I have four names now. My first two names are mine from birth. They identify me as an individual. My third name ties me to my family and my heritage that I have through them. I am very proud of that heritage and name. It means a lot to me. And a year ago tomorrow I added my fourth name. It ties me to Brett and our family and future together. I’m proud of that name too.

Unfortunately a lot of places can’t understand a situation where someone would have more than three names, and it’s made for some interesting situations over the last year. Or, more specifically, they can understand two first names or two last names, but not two middle names. For example, the Red Cross thinks I’m some kind of weird Scottish person and have listed me as Lisa Mg Dennis.

I spent the first 31 years of my life spelling my last name to people. Or else correcting them when they said it wrong. (G makes the soft sound when followed by I or E except in a few rare occasions. Most people seem to not know this.) Children have always said my last name right, but adults rarely do. Since adding my fourth name people have been able to look at my last name and say it right the first time. Yea!

But there has been the odd time when I’ve had to spell it for someone. One of those times, as I finished, the person responded by saying, “Oh. Like the name.” Um. Yes. In fact, it is a name. So no matter how we spelled it, it would be “like the name.” Sometimes people’s thought processes (or lack thereof) confuses me.

Names are very interesting things. We all have one. How often have you thought about yours? Do you know where it came from? Do you know why your parents picked it? Do you know what it means? Do you know what it means to you?

I saw two articles this summer in the BBC about names, their popularity, origins, and meanings. What’s 1066 got to do with Baby Names? and What’s in a Name? Your Link to the Past. I find things like this fascinating.

One thing that’s made me laugh lately is people saying that they don’t want to give their child a “made up” name. Now, as a teacher, I appreciate parents who give their child a name I can pronounce on the first try. But at some point, all names were made up. Every word we say was a made up word at some point. What they’re really saying is they don’t want a recently made up name. Who’s to say that this century’s recently made up names won’t be next century’s old fashioned names though?

Another common trend is to use good “Biblical” names. As Brett and I were reading the books of Chronicles in the Old Testament this summer though we came across dozens of “good” Biblical names that nobody uses. I think we should give more of those a chance and be a bit bold and different. You know, the classic names like Ishi.