When we’re painting we talk about all sorts of weird things that we probably wouldn’t otherwise get around to. And while painting the bedroom we got to the topic of “names that our parents almost gave us.” Get this. My mom wanted to name me Gina. We would have been John & Gina. That made us titter. Not sure if it’s a had to be there thing though. Either way, John’s dad’s choice of names takes the cake. He wanted to name John… wait for it… Lars.
Lars Petersik.
How funny is that? If I had seen tall dirty blond John at work and asked a coworker “oh who’s that?” and heard them respond with ” that’s Lars Petersik, he’s an account manager.” Let’s just say I would have been all “niiiiice to meeeeeeet you Laaaaars” with that over-enunciated-because-I’m-not-sure-you’re-great-at-deciphering-super-speedy-NY-talkers connotation. The same long drawn out delivery I use with my only-speaks-Italian grandmother. It would have been hysterical. John probably never would have let me live it down. Or asked me to marry him a year-ish later.
But that’s not all. Apparently John’s dad also wanted to name John “Vector.” Because he liked math. How I was able to continue painting with tears of laughter streaming down my face is beyond me. So it got us wondering what you guys were almost named. Come on… someone out there can beat Vector and Lars, right?
Katherine Fitz says
@ Katherine: Get out! My name is Katherine, too and in my tween years (in the 80’s) I too wished I had been named Crystal. With a ‘C’, too! Jennifer was a close second.
Blog is the New Black says
I was going to be Madelyn after my other grandmother… instead I got Elizabeth… either would have been ok!
Serina says
As the story goes, my name was a toss-up between Serina and Sherona – yes, as in m-m-m-my Sherona!
Amber says
My last name is alday, pronounced all-day.
My mom wanted to name me Sunny Sky.
Catherine M. says
I was almost named Columbia after the space shuttle that went up the day I was born. Phew! Glad someone knocked some sense into my parents!
Echo says
There’s a character on Despicable Me named Vector. lol. Maybe John’s dad named him?
My parents almost named me Amber Wava with Gaines as a last name (ugh). We ended up with Echo, though. My brothers were almost Mahalia or Sinjin (after the volleyball player).
Ris says
My father, a Shakespeare scholar, wanted to name me and my sister Mopsa and Dorcas, characters from Twelfth Night. Thank goodness my mother, the voice of reason, vetoed those choices!
Andrea says
My mum wanted to name me Peter (they thought I would be a boy) or Susanne. Gah. I had a lisp when I was a child.. just imagine Ssssusssanne. I’m glad they ended up naming me Andrea :)
Stephanie says
My mother must be a bit strange because the name I was supposed to have was Bridget. However, my mom was scared people would call me Bridget the Midget if i was short, so they came up with Stephanie. Hard to come up with a mean nickname for that, right?!
claire says
if my best friend had been born one day sooner, she would have been named Elvetta, since the day would have been Elvis’s birthday. lucky for her, she was a day late!
Kristin says
SLightly off-topic, but when my sister was pregnant with her first child, after they knew it was a girl but before they had selected a name, they called the baby Winnie. My mom was terrified that this name would stick, because their last name was… Depew.
Luckily, it did not.
Brittanie says
My mom wanted to name me Rhuhamer (Roo-haym-er). Thankfully, my dad had already called dibbs on naming me.
Meredith @ Welcome to Heardmont says
I would have been OSCAR or EARNEST, had I been a boy. Whew, dodged a bullet on that one! Thank you thank you, extra X chromosome!! :)
Jyl says
“Jill” spelled with a Y is bad enough. I get a lot of “Jile” and in high school it was always Jay-Why-Elle.
I was a Dennis until I was born. Blue room, blue clothes… the whole nine yards. I surprised everyone but my mom, who knew in her heart I was a girl, and only brought a pink outfit to the hospital to take me home in. Go Mom!
Amanda says
Daddy had “Annabelle” picked out. In honor of his beloved … coon hound. Obviously, Momma wasn’t havin’ it.
So they settled on “Amanda Gail” and Dad was happy because it sort of rhymes ;-)
kristin says
The doctor who performed the C-section on my mom was begging her to name me Snow (born dec. 18) as it was a snowy day. Couple that gem of a name with my last name Schu (pronounced Shoe) and you get Snow Schu, I thank my lucky stars most days that name got passed on (the hippie in me does think it’s cute though).
Krystal says
What a fun conversation! My cousins and I always laugh at the crazy names we almost were. Until the moment I was born, my doctor was certain I was going to be a boy so I would’ve been Alex Joseph. My parents never considered a single girl’s name and when they saw the icicles hanging from the hospital window that Novemeber afternoon, they just decided on Krystal. My cousins’ stories are much better (please bear with the long comment)…
My aunt originally wanted biblical names for the twins and had almost settled on Adam and Eve, but my uncle said he would never do that to his children. Eve became Amanda. My aunt wanted to give Amanda her middle name (Lynn), but soon realized that Amanda Lynn sounded very much like “a mandolin”, so Amanda Renee became the winner. During this process, my uncle really pushed for the name Brandy, but my aunt refused to name her daughter after alcohol (he never got over it and still calls her Brandy anyway, 22 years later). Adam’s name changed to Billy, but then it was realized that their last name would make him Billy Hill (or Hill, Billy)…Adam Thomas was chosen.
