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?
MJ says
I have a few:
My roommates fiance has sworn for a year that he will name either his first son or first dog “Kotton.” Luckily he has a puppy on the way!
I knew a couple through an ex that named their son Chevy. The same ex liked the names Bailey and Ella. Great names, until you consider his brother had a dog named Bailey and a cat named Ella at the time.
Also, there are students where I work named Robin Hood and Mary Mac Lastname. I can only imagine the teasing on the playground.
Janie says
Had I been a boy, I would have been named Robert. I know it’s not that weird of a name, but I am just not a fan.
Oh, John and Sherry, I saw this today on West Elm http://www.westelm.com/products/modern-stripe-tumbler-b584/?pkey=caccessories-bath
Reminds me of the painted walls in your old bathroom.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Janie,
Love those! Like crazy. Thanks for the link!
xo,
s
Keri Lynn says
Oh I have a great story about a name. I went to school with a girl who was the baby of 9 children. Her last name, pretty common is Johnson but I guess her parents ran out of names they liked and named her “Another”. Yep, her name is Another Johnson.
I forgot, had I been a boy my name would have been Gordon Travis. My dad’s name is Gordon Chester but he goes by Chet.
The doctor thought my mom was going to be a boy and my grandparents had picked Michael Dennis but when she popped out a girl my grandmother named her Michele Denise and decided to keep it at one “L” since her name was originally going to be Michael.
Sara says
This one is for my mother in law. Her parents considered naming her Melouise. Think Melvin + Louise!
Lauren says
Thanks for answering my question, John! I did actually use (and like) that feature, but I understand removing it if it was making the blog slower. No big deal….it’s not something that would keep me from reading :-)
courtney says
I would have been a Caroline. My sister would have been a Bennett.. yeah her wallpaper was blue little hearts. My mom didn’t have the heart to change it when she turned out to be a she instead of a he.
Off topic but you did have a post about this- couponing. Ellen just had a lady on called the Coupon Diva and there are details on her website about this woman and her tricks about couponing. This woman was really cool because she didn’t hoard the products like some of the people on TLC. She actually donated a lot of toiletries to Haiti! Too cool! All of the info is on Ellen’s website!
Love to see the progress on the house by the way! Looks awesome!
gk says
“ursula” was in the running for me (along with a whole bunch of nice and unique names). i was 8 when the little mermaid came out. i am forever thankful that my parents did not name me ursula and i did not have to endure taunts of being called the sea witch…!
Daylen says
I was born in Cuba and my dad wanted to name me Missleidy (in Spanish, it is pronounced as if you were to say MissLady in English). 18 years later we moved to the USA, can you imagine my horrible name if my mom hadn’t gotten her way? Thank God she came up with Daylen.
Bobbi says
My mom was going through a “French” thing and she wantes to name me
Jolie Cheri<— my dad said, No way am I naming my daughter, Jolly Cherry. LOL. So, I am Bobbi
amyks says
My almost name was “Robin”, my mom says it’s because I looked like a baby bird after I was born. Gee, thanks, Mom, I’m guessing that it wasn’t a compliment.
Jenny says
A customer of mine was named…Peder Cottontale. Who would do that to their kid???
Rebecca says
My dad always says he wanted to name me Sara Lee, maybe he had a hankering for a snack cake (I guess it’s better than Little Debbie)! We are making lists now for our baby due 4/24 and have a couple names our future child will probably be talking about down the road.
amyks says
OMG…the person commented above me is named Robyn, that is so weird!
Janay says
my mom wanted to name me Echo… which probably would’ve been really cool now that I’m older.
Linda says
This is legendary in our family. Our father was a real character and he had alternative names picked out for my older brother and me. Names? Peter Paul for my brother and Alma Joy (Alma is a family name) and so TA DA… we would have been Peter Paul, Alma Joy (bringing up any past chocolate bar histories – as in Peter Paul Almond Joy?). THAT was our dad for you.
Gina says
So my name is actually Gina but my mom swears up and down that if I had been a boy I would be Gino. Really?! Gino? Especially weird since my brother and sister have two of the most common names on earth- Elizabeth and Andrew.
Nikki Grove says
There were a few names that were *almost* mine, but here’s the amusing ones:
Mercedes – Because my maiden name is Benza…get it? Mercedes Benz-a? LMAO
Desiree – Nixed because my mum said I’d grow up to be a stripper
Gabriella – This was almost written on the birth certificate until a nurse came in and said “Aww how cute! We can call her Gabby!” My mom is a hater of nicknames, so there went that idea too.
