What's in a Name?

Oh baby names!

When Brandon and I were still dating - I don't think we were even engaged yet - he let me know that his future children's names would all start with a B.  It's something his mom and dad (and then dad and step-mom) had done with his siblings, and he wanted to continue the tradition.  I had plenty of time to mull it over, he reminds me, and if I didn't like it, I should have gotten out then.  I didn't really think naming our children was a deal breaker, but apparently it should have been?!

So here we are.  A "B" name, hu?

A few months back, we were scouring - well, let me clarify, I was scouring - baby name websites searching for a good B name that would go with the middle name Diana (after Brandon's aunt).  Nothing seemed to click.  B isn't the most popular letter to begin with, and there are several B names already taken by family members and close friends. Throw in those "off limits" names after spending several years in the classroom (you teachers know what I'm talking about), and we were left with a very limited pool of names to choose from.

We narrowed it down to three options: Bristol, Boston, and Bentley.  We liked them all, but had "issues" with them all, too.  Bristol has the Palin connection that we aren't overly fond of.  Boston is a city name.  And Bentley is a car.

At this point, we continued - rather, I continued - to get suggestions about other names to consider.  What part of "we have it narrowed down to three" don't you get? And one family member went so far as to tell others that we had decided to name our baby girl Bianca Diana . . . what?! But I digress . . .

The most helpful advice I got about our final selection from the above mentioned names was to check their meanings.  Don't get me wrong, I didn't, not until today, and we've known for a few weeks now what this little one will be named (the suspense is killing you, I know), but it's turned out to be helpful in confirming our choice.

Now, I should care somewhat about the meaning and significance of names.  After all, I'm an English major and there's almost always insight about characters that you can glean from the name of each.  That should matter to me.  And when it comes to literature, it does, but for some reason, that hasn't transferred to real life.

Today, though, I put Bailey down for her nap and began some research into all of our names.  The last name Trevino doesn't have a "meaning" per say, but I did stumble across a website with some interesting information about it's history/origin.  If you care to check it out, you'll have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page for the Trevino section.

Here's what I found out about the rest of our names:

Brandon - from a surname, meaning a hill covered with a broom
Doyle - descendent of a dark stranger

Stacy - from a surname, meaning fruitful
Faye - form of fairy

Bailey - from a surname, meaning bailiff
Janette - derived from Janet, form or Jane, feminine of John, meaning Yahweh is gracious

After looking up our names came the moment of truth.  If you haven't noticed the pattern, all of our first names have been derived from surnames so it would be nice if #2's did too.  And Bailey's doesn't have a phenomenal meaning, so it would also be convenient if our choice for #2 didn't either (I know, wishing insignificance).

Well, we're pretty sure we're going with the name Boston Diana, and here's what I found:

Boston - town by the woods
Diana - heavenly, divine

While it's missing the "from a surname" piece, it's meaning is right up there with bailiff. And both of the girls' middle names can give them significance.

Besides, Brandon says if he had to re-choose his sports teams, he's be a fan of the teams in Boston (Celtics, Red Sox, and Patriots).  Who can argue with that? :)