What's in a Name?

Maybe deciding on a baby's name is easy for some people, not these people. Michael and I had a difficult time finding a name that we both really liked. Because I'm crazy like this, I created a spreadsheet of potential names with columns for popularity ranking, meaning, and our individual feeling about each one. I was hoping to find something Biblical and/or literary while Michael wanted something that had personal significance. We both hoped to stay out of the top ten list. So, while I really liked Jacob, the fact that it is currently ranked #1 and means "supplanter" took it out of the running. Other names were vetoed simply because one of us didn't really love it. There is a lot of pressure when it comes to deciding what someone is going to be called for the rest of his or her life.

I thought that I had done a pretty thorough search of the Bible and pulled out all the potential candidates, but in late January I was reading Hosea during my quiet times. When I finished, I turned the page to the book of Joel and immediately thought, "Joel! Why haven't I ever considered Joel?" I emailed Michael later that day from work to ask him his opinion. His response:

"I like it. a lot."

Joel was ranked #115 in popularity, and according to babynames.com means "God will be willing."  I loved that meaning because during the nine months it took us to get pregnant, and even in the months leading up to our trying, I constantly prayed for God's will in our ability to conceive and for Him to bring everything together to create the child that He wanted us to have if it was His will for me to get pregnant at all. Michael also really likes Billy Joel and was personally named after a famous musician, so the name has some personal significance for him.

Even after that we were not quite ready to commit. Michael wanted to keep our options open, but I kept pestering him to make a decision. Finally in April we decided to stick with...

Now it was on to the middle name.

Since I teach English and love to read, I hoped to find a name of literary importance. Unfortunately, I could not find any suitable names based on my favorite books or authors. Clive Staples, really? Mr. Darcy... I think not. Frodo? Nope, my computer already claims that name :) We also considered names based on places to which we traveled, and it just so happens we had been to Boston shortly before our little dumpling was conceived. While there, we visited the homes and grave sites of several famous American writers including Ralph Waldo Emerson, so I suggested Emerson. It took Michael a long time to come around to that one, especially since I had to admit I had not really read anything by Emerson before. To build my case, I downloaded some of his work to my Kindle, started reading, and found some good stuff.

"Life is too short to waste
In critic peep or cynic bark,
Quarrel or reprimand:
'T will soon be dark;
Up! mind thine own aim, and 
God speed the mark!"
- Mithridates

"Again I saw, again I heard,
The rolling river, the morning bird;-
Beauty through my senses stole;
I yielded myself to the perfect whole"
 - Each and All

About three weeks before my due date, we finally agreed on Joel Emerson, and we are very happy with it. We've also gotten a lot of compliments on it since he was born, so (if everyone's being honest) our friends and family also like it. Yay!

Thanks to our dear friend Katie for making these beautiful letters for his room.

Footnote: I later discovered that a more accurate meaning of Joel is actually "the Lord is God," but I like that too.