My cousin Jessica was named after an ex-girlfriend of my uncle’s (my aunt didn’t find out until years later…awkward). Her sister Mindy was originally Mandy, but my uncle really wanted to name her Cindy. One night in a drunken stupor he told my aunt, “Mindy. Name her Mindy. You get the first letter and I get the rest of ’em!”
I’ve got a big family (21 cousins!) but those are my favorites. Hope it made you giggle :)
Michelle says
My Mom just admitted to me the other day that she wanted to name me Brandy (which I really am glad she didn’t)…
Or….
PEPPER. Really? Pepper?
Lauren says
No incredibly awful names here, but my mom wanted to name me Erica. My husband was always supposed to be Eric. Eric(a) would have just been incredibly tacky. Thanks for changing your mind, mom!
Nikki says
Sunshine Amanti was my mom’s pick, and she almost won. Fortunately (sarcasm font here) my dad found the name Nikki Renee in Playboy magazine and they went with that. Thanks for being a perv, dad.
- Sarah :-) says
Okay… so I didn’t almost have a strange name, necessarily, but I do have a funny-ish story about my name. My parents, as many do, picked both a boy and a girl name when they found out they were having me. They were in LOVE with the boy name, and although they liked the girl name, it changed around a bit.
apparrently in all of the confusion, my older sister only caught on to the consistancy of the boy name, and for the first several weeks I was home from the hospital she called me “Joshua Caleb”. Nevermind the fact that I was obviously female and actually named Sarah. And my parents could not convince her otherwise.
Good times.
lori says
my husband wanted to name our son Morpheus Xavier! it sounds like a science experiment!
Snickrsnack Katie says
OMG, LARS? That is classic. I can totally see you as a Gina, though. And Vector… well, that is just interesting. Funny they went with something as normal as John.
I would have been Nathaniel if I was a boy. I don’t think there were any other options for girl names.
Jarman says
My dad wanted to name my brother Rasputin! Seriously.
seansmom says
Can’t beat Vector or Lars, but my mom was soooo sure she was going to have a boy that she hadn’t even picked out a girls name, so my aunt named me instead. I ended up Nancy Joy, but I was almost Billie Joe.
Laineli says
My dad really wanted Roberta. Thank god, my mom vetoed that one.
Wendy says
I was totally supposed to be a boy and my name was all picked out – Brian Wesley. Instead, my mom named me after her favorite story, Peter Pan – giving me the name Wendy!
Rose says
My best friend’s mom wanted to name her Ursula…and her initials would have been UFO. Don’t know which would have been worse….the first name or the initials! Thank goodness she went with Anna instead!
Katie says
My dad wanted to name me Rose. Not too bad, until you know that my last name is pronounced “bowl.”
And before my great-uncle was born, his mom was convinced she was going to have a girl. She’d already had four boys, and figured it was time. So they didn’t pick out any boys names. Because my great-uncle was born in a small mountain town, the city clerk came to them to register the birth. When he asked what they were going to name the baby, my great-great grandma didn’t have an answer. The clerk decided that Frederick was a good name, and started to write in on the certificate. He got as far as “Fred” before my great-great grandma made him stop, but since it was an official document, I have a great-uncle Fred.
Kristi says
I love that your tears were steaming. That must have been some hot laughter ;)
Alli says
I was going to be Bartholomew (aka Bart).
I’m so glad I was a girl.
Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons says
ahahahahaha! Luckily they chose differently! =) and luckily you two found each other! <3
kal says
My cousin was supposed to be Nazanzian – luckily my Grandmother intervened.
Trista says
My grandmother jokes that she wanted me to be named Roberta Danielle after my dad (Robert Daniel).
caree says
that’s funny @Cait @ Hernando House, because I actually was named Caree because my mom liked the name from the movie. Just a different spelling though. Supposedly my dad wanted it spelled another way, but mom won that debate, in that she filled out the birth certificate. I’m pretty sure my DH was named after an uncle that drowned when he was a teenager. Our names rhyme, which is cute and annoying at the same time.
Oh, I was almost ‘Jasmine’ and/or ‘Jazzy’ for short. I am forever just picturing jazz hands.
Lynn says
I was almost Rose and my maiden name is Dawson. I would have been Rose Dawson, just like Titanic. I think we need some Clara name outtakes!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lynn,
Well, we tried calling Clara “Prunella” when she was in the womb. Not her real name, but her “fetus” name. Haha. Bean stuck though, and then we found out she was a girl so “beanette” became the favorite nickname. Poor Prunella. Never really stuck.
We also loved all sorts of P names (Parker, Penny, Paterson, Penelope, Piper) but thought all of them sounded way too crazy with Petersik. So sad. I also LOVE the name Clark for a boy, but Clara and Clark is just too weird (and Clark Petersik sounds a little harsh and k-heavy) so we had to “release it.” Haha.
xo,
s
Linde says
I was going to be Jennifer, like all the other babies born in 1978 (top name for that year). Glad my parents with a family name, Malinda. I’ve always been Linde though.
