What's in a Name? A rose by any other name smells as sweet...

Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana
There's something about a little princess that captures imagination.
What captured my imagination more was the remarkable tribute to family that the royal couple managed to package into this new heir's names.

It would be my wish that my children would care so much about identification with family heritage that they would do the same. The naming conventions were prevalent in older generations. Genealogy study is difficult enough even if families follow conventions of using family names in careful combination. If names appear random in selection, linking the child to generations of family becomes tedious, unless family Bibles carry excellent documentation.

Margaret - Mildred wrote in her daughter's baby book that she and Claude "just liked the name."  Nevertheless, the name is used multiple times in the Gordon and Ritchie families. One Ritchey (also a spelling) relative had multiple granddaughters named Margaret. Margaret (Mother) then chose to give me her own first name plus a middle name. Margaret means "Pearl."

Jane - My parents selected Jane as my middle name to honor the multiple "Jane's" in the family tree. I often wondered why I could not have been "Janet" like my beautiful next-door neighbor.  Or could the Margaret not be "Margie" like the heroine in a love story I adored. My favorite math teacher called me "Margo" - Margaret Jane was too much and too "stodgy" at the time. I did not realize the history attached to my name. Jane means "God is Gracious."

David - My son is named David as in a man after God's own heart  and in Goliath-slayer fame in the Bible, and as a tribute to the various sons named David in my family. We added Gordon as a tribute to my mother, her mother, and a family whose legacy I admire. Attention should also be given to a man's monogram. David means "Beloved."

Richard - My son is named Richard for several reasons. One reason is that family name Ritchie is taken from Richard. Second, a dear friend's name is Richard. Lyell is in tribute to his father's great grandmother from Tennessee, Susannah Lyell. The man's first initials are important (R.L.) for a confident business signature. Richard means "Strong, as in lion-hearted."

I'm writing our family's history and have enjoyed "getting to know" our ancestors on a more personal level. The names explain relationship and family origins. Studying names and wondering if the person had a nickname has brought greater interest to the story. What did the wife call her husband besides his title of respect.  My great-grandmother called her husband "Mr. Gordon" when others were present.

That same great-grandmother used only her first name "Ella" rather than the double "Ella Jane." Her husband Charles Thomas Gordon used "C. T. Gordon" in most circumstances. I read a letter between sisters, however, that stated, "I guess you know that Ella Ritchie is going to marry Charlie Gordon..." Charlie! Imagine that.

As we choose names for our babies, let us remember our families and their goodly heritage. Remind me to tell you the story of little Silver Mercedes - named for "the prettiest car I ever saw."