Too funny about the “almost” Gina and Laaaarrrrssss!
Stephanie says
So glad that other people have these conversations too! Ours isn’t quite a “could have been scenario,” but still pretty funny. If I was a boy, my mom wanted to name me Justin and my husband’s parents wanted to name him Dustin. I definitely think it’s one of those things that’s funnier for the people in the situation, since our friends don’t seem to be as amused as we were when we found out.
Inka says
My Husband and My surname is Peterik (nearly Petersik) and my cousins name is Lars lol :)
Jessica says
I was almost names Jaime Lynn and considering the popularity and downfall of the Spears sisters, I’m glad they changed their minds!
Mary M says
My family is crazy about water skiing. It’s just what we do. I was born in January and out on the water 6 months later. If I was a boy, my parents wanted to name me Michael Ski or even worse.. Ski Michael! I’m soooo glad I’m a girl! And I love my name :)
Tracy says
My dad seriously wanted to name one of his children Malibu Hortense. He still to this day thinks it would be a great name for something. We think he is delusional! Also, before I was born my parents referred to me as the first letter of the two names they had chosen. So I was affectionately known for nine months as “E.T.” (Eric/Tracy). My older sister thought this was all quite hilarious since I was born the same year as the the alien E.T made his big screen debut. It also didn’t help I was literally born 22 minutes after Halloween- the alien name would have never gone away if I had been!
beabee says
Haha, Lars Petersik. That’s like my hubby’s real name. Our last name is some difficult Czech name with too many consonants and only one vowel, and his first name is Ivan. It sounds like he’s straight off the boat, but he was just named after a great-uncle who was!
I would have been Angela… glad that didn’t happen.
Natalie says
I don’t know what I was almost named, but my older brother would have been Emily, had he been a girl. And my mom was so devastated after not being able to use the name(and a tad dramatic – love you mom) that when I was born she refused to use it – because it wasn’t meant to be. Sheesh.
Theresa says
I was almost Gladys since I was born on my Grandmothers birthday and that was her name. I’m so glad that I was Theresa instead.
Roxanne Sharpe says
I would have had the luxary of Roxy Sharpe-If that doesn’t lead you down the path to become a stripper or spy, I don’t know what will. My dad wanted to name me Roxanne but my mom stuck fast to her favorite and I avoided a career of picking up coins off a stage with my butt.
Meri says
When my mom was a little girl, she overheard my uncles making fun of her grandma’s name…so she shouted “I love your name, Grandma. I promise when I grow up I’ll name my little girl after you.” Great-grandma gave her a hug, and said how wOndeeful that would be.
Her name was Orga Otis.
And she apparently brought it up when my mom was about six months pregnant, too.
Christine says
Lars! Love it. Speaking of scandinavian names… my dad wanted to name my brother Axel. thankfully they went with Kevin instead :)
Jana H. says
My parents were so sure I was going to be a boy that they only picked out boy names. I was going to be either Jared or Tony Jr. Since I was a girl they let my oldest sister name me…after a cartoon character. Jana of the Jungle. She was insistent on having “Of the Jungle” be included in my name but fortunately my parents overrulled her. lol
jess says
almost named ariana… not a terrible name, per se; but being that I am such a ding-bat, I am sure my name would have morphed into “air-head.”
speaking of names, my sister’s MIL’s maiden name was (wait for it)
…
…
…
Dick.
Yes, Deanna Dick. And Deanna’s sister’s name (actual name here people) Icy Dick. And their brother’s name — Devonna Dick.
wow.
Kristen says
Oh John and Sherry,
I now have to clean up the coffee I just snorted out my nose (thanks!) onto my keyboard…
PLEASE tell me you’ve seen the movie Despicable Me. If not, RENT IT!!!!
And here’s why; the “villain’s” superhero name is…yes…VECTOR (because of the math definition).
(And besides, it’s a suprisingly sweet movie…)
I’ll end with “Oh Yeah!” See the movie; it will make sense! :)
All the best!
Kristen XO
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kristen,
That’s so funny! Lot’s of people have said that so we’ll have to rent it right away! Adding it to the Netflix list right now…
xo,
s
Adrienne says
I have friends who are twins, and apparently their mom wanted to name them Buttons and Bows :-)
Kate (and Ben) says
This isn’t my name story, it belongs to my sister:
My mother was so convinced that her second child was going to be a boy, that she and my father did not even discuss girl names–and when she was born, Mom said, “We were going to name him Caleb…” and after THREE days of debating, she was finally dubbed “Jessika” (the German spelling is a nod to Oma [my immigrant grandmother]). Oh, yeah, and that was the year that the name Jessica as THE MOST POPULAR NAME for a girl.
