What's in a name?

Before school got out...before I even had the gender revealing ultrasound...I asked my students what they thought I should name our baby and why.  I wasn't really looking for their input, just curious what their little six-year-old minds would come up with.  You know, kids say the darndest things!  I was surprised at how reasonable most of their selections were.  Here are the lists I got:

Girls: 
Angel (because it's cute), Leah (it's easy to say), Alexis (maybe you will like it), Flower (it's a pretty name that a lot of people are going to love), Emily (it's cute and really pretty), "Sharlitt" (sorry, I had to write it the way she spelled it because I thought it was sweet), Liv (it is cute), Rosy (it's a "butefull" name for little girls), and Red Rose (because her cheeks might be red).

Boys:
"Arin" James (because I have a friend named Aaron), Jack (it's a good name for a little boy), "Tomis" (It's like the movie Thomas), Mitchel (it's a pretty name for a boy), Tony (it's a cool name), Tom (Tom is a name people are never going to forget), Joey (Joey sounds like a baby's name), Toby (it is easy to write...Lol, because she wrote "Tobe"), and Swimmer (because you like the river).

Alright, so there is a story to go along with the last one.  The little guy who came up with "Swimmer" was really putting a lot of thought into it.  He came up to me with a furrowed brow and asked,  "What do you and your husband like to do when you're not working?"

I answered that we liked to cook and read and watch movies.

He thought some more, but didn't seem impressed or pleased with my response and so he added, "Well, what about outside things?"

I said we liked to walk our dogs.

Again, not thrilled with my response.  He huffed a little and the furrow in his brow got tighter.  "Do you like to do anything FUN in the summer?" was his third question.

I told him I like to run and go to the lake.

Finally he seemed  satisfied.  In fact, his index finger shot up, his eyebrows raised, and his mouth popped open with a classic "Aha!  I've got it!"

A few minutes later he comes back to show me his paper that had a picture of me and my husband swimming...and I had a very round belly with a baby inside.  Below it read "If the baby is a boy, his name should be Swimmer because you like the river."

I loved how much thought he put into the name...how he wanted it to be meaningful to me.  That's what I want...maybe not "Swimmer"...but a name with a lot of thought put into it...that feels meaningful.  

Along with feeling kicks, having ultrasounds, and decorating a nursery, perhaps one of the most fun parts of expecting a baby is picking out a name.  Or at least, I always kind of thought that part would be fun.  Don't get me wrong.  It's not that I'm not having fun looking through the name books and making lists...but it is HARD man!

If we were having a girl it might be a different story.  We didn't even have to crack a book and we had about 4 names lined up that we both really liked.

But the boy names haven't come so easy...JT leans towards pretty traditional and common boy names, where I lean toward the names that are a little more unique (but not too weird).  And I think the fact that my husband is the third of his name (the "T" in JT stands for "three") has a lot to do with our struggle to pick a name.   

The name is one of those things people want to know.  It's definitely in the top four pregnancy questions: How are you feeling?  Do you know the gender? When are you due?  Do you have a name picked out?

I always thought the name would be the part we kept to ourselves...the surprise factor for everyone else.  But I feel like everybody already feels like they know.  My in-laws have been calling him J4 since before we even knew he was a he.  I know they are just excited and it is a fun little nickname and maybe even a bit of a joke/all in good fun...but it bugs me a little that they named my baby before I did.  And my family isn't very good at hiding their curiosity about if the name will continue.  I get the feeling that they think if we do continue the name that I am weak and spineless.  Nobody has said that...I could be completely making it up.  But it's just a feeling I get.  There are certainly pros and cons to carrying the name forward another generation.  I can see both sides.  JT keeps telling me to block it all out.  That it is just noise...and he is our baby and the name is our choice.  It's a HARD choice though...I feel like there is lots of pressure around the decision and I feel like the surprise element I was hoping for is diminished significantly.

But to some degree it still will be a surprise.  We haven't settled on a name, but we both are willing to give.  Marriage requires a lot of compromise...plenty of give and take.  It's just too bad that someone is going to have to give on this one.  I also always thought I would never name my baby until I met him/her face to face...I would have some ideas in mind and "front-runners," but I would wait just to make sure the name felt right.  I still plan to do that...I just hope it is abundantly clear in that moment of meeting him what he should be called.  Because at this point, if I am going to be perfectly honest, I am not overly excited about any of the names at the top of our list.  Nothing feels "perfect."  Maybe he'll just be Ziggy forever.  Maybe there's a lesson in there for me...I rebelled against "Ziggy" at first and now I love it because it is attached to this little guy I can't get enough of.  What's in a name anyway?  Maybe it's not the name that needs to be meaningful...the person will give meaning to the name. 

What do you think?  If you have kids, did the naming process come easy? If you don't have kids yet, have you already begun the name discussion?  Did you have to compromise?