What's in a name?

Ring ring....

"Hello?"

"Hi! I had my baby today.  It was a boy!"

"What did you name him?"

"Hugh Robert"

Silence.  More silence.
Hmmmm...has this happened to you?  No matter what you name your child you will get mixed responses. Some comments, some professions of love for it, maybe a few judgements?

The most popular questions you get after giving birth besides how are you feeling is usually related to the name.  And boy did we get the questions.  Most people wanted to know where the name came from, if it was a family name or why we chose it. 

Andy and I didn't share our list of possible baby names-we didn't want opinions to sway us.  And because we didn't know the sex, we had 3 girl name choices and 2 boy names we considered.  We over analyzed thought hard about each name.  We pictured our child at each stage in his or her life and imagined what he/she would or could be called.  Would this name work at 6 months, 3 years old, 10 years, 15, 35, 80?  How would it sound when he/she was reciting vows at a possible wedding?  What nicknames could or would be used and do we like them?  Would people know how to pronounce it from reading it on paper? Would there be a lot of the same name growing up? 

In the end, there was no "ah-ha" moment where we just KNEW what it was going to be.  We didn't have the name picked out or narrowed down officially to just 1 when we walked into the hospital with contractions.  Hugh was the name I liked from the beginning of this pregnancy.  Andy liked it but wasn't sold on it as his first choice (Eli was his 2nd choice with our first son and my first choice).  I think after Andy saw me go through labor like a champ he went with my first choice....but he hasn't turned back and neither have I. 

No it's not a family name.

Do you know these guys?








No-he's not named after any of these gentlemen.
He's not named after anyone.

How about this fella?

--if you know him-I just aged you.

But no-he's not named after him. I actually never even saw this cartoon character (Baby Huey) until about a week ago so there is no significance in my mind (and a good thing he isn't named after him-or so I hear).

Hugh meaning and name origin

Hugh \hu-gh\ as a boy's name is pronounced hew. It is of Old German origin, and the meaning of Hugh is "soul, mind, intellect". Popular in the Middle Ages and the name of numerous saints. Huw is a Welsh form; Hugo is fashionable in Spain. Film director Hugh Hudson; "Playboy" founder Hugh Hefner; American Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black; actors Hugh Grant, Hugh Beaumont, Hugh Jackman; football player Hugh Douglas.
Hugh has 9 variant forms: Hew, Hewe, Huey, Hughes, Hughie, Hugo, Hugues, Huw and Ugo.

I loved when I got a card in the mail from my big brother who said "It's a HUGH!".  Made me smile.  There is no need for everyone to love the name.  It's only important for Andy and I to love HIM (Eli says   "Bay Hughie" because he talks so fast he mispronounces the word baby).  And it will be fun to see "a Hugh" personality grow and develop and just be.  The name doesn't define him, but he sure as heck IS a Hugh.