-K
Married in Chicago says
Ooo I can totally beat Lars! My dad wanted to name me Vandella after Martha and the Vandellas (a successful motown group)!
Melinda says
Well, I have no idea what my mother almost named me…but I almost named my son Zakia. :| He came out and ever time we’d say, “Hi, Zakia…” he’d cry…so we changed it. He’s now a nice, safe Noah :)
Colleen says
my mom wanted to name me Caitlin. My dad hated it, so they went with Colleen.
However, 4 years later, when they were coming up with girl names again my mom dropped Caitlin and he loved it that time. So my sister got my “destined” name. Mom’s are sneaky!
Sanja says
Well, it’s not about my name, but my friend told me about her twin cousins, who were named Sven and Istok (meaning East). Their grandpa disliked their names so much that he called them Walkie-Talkie :D
Crystal says
I think my mother started making her name choices once the doctor had doped her up a bit during labour!!
She initially wanted to call me Opal. For the first day of my life I WAS called Opal, but apparantly I would cry whenever they said it so it was changed to Crystal.
If I were a boy, I was going to be called Harley David (Yes, they are bike enthusiasts) *shakes head sadly*
Laura says
I went to elementary school with brothers Rusty and Dusty – I can’t remember their last name at the moment but I don’t think it was Stone.
I’m sure you’ve heard of the ACTUAL person named Crystal Chanda Lier.
And we liked the names Hunter and Bo or Beau for a boy, but we actually have a lot of hunters in the family and knew he’d never live down the first/middle name of Beau Hunter.
We have a friend who wanted to name her daughter Olivia and use her maiden name for the middle name which would’ve sounded very cool, by the way. Thankfully someone pointed out that her maiden name started with the letter “O” also and that her last name started with “P”. So that idea was canned! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Laura,
There was a girl named Crystal Dollhouse in my school! I think it might have been spelled Dahlhous or something, but it was totally pronounced the same way. Love Crystal Chanda Lier though! Ha.
xo,
s
Janet says
Before I was born, my parents had already picked my name, Janet. Well, my dad thought the name of the actress from Rocky, Talia, would be a beautiful middle name. My mom thought about it for awhile, and said we can’t name our baby that! So yes, my name was almost Janet Talia.
Olivia says
My parents wanted to name me Constance, which would be fine I guess. The good part is that they ended up naming our *dog* Constance.
Melody says
I think that what I was named is crazier than what could have been. My name is Melody..not too strange. But my sister was born four years later and my parents named her Harmony. AND she was born on the same day as me!
Amberly says
Thankfully I was blessed with a beautiful name after my parents compromised Amber and Kimberly and got Amberly. However, my parents wanted to name my sister Tina. Our last name it Thomas…can you imagine Tina Thomas? I’m already singin’ Rollin’ on the River! Thankfully they decided on Brieanne instead.
Amanda says
My grandma wanted me to be named Bertina after my father Burt. Imagine that. :P
Rachael says
Ah! I’m friends with a couple named John and Gina! I’ve always thought it sounded silly, and now I have independent confirmation that I’m right.
Kate says
Just out of curiousity–what are your siblings’ names? Do they, or their children, have family names like Clara?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kate,
Clara Kenley got her name from John’s grandma (Clara), my dad (Ken), and my great aunt (Lee). As for sibling names, John’s sisters are Katie (Katharine), Emily, and Carrie. My brothers are Daniel and Adam (I also lived with my two cousins growing up, named David and Darius). The joke was all the D names in our house (my mom is named Diana and we also had Daniel, David, Darius, and even a dog named Dante). Needless to say, I got called “Dan-uh-Dave-uh-Dar-un-Dan-uh-Sherry” a lot.
xo,
s
Brynea says
As it is my name is difficult…very few people have ever gotten it right the first time or the second (BTW its pronounced like Renee, but with a B). However, after years of complaining about my difficult name I decided I could live with it, because I found out my mother was going to name me Chastity! I do believe High School would have been unbearable had she chosen that name…lol
Emma says
A girl in my nephews class is named Sparklin Champaine. She also has a sister named Sassy. It might be cute now when they’re under the age of 10, but I’m imagining that they might not be too happy with their names when they get older.
Sherry says
Not sure what my mom wanted to name me, but speaking of funny or odd names…my husband used to work for a bank and a customer’s name was literally Huckleberry Nakedhead!
misa says
my dad wanted to name me isabella, but my mom found out it was the name of his ex-girlfriend. so, a no-go on isabella.