About NameFreak!

My name is Kelli and I have been a self-proclaimed name freak for as long as I can remember.  I always daydreamed about what I would name my children and made tons of lists of my favorite names. One of my earliest favorite names was Samantha (and, coincidently, I have a cousin who named his daughter that name), because I thought Sammie Jo was a cute nickname (you'll see why the Jo is there as you continue reading).  I like more traditional and old-fashioned names, but no matter what, I love to hear the story behind why parents chose the name for their child.

I have two children with names that mean a lot to me.  My husband is not as into discussing names as I am, so discussions usually went something like this: "What do you think of Charlotte?"  "No."  "What about Sebastian?"  "No."  As you can see, he offered his veto but no real suggestions.  He also had a rule that there couldn't be a nickname (like Charlie for Charlotte).  It was a little frustrating at times (especially since he wouldn't even really talk about it until after we found out the gender), but what we finally decided on are names that make me smile and fill my heart with joy.  Our children's first names are ones that we liked and their middle names are family names.

Rachel Joyce - Early in my pregnancy, I asked my husband what his favorite Biblical female name was.  He said he didn't have one, but asked me about mine.  I said that I always liked the name Rachel, and he said he liked that as well.  Rachel was pretty much the only name we both agreed on.  Other names came and went, but Rachel was consistently on top.  So, when I was seven months pregnant, we decided that would be her name.  Rachel means "lamb," was the beautiful daughter of Laban, and Jacob worked fourteen years for her father in order to marry her.  I love that.  :)  My Rachel's middle name was never discussed.  Ever since I was little, I knew my first daughter's middle name would be Joyce.  She is the fourth generation Joyce... my grandmother was Maxine Joyce , my mother is Debra Joyce and I am Kelli Joyce.  We are all the firstborn too.  It's a very special name to me. 

Simon Brent - Deciding on a name for our son was much more difficult.  Going into the eighth month of pregnancy, we had a list of 30 names, but none of them felt right.  I finally ditched those names and looked over a list of Biblical names to go with Rachel.  The name Simon jumped out at me, I mentioned it to my husband, and he said he liked it.  Simon is a name that I have always heard, but never seriously considered using for my child until that moment.  We hardly talked about it again, for fear of something negative coming up... I did not want to start from scratch again.  Now, I absolutely love it.  It means "he has heard or he listens," and has several representations in the Bible.  My Simon's middle name is his father's first name.  My husband's middle name is his father's first name, so I thought I would carry that idea down.

While names have always been a passion of mine, I never pursued an outlet for this passion until January 2008, when I started the first NameFreak! blog.  The Facebook page came a little later, and I offer advice to any who was willing to listen.  I have developed a questionnaire for those who are needing help coming up with name ideas... contact me if you want me to do research for you!

My naming philosophy is simple.  Go with what you love, no matter what other people think.  Your child will "make" the name.  But there definitely needs to be some regard on the part of the parent.  Consider this... after the gift of life, your child's name is the first gift you give him or her. And he/she carries it with them forever.  What a huge, but fun, responsibility!  Embrace it!