liked the name Georgina at the time. If Georgie was a boy she would have been Ethan. But I couldn't use the name Ethan now. I remember a few days after Georgie was born, wondering if we had given her the right name. It just felt so odd. But now? She is Georgina. 

I tend to like old-fashioned English names. I love the name Edward, but Shane will not touch it. I also like the name Helen, I think it would be so cute to have a little girl who was called Nell for short. But again, it's not just up to me.

It's funny, one of the reasons I hated the name Robyn is because it doesn't easily go into a nickname. The only nicknames were boys names which I hated... Rob or Bob. And yet I did the same thing to Georgie. But I really don't think names matter as much as we think we do. I think generally people grow into their names, and end up suiting them. And I don't think they are that important. There are obviously still some pretty terrible names that would be hard to live with. But most of the time, I don't think they really matter that much.

What do you think? Are names that important? Do you like your name? And do you think a rose would still smell as sweet if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage? Because as much as I think names don't matter, it does feel like Anne has a point....

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