Picking A Name For Keeps

Even though I am not planning on adding another Little Maust to our family, I still think about names that I like. However, liking a name is no reason to bring a baby into the world just so I can name him or her. Nevertheless, I was thinking about names again this evening.

Take my name for instance. Dianne. Why did my parents choose that for me and why with two "n's"? The meaning of my name is derived from the Latin Diviana, which is from divus (divine). The name is borne in Roman mythology by the virgin goddess of the moon and of hunting.

The virgin moon goddess. Ooooh-kay. Oh, and don't forget, the goddess of hunting. Interesting.

Another on-line source states that "the meaning of the name Dianne is: The French form of the Latin Diana. Famous bearer: Diane de Poitiers, mistress of France's King Henri II.Divine. Mythological ancient Roman divinity Diana was noted for beauty and swiftness; often depicted as a huntress. 

Beauty and swiftness. Excuse me for a moment. Buwahahahahahhahahahaha.
Cause we all know how well I run. Swiftly is not the word I would use. I can use a Swiffer though.

When Leo and I were choosing names for our children, it came to me that there may be another reason that a pregnancy is nine months long. It takes that long to decide, and agree on a name. See, I had already decided (because I already had a running list of "likes" in my head), but it was getting him to agree.

Adrienne (a French baby name; the meaning of the name Adrienne is: From Adria, the Adriatic sea region. Also means dark. In Latin form, the name means: rich, wealthy, dark one). Okay, so we didn't pick her name because of the meaning either. It's not a family name. We just liked it, that's all. I think it's a strong name for a strong woman.

Aaron (a Biblical baby name; the meaning of the name Aaron is: A teacher; lofty; mountain of strength.). Again, a name we both liked. He was almost "Dale" after my Dad's middle name, but he didn't look like "Dale", he was definitely an "Aaron." He's a quiet mountain of strength and worthy of his name.

Amy (again, French or Latin origins; means "beloved"). Actually, Amy was named after my Great Aunt Amy Yoder. While I didn't know Amy well, she was always a woman I admired for her strength of character, her spunk and determination. She took the hard things that life had dealt her and let them shape her into a godly woman. I liked that she let her hair be a little unkempt and she didn't hide her skin that was weathered and wrinkled. I wish I had known her better.

Heather (an English baby name; in English the meaning of the name Heather is: A flowering evergreen plant that thrives on peaty barren lands as in Scotland.). When picking a name for Baby #4, the dilemma was whether or not to use another "A" name since the first 3 all started with that letter (which was not intentional by the way. These were just the names we liked and that fit.) We chose not to. After all, this baby girl needed a name that was her very own, starting with the first letter. Sometimes I think telling your child she is named after a shrub is not altogether nice, but then when I look at the meaning, it fits. Someone that blossoms even when all around is barren. Heather. I like it.

Ryan (a Gaelic baby name; the meaning of the name Ryan is: Little king.). Our youngest really likes that his name means "little king". Your Royal Highness. My others would say that he gets away with a lot. (However, his name has nothing to do with it.) I always liked the name Ryan and when I was pregnant, a woman, a friend who I thought very much of, died after a too quick battle with cancer. Her last name was Ryan.

It's funny, but a name we considered for each of our unborn babies, if they were born male, was Grant. We never used it, not even as a middle name. The moniker just never fit any of my boys. Other names we considered? Natalie, Vivian, Elisabeth, Janelle, Austin, and Jared were a few.

 Names I like today if I were to name another baby? Violet, Hazel, Rosemary, Nigel, and Myles, to name a few.

Maybe I need to get some goldfish.

Love,
The Moon Goddess with Swiftness in the Hunt aka Dianne




P.S. Thanks to http://www.sheknows.com/baby-names