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?
Christine says
My husband wants to name our future son Lars! And not only that….our last name is Spears, so he wants the name to be Lars A______ R______ Spears (fill in two middle names starting with “A” and “R”), so that Lars’ initials would also be LARS. He is not joking. I’m sort of hoping for all girls so I don’t have to burst his bubble one day. :)
Abbie Jensen says
One word: Twyla.
Becky G says
My dad wanted to name me Mollie Jo like the song, “Obla-dee, Obla-dah, Life Goes On.”
I think I beat you.
:)
Kim @ girlevolving says
I was going to be Kevin if I was a boy… and that doesn’t hold a candle to VECTOR.
Rochelle says
How funny! I was going to be either Renee or Michelle but my mom loved The Dick Van Dyke Show and they lived in New Rochelle New York. She thought Rochelle was a nice blend between Renee and Michelle so ta-da. I had a hard time naming my daughter. But then when I found out my husband would have been named Paige if he were a girl- my decision was made. Add to it that I gave my daughter an old Italian name that’s been passed down- Mariella as her middle name. And with our last name- her initials are PMS. Hehehe! She’s not old enough to get it yet – but soon she will!
Jessica says
My parents passed up some family money because they just couldn’t bring themselves to name me after dear old Great-Aunt Bertha. Bless them! Although I have always thought it would be cute to be called Birdy
Courtney F. says
I dunno, “Vector” is a pretty tough act to follow! But my mother had some doozies in the cards for me–it was only thanks to the sedatives from her c-section that I wound up with Courtney. I was almost Libby, which is not so bad–except that that one was reserved in case I was born July 4th, and it would have been short for “Liberty!” And I was almost Brooke…but since my maiden name was Northbrook, that would have made for a miserable K-12 experience.
Kristen says
While my mom was pregnant with me, after a bad day, one night at dinner, she famously proclaimed “If this kid comes tonight I’m naming it Oscar; I don’t care if its a boy or a girl!!” (She was eating veal oscar at the time.)
Thank god I didn’t emerge until 3 weeks later.
Shaina says
This is too funny! My name is Shaina, but had I been a boy, I would have been Ian or Evan. Pretty tame. But my husband Matt? His dad wanted to name him … ready for this? JEDEDIAH. Yeah. I’m pretty sure if my friend had called me up saying her boyfriend had a friend named JEDEDIAH that she wanted to set me up with … well, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Kayla says
haha… my dad said if I was a boy he wanted to name me Huckleberry..after his favorite childhood book!
Sarah (Sarah Learns) says
my mom was loved emmy lou harris, so she naturally wanted to name me emmy lou. i don’t think i would have minded being named emmy lou – in college two of my friends were named emmily louise. my mom eventually named her dog emmy though… hah. my dad was worse; he wanted to name me polly. thank goodness for my grandmother who stepped in and suggested sarah! :)
Emily B. says
My dad wanted to name me Domino. yikes!
My sister is Alyssa and she was nearly Madeline. My brother is so stuck on his almost-name that he plans on naming his first born son the name….he is Scott was going to be named Steel. Still better than Domino.
Kristin says
I cannot REMOTELY come close to Lars and Vector. Hard to imagine that anyone will. But since today is the anniversary of the day I was named (and not coincidentally, born), I will share that my father leaned toward the name “Veronica,” with the intent of calling me “Ronni(e).” I don’t know how he intended to spell that, since my mother vetoed it as soon as she learned that it was the name of an ex-girlfriend…
Barbara says
My older sister is named after my mom’s side of the family. So, naturally, my dad’s mom wanted in on the action, and wanted me to be named after her or one of her sisters. Choices: Clara (my grandmother), Bertha or Gertrude (her sisters). Would I really have had a fighting chance? Fortunately, my mom had a heart and was willing to compromise with the middle name Claire.
:-) Barbara @ http://www.livelaughloverecycle.blogspot.com
BreAnne says
Not gonna lie, in your picture you two could pull off Gina and Lars :)
I don’t have a good one, just Justin if I was a boy…wah wah
Kate says
When I was born (1980) ultrasounds weren’t common, so my parents didn’t know if I’d be a boy or girl. If I were a boy, my name would have been… Frank.
(okay, so my dad’s name is Frank, but really…)
As I am NOT a boy, I am a Kathryn (Kate). Thank goodness!
Ally @ Shabby Princess says
I don’t think mine will beat Lars and or Vector, but, my mom wanted to name me Amber-Crystal or Crystal-Amber. With the hyphen and everything. I like both names, but, um, together? Can you tell my mother was a bit of a flower child? Instead, my dad got his hands on the birth certificate and I was named after a jet engine. Awesome.
