what’s in a name

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. :)

Comments

28 responses to “what’s in a name”

  1. Erin Avatar
    Erin

    What a lovely name! Seriously, it’s beautiful, and I love that it has family roots.

  2. Emily Jane Avatar

    Beautiful, I absolutely love it!

  3. andrewo Avatar
    andrewo

    solid.

  4. Marlena Avatar
    Marlena

    I love it!

  5. Kerri Avatar
    Kerri

    So, so pretty.

  6. Megan Avatar
    Megan

    I think it’s such a beautiful name!

  7. Becky Avatar

    What a beautiful name – and it’s made even prettier by all the meaning behind it!

  8. AshleyD Avatar

    Even just “knowing” you from your blog, I think the name fits you and David perfectly. It’s beautiful!

  9. Emily Avatar
    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:)

  10. Rae Avatar

    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!

    1. kapachino Avatar
      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!

  11. Nora Avatar

    What a beautiful name! I love it :) Still so excited for you!!!

  12. tillie Avatar

    simply beautiful! I adore names with family meanings behind it!

  13. Hannah Avatar

    Love it! So very pretty. That must feel wonderful to be able to call her by name.

  14. Holly Avatar

    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

    1. kapachino Avatar
      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!

  15. Chelsea Avatar

    It’s perfect, Kathleen! I love it.

  16. Tabaitha Avatar

    Beautiful name! I loved being able to call our babies by name and most of all pray for them by name.

  17. Sarah Avatar

    Love it!

    I love it because it has meaning and roots, not just because it’s a beautiful name! Thanks for sharing!

  18. Renee Avatar

    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.

  19. Spring Avatar

    Lovely! Especially lovely when spoken by McDreamy. :)

    1. kapachino Avatar
      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?

  20. laura Avatar

    Love it!! Thanks for sharing!

  21. Stephany Avatar

    What a beautiful name! I love it!

  22. San Avatar

    LOVE the name! :)

  23. Suburban Sweetheart Avatar

    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. :)

  24. Cait Avatar

    That is a beautiful name!

  25. Elizabeth Avatar

    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!

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