Before David and I knew we were having a girl, we only had a boy name picked out. We hadn’t even considered girl names because we didn’t think we could have one. Then the ultrasound happened and everything changed.
There are so many girl names that I love, but it didn’t take me long to decide that I didn’t want just some name that I like, but something deeper, with roots. I wanted a family name. In the end, we chose:
Meredith
Meaning & Origin: Protector of the sea, English/Welsh
Popularity: Number 488 in 2009 down from 276 in 1999.
Why we chose it: David’s paternal grandmother was named Meredythe, and although we think that way of spelling it is beautiful, we both are in favor of spelling names the traditional way for simplicity’s sake.
Susannah
Meaning & Origin: Lily, Hebrew
Popularity: Not in the top 1000 names for the last ten years.
Why we chose it: Susan is a family name on both sides, including my grandmother’s nickname, my mother’s middle name, and David’s aunt. We changed it to Susannah to add a unique touch.
Choosing a name was such a hard thing to do, and even now I second guess myself, but I don’t think we will find another one that fits quite so well. In our minds this is who she is, and we can’t wait to meet her. :)
From Erin:
What a lovely name! Seriously, it’s beautiful, and I love that it has family roots.
From Emily Jane:
Beautiful, I absolutely love it!
From andrewo:
solid.
From Marlena:
I love it!
From Kerri:
So, so pretty.
From Megan:
I think it’s such a beautiful name!
From Becky:
What a beautiful name – and it’s made even prettier by all the meaning behind it!
From AshleyD:
Even just “knowing” you from your blog, I think the name fits you and David perfectly. It’s beautiful!
From Emily:
How exciting! I really love that name, it’s simple and beautiful. It’s also one of those names that is appropriate at any age.
It must be exciting to be able to call her by name:)
From Rae:
Great name! I love the fact that you put it in that font because it *looks* so pretty. And, not that it matters, but I completely agree with you about traditional spellings being simpler, and think that Susannah fits better than Susan.
Also, I love the fact that you’ve chosen the name and made it public. It makes your daughter seem more of what she is- your daughter!
From kapachino:
I always thought I wouldn’t decide on the name for sure until the baby was born, but when it came down to it the name was pretty clear to us. I couldn’t hold it in any longer!
From Nora:
What a beautiful name! I love it :) Still so excited for you!!!
From tillie:
simply beautiful! I adore names with family meanings behind it!
From Hannah:
Love it! So very pretty. That must feel wonderful to be able to call her by name.
From Holly:
So beautiful! We were afraid to tell people names we were considering because our family is very opinionated and we didn’t want anyone to tell us they didn’t like the names we had picked out. As it is, nobody on Nathan’s side of the family will call Topher “Topher” because they don’t like it – he’s “Kristopher” to them. My father-in-law called him “Krissy” once and I got mad at him :D
From kapachino:
We shared with my parents the boy name we were thinking of, and they didn’t like it much. I got my feelings hurt. We didn’t share our thoughts with anyone after that until we had decided for sure!
From Chelsea:
It’s perfect, Kathleen! I love it.
From Tabaitha:
Beautiful name! I loved being able to call our babies by name and most of all pray for them by name.
From Sarah:
Love it!
I love it because it has meaning and roots, not just because it’s a beautiful name! Thanks for sharing!
From Renee:
I whispered it out loud just now and then said, “Oh, it’s beautiful.” Because it is. Simply lovely.
Also, I need to stop talking to myself.
From Spring:
Lovely! Especially lovely when spoken by McDreamy. :)
From kapachino:
Ha, I don’t watch the show but it did cross my mind that she’ll share the character’s name–hopefully she’s likable?
From laura:
Love it!! Thanks for sharing!
From Stephany:
What a beautiful name! I love it!
From San:
LOVE the name! :)
From Suburban Sweetheart:
I love it. In high school, one of my best friends was an exchange student from Japan. In Japan, they don’t typically have middle names, so we decided our friend Miyuki needed an American middle name – thus, we dubbed her Miyuki Meredith. She’s currently pregnant with a boy, sadly, which means she won’t be naming her own kid Meredith – so I’m glad someone is. :)
From Cait:
That is a beautiful name!
From Elizabeth:
What a lovely name! How exciting for you to finally be able to think of her as a real little girl with a real name!