Before my kids were born, I worked in medical records at a neighboring county health department; after sorting through names like Nuquita (sic), Peaches Marijuana (first and middle name), and quite a few that looked like the parents just spilled letters out of a Scrabble cup and lined up the first six or seven they saw.

One new mother wanted to name her daughter “Placenta,” until a delivery room nurse showed her what her placenta looked like (rather like chopped liver).

After that experience, I vowed to give my children normal names that everyone can pronounce correctly. But, I didn’t pick names that were trendy at the time, so they’re usually the only ones in their classes with that name. Not so out of fashion that they sound like names for someone’s grandmother, but just enough off-cycle so there aren’t six in every class.

Now, I had a professor that had no end of fun with my last name… and no it isn’t bosphorus. You guys will just have to wonder.

I’m intrigued by nick-names and think those are important, too.

One of my Mississippi cousins named her son Parks, which was our grandmother’s maiden name. While it may be unusual, it also gives him a sense that he is part of something greater than this immediate household.