I have been chuffed to discover that some of our younger generation have consulted the family tree in addition to books of baby names when considering names for their new bubs.
Whether by coincidence or design I was delighted when family names have been bestowed on some of our grandchildren. My eldest granddaughter bears the name of her great-grandmother, my husband's name and his father's name have been used as middle names, my mother's surname has been used as a forename and two grandsons have their maternal grandfathers' names as middle names. My baby granddaughter has the same name as her paternal great-grandmother and maternal great-great-grandmother.
Because of the confusion that can arise from having two people in the same house with the same name I would not let my husband bestow his name on our sons. He did, however, manage to get his and his father's names used as the boys' second names. It was a coincidence that our youngest daughter bears the name of a few female ancestors on both sides of the family.
When I was teaching I always felt sorry for those poor kids whose parents had given them unique names or popular names with unique spellings. I now realise that these parents must have been genealogists wanting to make them easy to find for future descendants researching their ancestry.
I notice today the Swinburne University are seeking Australians to answer an online survey: "What's in a name?" where they ask about "How did you name your children? What does your surname mean to you?"
If you have some spare time how about helping the researchers out?
Whether by coincidence or design I was delighted when family names have been bestowed on some of our grandchildren. My eldest granddaughter bears the name of her great-grandmother, my husband's name and his father's name have been used as middle names, my mother's surname has been used as a forename and two grandsons have their maternal grandfathers' names as middle names. My baby granddaughter has the same name as her paternal great-grandmother and maternal great-great-grandmother.
Because of the confusion that can arise from having two people in the same house with the same name I would not let my husband bestow his name on our sons. He did, however, manage to get his and his father's names used as the boys' second names. It was a coincidence that our youngest daughter bears the name of a few female ancestors on both sides of the family.
When I was teaching I always felt sorry for those poor kids whose parents had given them unique names or popular names with unique spellings. I now realise that these parents must have been genealogists wanting to make them easy to find for future descendants researching their ancestry.
I notice today the Swinburne University are seeking Australians to answer an online survey: "What's in a name?" where they ask about "How did you name your children? What does your surname mean to you?"
If you have some spare time how about helping the researchers out?
