What's in a name?

I think I have the most wonderful and unique sons in the world. I'm sure that sounds typical of every Mom, but I do believe it. My boys are each so different from one another and each has a very special place in my heart. They each possess different strengths and weaknesses and yet when put together they make up the whole of Russ and I. I am privileged to be the Mom of such unique boys. It was having this very individuality in mind that made me so careful when selecting names for our boys.

When chosing names before our boys were born, my husband and I looked for names that were manly, names they could grow into, that sounded good and had special meanings. The meanings of their names were important because we wanted them to have something to live up to, something that would be unique, individual, to them. Our first son we named Zachary which means "remembered by God." His nickname, Zach, has a strong masculine sound and wears well on the man he now is. The meaning of his name is very special because, having experienced a miscarriage before him as well as difficulties carrying him, I felt God had remembered me in His grace and mercy and given us this special son. Zach's middle name is Taylor. We did not purposely name him after the president, we just liked the two names together. However, this president's nickname was "rough and ready" and that has been a perfect description of our Zach. He was always very rough and tumble, even reckless, and ready for any adventure that might come along.


Ethan's name means "strong and firm." If anything a man needs to be strong and firm in who he is and what he stands for. This was a very important quality that we wanted our son to have as he grew into a man. Ethan's name is also very masculine and he, too, wears it well. His very presence invokes a sense of safety. He is a person that can be depended on. While he has always gone by his middle name, Ethan's first name is Russell after his father and grandfather. He is proud to carry this family name and is the most like his father in looks and personality. Ethan has struggled a bit with being confident. I have prayed often that he would become what his name means and God is answering my prayer.


Gabe came along a bit behind his two brothers. While they are only 23 months apart, Gabe is five and a half years behind Ethan. Naming our children has been quite a process for us. We hadn't settled on Zach's name until I was in labor with him. Ethan's name came to us muchmore easily, but with Gabe's we went around and around. I liked Gabriel from the beginning, but Russ told me it sounded "like an angel"...duh...What's so bad about that? Gabriel means "man or hero of God." I could think of no better name. I felt his needed to be a very special name that would convey purpose to his life. I had had another miscarriage after Ethan and thought we must be done having children. This was reinforced in my mind by a failed attempt at adopting a baby girl. When we found I was pregnant at the age of 33, we were delighted and a bit worried. We had gotten used to having an easier life with the boys now fairly independent. Ethan was to start school about the same time this baby was due. I would be back to changing diapers again. This child needed a very special name and Gabriel it should be. It took Russ a while to come around but he did. Probably because he didn't like any of the other suggestions I had and honestly I didn't like his either. But one night before Gabe was born we discussed it before turning off the light. Russ said, "I think Gabriel is the right name for him." Happy sigh! Russ has called him "my hero" from the time he was a tiny tike and he is learning to live up to his name. My prayer for him has been that he would be God's man, willing to do whatever God asks of him and truly be a man, a hero, of God. We also gave him the male form of my name, Andrew, as his middle name since he would be our last child. Unfortunately, we didn't think about what his initials would be...GAS...on my! He has called us to account about those often, especially as he has become a teenager. (I am sorry about that, Gabe.) Gabe has a good manly sound though and I like it.



Each boy's name calls out his uniqueness and personality. I have my own private names for them too. Names they don't even know exist. Russ has always nicknamed them. His names for them have changed over the years as they have grown and shown new traits or characteristics. Zach was peanut, first, then he became the Duke. Later, he was Spike. Now he is Zach. Ethan was Ethan-Piker for quite a while and then Boomer. He has also or course, been Eth and E. Now he is Ethan. Gabe was Bubby for the longest time. Then somehow he became Geefy. Now we often call him Gage, or even Page. I am sure he will graduate to Gabe only status.



Here are the names I call my children in my heart. Zach has always been my Warrior-Knight. He has always loved causes and been very sensitive to injustice. He hates it and desires to make things right. He has always loved action, adventure, danger and excitement. When we would go to the rolling hills of western Pa to visit my parents, I would pack his and Ethan's army bags with fruit snacks and fill their canteens with water and send them off on expeditions to find toads or track rabbits. They would sometimes find blackberries to pick. They would swing on the rope swing my Dad had hung on a tree on the hill and even get stung by wasps. But to Zach it was all great fun and adventure. They loved to sit down and eat their fruit snacks. Water never tastes better than when a boy is drinking it from a canteen on an adventure.In the evenings it was competition to see who could collect the most fireflies. Later they graduated to camping trips with Dad and sleeping in tents. And then one weekend while visiting cousin Joel who lived in the middle of nowhere (to us city-dwellers) he and Joel dug themselves holes in the ground in the woods and slept outside in them one night. Zach thought it was the best time ever! Last summer Zach and a friend worked at an amusement park as Lifeguards and became the Ultimate Warriors. They lived in the ghetto section of the town in Ohio where the amusement park was and began an eating and work-out regimen followed by none other than the Roman warriors . They put in long days at the water park and ate like Spartans on the road rewarding themselves with one feast day a weekby eating takeout from Outback and watching movies. Now he has found his "Helena" and is going to battle at work everyday to provide for her and make her happy. I know he stills dreams of doing battle and great deeds. I believe he will one day do great deeds. There is no doubt in my mind that he could have been one of King David's mighty men of valor.



