Leo Nathaniel and The Phenomenon
November 26, 2010So, after many databases, spreadsheets, and rating systems (yes, we are nerds), we decided to go with a name that wasn’t even in our original Top 10. We saw the ultrasound photos, and we said, “He’s Leo Nathaniel”. Ultimately, that was easy.
I wrote about the name Leo awhile back, never imagining that someday I’d have one of my very own. The name is quite a bit shorter than the names I generally like, but, as I said, he pretty much just WAS a Leo. There was no other option.
And so far, the name has been serving us very well. The lone exception is my mother-in-law, who has been known to call our sweet little baby “Lee-Lee” (eew).
But we have discovered something that is common to parents everywhere, and something that I didn’t expect would ever happen to us: suddenly, we are hearing the name everywhere. We didn’t pick the name because it was unusual, thank goodness. But, come on! On one particular message board I am on, there are three Leos under six months old. My dad told me that he met another person with my same first name, and she recently had a baby who would have been named Leo if she had possessed the appropriate parts.
This is something that happens to almost everyone, but it wasn’t supposed to happen to us!
Bottom line: when naming your progeny, be sure to pick a name that you would love even if it suddenly jumped to the top of the charts. Because it probably will.
(This post was written entirely on my dad’s iPad, while sitting in my grandparents’ living room. I have no idea how to scroll back up and edit. I probably should have waited and written this post on a “real” computer, but I decided to seize the nap time.)
What a great name! Happy Thanksgiving.
I love the name Leo Nathaniel!
The whole naming the baby after what he looks like idea didn’t work out for us, though — maybe because I was committed to using one of the favorites we had discussed or maybe also because I had my heart set on using something relatively uncommon. Emailing you about your baby’s name encouraged me to finally update my blog as well. I tell the whole story there, but if we had named Julius after what he looked like, he would have ended up a Malcolm or a Christopher.
One of the names we almost chose was Elliot with the nickname Lio — and I have been meeting a few baby Elliots and Leos. But I’ve actually also run into a Julius at my cousin’s wedding — he was six years old. So even picking something relatively uncommon doesn’t guarantee your child will be the only one. I think it’s great advice to go with something you love that you wouldn’t mind if it became suddenly popular.
Congratulations on your little guy! What a smart mom you are – updating your blog while baby Leo is asleep. Leo Nathaniel is a wonderful name – I’m glad he made choosing his name easy for both of you.