At the doctor's office today, the nurse remarked that William seemed to be a really popular name, with seven new baby Williams into the office already this year. I groaned inwardly. I did recall a few weeks ago at a school function with Phil, a young mom telling me her brand-new baby boy was also named William. I sort of thought it was a coincidence.
Come to find out, William is the eighth most popular name for boys in the US, which I only know because after my doctor's appointment, I came right to the computer to look it up. How could I have missed this? It must have been the Tylenol with Codeine. I haven't heard the name William at all before our baby was born, and now it seems to be everywhere. Is it the popularity of my new guilty pleasure show, Glee? Maybe I just haven't been paying attention.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a complete name snob. I just happen to favor names that are a little off the beaten path. I have felt bad that Lily (the most popular name we've chosen) is one of three in her dance class. I don't like resigning her to a lifetime of being "Lily S."
Naming a child is a heavy burden.
In the hospital, Phil got tired of my vacillating back and forth between our two top names and intermittently wailing, "I don't know!" and told me just to name him already and he didn't care anymore (or something to that effect). To add to my stress, the nurses wouldn't stop pestering me about choosing a name so they could make him a cute name card, and I was really folding under the pressure. In the middle of the night I had this epiphany to combine the two names, and since I thought William Oliver sounded better than Oliver William (and now I'm wondering why), William Oliver it became. I felt confident I had made a good decision.
Mostly.
William was a family name on both sides, and this way we avoided the two "O" names in our little family, though now we're faced with Phil, Lil and Will, which I find equally confusing.
As looney as it sounds, I call him Oliver all the time, but I just can't make it stick. I think the name-changing window is small, and I'm fairly sure we're beyond that. Whether I'm on board or not, he is William. Or William S. if you prefer.
3 comments:
Willy S, huh? I think it's catchy and fits well with the boy, even though I haven't even met him yet. I will let you know once I do meet him (in less than a month).
Where are you living these days? My Maddy (5) reminds me of your Lilly especially with her love of her new baby brother. If you are in Salt Lake or Utah county, after our babies are a tad older I would LOVE to get together and catch up. :)
Love,
Hilarie
Well, if it makes you feel any better I really thought we had made up our little girly's name, and now we are hearing it ALL the time, same with our secon born.....us crazies who try to name our children differently!
Post a Comment