My name for Ethan comes from a story in a fairy tale book I had as a child. It was called the "Amiable Giant." It was about a giant who only wanted to make friends with the townspeople but was so big and so loud that he scared them all away. Finally, a little girl was brave enough to wrap a muffler around her ears and talk to him. He brought her the most beautiful giant pansies from his garden. Ethan wasn't loud just a bit big. He was born weighing close to a full pound and a half more than his peanut of a brother. But unlike his brother, he rarely cried and was full of smiles and giggles. Zach's favorite first words were "mine!" and "NO!" Ethan said "yes" and offered whatever was in his hands freely to whoever approached him. It seemed he was given to us to be my saving grace and make my life sweeter. Although the two boys were almost two years apart we were often asked if they were twins because Zach was small for his age and Ethan was quite tall. He was far from being chunky, but he was tall. We knew the day would come when he would pass his older brother up. Fortunately, he waited until Zach was in college and then blew right by him in height and weight. I love to go places with him, he is like a personal bodyguard. Nobody would would dare to bother me with such a strong, handsome son by my side. Recently, an older gentleman, who has known our boys since they were born, called him Goliath. While I agree with the size part of the name, Ethan's personality in no way reflects the God-defying enemy of the ancient Israelites. Ethan is a gentleman through and through. He hates to hurt people's feelings. He is a good listener and has heard more than he has ever wanted to from many female friends. He is kind, loves to laugh, and has a sharp, dry wit that catches many people by surprise. He is more apt to do battle with his wits and words than with his fists. He, too, hates injustice and is one to champion a good cause. As a business major, he desires to help people know how to manage their money wisely and help those with marketable skills find a way to earn their living. He is indeed a Gentle, Amiable Giant who, like the one in my story book, only desires to have friends and help others. He is usually the first, and only one, to offer to help me in the kitchen when I am cooking dinner and having his help makes the work fly along.



Last, but definitely not least, is Gabe, my very own Christopher Robin. Gabe has always had the looks of a Christopher Robin. With white-blond hair and huge blue eyes he looked like the little boy from A.A. Milne's books. As a small boy he didn't talk nearly as much as he made noises. He would sit at the kitchen table to keep me company while I worked, playing with his little cars and trucks and army men, making all the sounds that they would make if they were real. He would crash them together and zoom them around and his noises would match right along. When I would run the vacuum or the mixer he would hum the sound right along with the machine. At the same decible level, I might add. Gabe loved to be outside as much as possible, very much like Christopher Robin who "didn't care what the weather was as long as he was out in it." He didn't understand about frigid temperatures and I had trouble getting him to come in from playing in the snow. One time he acutally got the beginnings of frost nip on his little cheeks. That scared me a bit. But he was fine. He loved to sit with me when I gardened and had his own little spade to dig with. He would dig up worms and pill bugs and play with them. He always wanted to keep them as pets. Gabe was also very fond of his stuffed animals. He would play with them and talk to them for quite a long time before falling asleep at night. As he grew he began to go out and play street ball with the neighborhood kids, most of whom were bigger than he. He never let it hinder him and the kids would ring the bell to ask if the "little guy" could come out and play. He didn't like their bad language and when he had had enough he would come in. Gabe now towers over me but there is still a young boy quality about him. He still gives me hugs and puts an arm around me. Video games and sports have replaced the little cars, army men, bugs and stuffed animals, but he still loves Legos and Toy Story's Buzz Light is still a favorite character. There is a Christopher Robin spirit that is a part of who he is.

It is amazing how a name can invoke such emotions. When I say Zach, I picture the Warrior-Knight. Ethan is synonymous to the Gentle Giant. When I hear the name Gabe, I will always see Christopher Robin in my mind. In a very real sense the child does become the essence of the name. When I see other boys with the same names as my own, I find myself looking for something familiar, something recognizable, as if they will look like their name to me. I wonder... do other mothers do this too?