Tiffini S. says
My Mom was dabbling in the Hippie movement when I was born, and was leaning towards “Sunny Day” until my Dad put his foot down. As it is, I got stuck with Tiffini Eunice – named after my Grandma Eunice Mae, because I was born in May. Not that I mind the family connection now, but it was hard going through middle school with a middle name like that.
We named our son “Jameson King” – Jameson in honor of my husband, James, and King in honor of his stage name (he’s a very talented saxophone player). Jamers “girl name” was “Stevie Wren,” in honor of our Dads, Stephen and Warren, but we didn’t get a chance to use that. We’d planned on a small family anyway, but after I had Jameson, I was told that more children were not possible. Which, we thought, was kinda good, because how do you trump “King” as a middle name?
So time passed, and Jameson turned three the day after Christmas. Which is the same day I found out I was almost two months pregnant (I don’t have, er, cycles any more, so I didn’t know I could even be pregnant until I got a special kind of heartburn that I hadn’t had in three years). Monday we found out that we’re not only pregnant, but having twins. Once the shock wears off, I’m sure we’ll be thrilled. Then we’ll have to figure out the name thing all over again. My Mom passed away last year, but her name was Melva Lee, which is, well, very Southern. So I thought Melee would be kind of pretty, to honor her. Then I realized that melee can also mean chaos. Which, I guess, is perfect, actually, for a household with three kids under 4 years old, and for my Mom, if you knew her at all.
Amy says
My parents always teased my sister Andrea that they wanted to name her “Fern Grotto” after the place in Hawaii where she was conceived. Once after a few glasses of wine I asked them what I would have been named and they said “Uncle Steve’s Bed.” Then they told my brother Alex he would have been named “Hot Tub.” HOLY TMI. We don’t drink with our parents anymore :)
Holly G says
When I was about 25 my mom wanted to name their new dog Molly . . . totally normal until I politely reminded her that her daughters name was Holly and that might be a little weird. My cousin was going to be Gunner if she was a boy – Maybe he and Vector might have been friends?
Andrea Hildebrandt says
I would have been Leander if I was a boy, or Randle. I named my children Killian & Linux. They are unique and I wanted them to be the only ones with their names. Some say I’m crazy, but how many people do you know with those names?!
Meredith says
I actually really like Lars. I would have been Thomas Russell if I was a boy after my grandfathers. Glad they didn’t name me after EITHER grandmother—Mildred and Mary Lois. No thanks!
carlijean says
Jillian.
I am most definitely not a jillian.
One of my poor brothers, he didn’t have a name for almost 2 weeks!
- Sarah :-) says
PS: Does “Vector” make anyone else think of that young little villain in “Despicable Me?” Super cute movie, btw.
Krissy says
Vector IS pretty rough! However, my mother did not escape a terrible name! She has two bird names… Swanna Robin… Yes, that is actually her name! She also wanted to name me “Siobhan”…. She spared me the humiliation and named me Kristen!
Chicago Cuisine Critique says
That’s hilarious! So funny because my mom and I just had this conversation about what I was going to be named over Christmas. She changed what she has said my whole life and I needed some clearing up so finally last night she admitted that my name (which is Shari) could have been Mandy, Lisa, or Jennifer. I am very happy they went with the somewhat different choice. :) What were some other names you had picked out for Clara??
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Chicago Cuisine Critique,
Scroll back for that info! We actually keep baby names locked away until we meet the baby and see if they fit, so we never 100% settled on Clara until she was born. But our contender names are still secrets since we might reuse them if they fit. You know we like to recycle things. Haha.
xo,
s
Christine says
I was always going to be Christine or Christopher (if I was a boy), so that’s not really any fun.
However….
1) My Great Grandmother walked into my grandma’s hospital room and had to physically stop her from filling out my mom’s birth certificate on her own, with no one else around. Grandma got the paper back when she agreed to a normal name. She then tried to use the funny name as my mom’s nickname… No one else used it. What was it? Candy. Their last name was Kane. True story. Now she’s Mary Jo.
2) I’m a pediatrician (and my dad is too), we have BOTH had patients named Fe-Malé, because the moms are too stupid to realize that the fe-malé is FEMALE baby.
3) I have a friend, Pam, whose husband has a family tradition of always naming someone in each generation Thor. Pam was dead set against using Thor as a name when she was pregnant with her second kiddo. But, her husband (LARS!!!) talked about it so much that their 3 year old picked up the name for the golden lab they got during the pregnancy, effectively “using up” the name. And, luckily the baby was a girl!
Jenn says
I was born on February 22nd (George Washington’s Birthday) and when my dad called the family to let them know I made it in to the world, he told everyone my name was Georgianna Washintina… thankfully he was kidding. Hahaha.
hwar says
If I had been a boy, my parents would have named me Avery. Which is fine until you hear my last name: Avis. Avery Avis. Thank you God for making me a girl.
nikki says
I was going to be named Derek if I was a boy…pretty tame. However, when I was pregnant with our son, My husband really liked the name Alistar…I just couldn’t do it, so we settled on Ethan.