Monday, January 05, 2009

The Name Game

Dalton wants to change his name to Canyon. He has a really cool friend with that name. He wants to be Canyon Randall (his dad's middle name, which his dad hated so much through out his childhood that HE changed it to Oak when he was in college...I know, don't ask). But that's not all...his full name would be Canyon Dalton James Randall Eddington (my maiden name) Hoopes. "Okay," I say in response...."that sounds good." We are driving as we are having this conversation. I think that it started because we were talking about the names that we almost picked for Dalton. There was Oliver, Remmington, Tobias, Kobey, Pierce, Simon, Gavin Jr....anyways, then Shelby chimes in, "I want my name to be Francesca Franny Shelby Lynn Hoopes." Her favorite teacher at school is Francesca, and her teacher's nickname is Franny. But Shelby doesn't get the nickname thing, and thinks that it has to be a part of your name. "I like that name Shelby," I say. So then I tell her the names we almost picked for her: Margeaux, Simone, Sadie, Lucille, or Sadie Lucile. But I do like the name Francesca. "So, can I do it? Can I change my name?" Dalton asks. "Yes, but let's wait until your birthday to see if you still want to do it because it is a lot of work." "Okay, but you are going to have to tell my teachers that they need to start calling me Canyon." "OK." And really, I would be OK with it. Names are weird anyways. I mean we get them when we are one day old, yet we are stuck with them for the rest of our lives. And WE don't even get to pick them. So, sorry if your parents are lame and want every one of their kids to have names that start with the letter J, and they ran out of names by the time they got to you, so you are Jilliya, or Jimmy-bob-jones. Or they think that they are being cool by spelling your name in some wacky way that makes sense to no one, and you will constantly correct people who are trying to pronounce it for the rest of your life..."No, it's pronounced Amy, even though it's spelled Aiym Eey."
Or you were named after your grandfather, who was wonderful, but even He hated his name, so when you pass something like Gaylord on, you really, REALLY shouldn't have.
And then you get married, and if you are female, tradition is that you have to loose your name and take his. So, I get it.... I get that Dalton is thinking, "Why did you name me Dalton? It's so weird and different, and I want to be something else, something that is ME, not you.

I have hated my name ever since it became popular. No fun to have a name, when you are twenty, that every toddler around has. But I do like my last name. No, not Hoopes...that is Gavin's name. I like Eddington. I really know nothing about the name, except that it is English. I think that it is pretty. I like saying my full given name Ashley Ann Eddington. I do not really like my married name...it makes no sense. It is supposed to be pronounced Hups, NOT like cups, but Hoopes. like wool, or hooves. But instead, it turned in to Hoopes, like the kind you jump through. So, if you are a basketball player than it could be cool. But, I am not. So, either I am in favor of pronouncing it correctly, or abandoning it all together. Gavin almost took my name when we got married. He could have cared less. He is just like that. But, outside forces rose up to quickly veto that one. And then we were going to combine. But really, Eddington-Hoopes. It's so long, and confusing for the kids. So...I think I may go back to Eddington. Or hyphenate, for just myself. So, Dalton and Shelby, I get ya...I get that you should have a say in this. So, if it's Francesca "Franny" and Canyon-Dalton-James-Randall-Eddington-Hoopes, that's fine with me!

7 comments:

Sarah-sponda said...

Hey sweet cousin! Oh contact ma on the Eddington name, she can go on for days:) coastalsands3@aol.com

Jared and Delia said...

I changed my middle name which I despised my whole life. It made my mother cry not once but twice. When I first did it and then when she forgot that I had (must have blocked it mentally) and I reminded her.

Oh well...I like my name now. Delia Li Randall - I made my maiden name my middle name.

Kimberly said...

You're a better gal than me. Samantha is keeping her name until she can afford to change it herself... and just incase she saves better than I did as a child... she has to be old enough to drive herself to do it!

:-)

Anonymous said...

This is a funny post. I can't believe you don't like Hoopes. I have never once thought of it as relating to basketball. I like it. I think you should keep it :)

Anonymous said...

When Jon and I were little, my mom told the pharmacist she had kids named Basketball and Hula. And so, for a long time, my email address was Hulahoopes. :)

Sara said...

I'm with Morgan. I've never even thought of basketball. HMMM.
I really like my name....even though it is old fashioned...I have always had a sense of belonging with my name because it meant something. I was named after my Grandmother....we actually ended up both being nurses too. Anyway, I want to name my children after someone. Not necessarily a relative, but a person or figure to relate to or admire, to give a sense of belonging, because during so many of our younger years, we are lost....we aren't sure who we are yet. I loved that feeling, of belonging when I was otherwise as just as lost as the rest of the teenagers out there.

Ashley said...

The update here is that Shelby just started gymnastics and there is a darling girl in her class whose name is Francesca. Guess what they call her? Yep- Franny, AND she wears cowgirl boots. So now that we have found our new idol in life, Franny can't be Shelby's name (she decided). However, she did decide that she would like to be called "Cece" instead of Sissy. I am still thinking about hyphenating. And Dalton is still holding out for "Canyon"! Guess Gavin is the only one (after 37 years) who feels at peace with his name!