Kayakgirl73 says
If I’d been a boy my dad wanted to name me Patrick Dennis and my last name started with a Q so initials of PDQ aka pretty darn quick, substitute darn with the word that won’t make it threw the filter.
Kristin F. says
I could not wait to rush over from Google Reader to comment. Not only do my hubby & I have convos like this all the time, but I might have the best “almost got named something horrible” story of all times. My paternal grandfather wanted my parents to name me Bertha. Bertha Nell. Why, you ask? Because those were the names of his first two girlfriends, neither of whom he married! Thank goodness my parents are sane.
Okay, now bring on the finger pointing :).
Melissa says
That is hilarious! My mom almost named me “Charity.” It’s a family name apparently (great great grandma or something like that). But “Charity” wouldn’t suit me – at all. And I told my mom, Charity is what you give away. :) (no offense to any potential readers named Charity out there!)
Vector sounds like a space-name to me. But then again I wasn’t good at math.
Kristin says
My mom wanted to name me after her grandmother – Edna. Thankfully she knew that name was a bit dated.
Instead she chose a K letter name because my dad’s name is Kevin. Since my parents didn’t learn of my sex before I popped out, she had a slew of female K names, and liked Kyle if I was going to be a boy.
ASHLEY S says
I don’t have anything that great about myself, but a friend of mine, named Lori, once told me her dad really wanted a son and wanted to name him Drake, after Drake’s snack cakes. When Lori was born and he realized she wasn’t a boy, he was so set on that name, he wanted to name her Drakalina. Lori said her mom had to wait until he was out of the room to write the name on the birth certificate. Thank goodness her mom intervened!
Kathy says
Yes, if my mom would have named me I’d have been a Brenda. Not that there’s anything wrong with that name, it just doesn’t suit me!
lauryn says
mine were pretty okay. meghann instead of lauryn. and if I had been a boy…eric. not too bad! cant wait to see what others write!
Kristen says
Oh, and my boyfriend (also a John) was going to be ZEKE. yikes!
christine says
My dad wanted to name me ‘weed’. No joke. He thought it would be funny to say she’s growing like a weed! I think since I was born in the mid-seventies there must have been some other weed on his mind, but I’ll never know for sure! I just want to say I am huge fan of your blog and I have been following it religiously since I had my son 20 months ago. Thanks for all the laughs and the inspiration. Your blog is like my morning paper.
christine
Kari says
Hahahahaha! Sherry, you’re no Gina…super glad you’re a Sherry (not that there’s anything wrong with Gina..it just doesn’t fit you).
My name had to start with an O or a K and be 8 letters. Sounds silly, but my dad’s name starts with L, mom’s name starts with M, brother’s name starts with N and all are 8 letters. So, I was almost Kimberly. Instead, I’m Karianne. It fits me. I’m not a Kimberly.
Bobbie Brown says
How about this? While pregnant with our 2nd little girl I said out loud “…I love the name Charlie for a girl….” then realized her name would be Charlie Brown! hahahha! Lucky for her, we went with Bristol :)
Jill says
My husband was almost named Czar Obturtra after a character in an opera. My dad sang in the Houston Opera and thought it would be a cool name. My mother-in-law had enough sense to just name my husband Richard, making him the 3rd. Now my husband wants to name our first born son this, and although we don’t even have kids yet nor am I pregnant, I have been trying to get out of this name for years! I would have never married someone named Czar. Too weird!
Amanda- Hip House Girl says
I was almost named “Zitelle”. Don’t make TOO much fun- it’s my great-grandmother’s name… but yeah. Glad they abandonded ship on that one.
Oh and supposedly they wanted to name my brother “Lonnie” so he could be “Lon Moore”. Like lawn mower. Aaack!
Shanna says
Ok. I went to school with an Armond Hammer and a Maxwell Coffee.
Not kidding.
Megan says
My dad (a Canadian, with a very Irish/Scottish last name) wanted to name me Bianca. My mom nearly laughs herself to tears anytime she tells the story. Apparently my dad didn’t think it would be weird to combine a random Italian name with our very-clearly-Irish/Scottish family and last name :D I don’t think I would have survived well as a Bianca!
Ana Brightful says
First name: Star
Middle Name: Light
My married name is Brightful. So my name would now be:
Star Light Brightful
Ha!!
Audrey says
Albert. My name would have been ALBERT if I was a boy! AHHHHH!
Jackie says
My parents we’re considering naming me April or Georgia, but decided to go with Jackie instead. Those other two names are SO southern! My mother in law told me that she didn’t consider any other names for my husband Jeff. I’m glad we ended up with the names that we did, because now we have the same initials! Did you have any other possible names for Clara? or Burger? (assuming you aren’t saving them for the next little one of course!)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jackie,
Scroll back for how Clara and Burger got their names. As for potential future baby names, those are locked safely in our minds! We’ve decided that we’ll never decide (or share ’em) until we meet the little guy/girl and make sure it fits.
xo,
s
elizabeth says
at my bridal shower, my mother-in-law told me that if husband had been a girl, she was going to name him mary elizabeth (which is my full name). she told me “now i have my mary elizabeth” SPESH!
not sure what my parents would have named me … im gonna have to ask next time i go home.
Jade says
Well, my mom’s name is Jan and my dad’s name is Dean. They took the J-A and combined it with the D-E to get my name; however, they also entertained the idea of Deja….yes, Deja – as in Deja vu. So glad they opted not to go with that one. Probably would have been teased a bit (which is why they went with Jade instead)! I was almost Nicole, too (not sure where that came from), but now that’s my middle name. I think they made the right choice!
KCatGU says
My parents always new if they had a girl they would name me Kerrie(My dad wrote it on his senior photo to my mom) so they weren’t really prepared had I been a boy. Except that my mom tells a story that while she was pregnant, my parents had housemates who were another couple, and through the entire duration of her pregnancy they referred to her belly as “Mario.” Fitting for our very Italian last name. So I have a strong hunch, if I had been a boy Mario would have stuck. How they ended up spelling my name is a whole different story, they weren’t really prepared, to say the least. As my mom started to spell it – my dad shouted “No” to the nurse and they cooked up their own spelling right there on the spot.
karen says
Not sure I can beat Lars or Vector, but here goes.
Growing up, my mom always wanted two daughters that she could name Shona and Fiona. Fiona isn’t bad by itself, but coupled with Shona??! Ugh!
Thank goodness, she changed her mind and we got normal names like Karen and Lauren.
Laura says
When my mom was pregnant with me, my paternal grandmother said to her one day, “Do you know what I think is the *prettiest* girls name? Nelcha.”
Apparently WAY back in the day, she had wanted to name my aunt Nelcha, but my grandfather refused. My aunt ended up named Karen. Then my mother politely declined “Nelcha” as well.
Doesn’t it sound like a name that should be/could be belched well???
Krista says
Mine is no biggie–I was going to be a boy named Joshua..
My fiance on the other hand was almost Herbert after his grandfather. Mind you we’re in our twenties, not seventies! Thank goodness his mother opted for his grandfather’s middle name, Lee. I can honestly say that I don’t think we’d be together today if he was a Herbert… sorry, babe!
ramona says
Sunshine Sue.
At the very last second, as in they were taking down my name for the birth certificate…. my Momma, bless her, changed her mind.
Ended up with Ramona Sue (my Great-Aunt’s first name and my own Momma’s middle name). Found out not too long ago that the reason I still got stuck with Sue is because someone needed to “share the pain of that awful middle name” with my Momma. Thanks Mom. At least, I didn’t get stuck with Sunshine.
Rebecca says
I forgot to say what my in-laws almost named my husband. He was born in 79 and his parents might have been livin the hippy life…wink wink. They almost named him Welcome Wakuna!!!! Thank GOD they went with Jacob instead!
suki says
my parents were creative enough with names. ;) my real first name is a misspelling of the name, and people are usually pronouncing it in weird ways.
Stewart says
I was going to be Stephanie Elizabeth… OOPS! I figured to avoid that I would just be born a boy instead. Problem solved!
Good old ’80s medicine; “It’s a GIRL! oh, we lied”
Natalie says
If I was a boy, my Dad wanted to name me Nicodemus! My Mom made him settle on Nicholas, and breathed a sigh of relief when I turned out to be a girl!
Rachael says
My husband wanted to name our son Blue or Seven. Not kidding. : )! His name ended up not being a common one (Jasper) but there was NO WAY he was going to be named a color or a number!
Allison Suter says
My mom has always wanted a girl with curly brown hair named Laura. Much to her chagrin I was born bald, and remained that way until I was 2.
She saved “Laura” for baby number two. He turned out to be a boy, and another bald one at that.
Needless to say, no Laura for my mom.
J says
Vector is pretty quirky, but it pretty clear you guys don’t know many Scandinavian people if you think Lars is so strange :P
Amanda says
My mom wanted to name me Bronwyn, but my dad haaated it. So I got traditional, unoriginal Amanda.