Getting to Know You: What's in a Name?

Just for fun, I'm starting a little series called 'Getting to Know You' which will begin with today's post. If you enjoyed the 'Manners Monday' series, not to worry, it will be coming back soon. Since I'd really enjoy getting to know all of you a bit better and because I love reading your comments, I thought this series would help do that. So, over the next few weeks, I'll be posting about various topics, and asking you for your comments, stories and your take on things. I'll also be revealing more about myself too-that's only fair, right?

A few of my friends have just had babies and have spent a great deal of time going over baby names. I began to think about what's in a name.  Some people really keep the family name going by naming their children after themselves like little Johnny Jr. Others name their children after their own parents or another family member or at least include it in the child's middle name. In the case of my hubby, he was named after his father, Paul, and incidentally his two grandfathers' names were also Paul as well. The funny part is that his step mom's name is Paulette, really what are the odds?

We will be breaking that tradition if we have a boy one day. It's safe to say that our children will not bear his first name in any way and we're both okay with that. LOL. I on the other hand was also named after my father. After a long debate as my dad wanted to name me Meaghan (pronounced Mee-gan) and my mom assured him she didn't want her daughter's name to resemble a word in Dutch (I'm half Dutch and half Polish) which apparently means 'to pee', they settled on naming me after him-Carl. My dad thought the letter 'K' was more sophisticated than the popular 'C' for my name, and as they say the rest is history. My dad and I also share the same middle initial.

Sometimes we hear names like Dakota, Savannah or Georgia where geography may have played a part-maybe it's where the couple met, got engaged, enjoy traveling to or merely just a name they fell in love with. Other times biblical names are chosen such as Joseph, Noah, Moses or Mary.

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Celebrity names are perhaps the most interesting, somehow names like "Apple" have become the norm in the Hollywood bubble. I like Nicole Ritchie's choice of "Harlow" for her daughter but found "Sparrow" to be a bit odd for her son. Having said that, naming children after birds has become quite common lately. Three years ago a close friend named her son after a bird but changed the spelling-his name is Fynch. Names like Stella have become popular again and celebs like Tori Spelling proudly call her daughter by that name. Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes' daughter Suri has probably one of the most unique names I've heard, but ironically at age 4 her name is known worldwide. Jennifer Lopez' twins have sweet names- Max & Emme.

Depending on what our name is we've often picked up nicknames along the way also. Maybe a shortened name becomes easier to say like Liz instead of Elizabeth or a shorter name like Jane becomes Janie. My name falls into  both categories. Growing up my family called me by my name and my dad called me Karly. My younger brother couldn't pronounce the K, so he called me 'La La' for a while which later turned into 'Lah-Lee' and then my mother began to call me that and it stuck all through high school.

My friends on the other hand and a couple previous boyfriends called me 'Kar', many of my friends still do to this day. When I met Paul, he liked the idea of a longer name and since he is fairly fluent in Spanish living here in FL where many speak the language, he bestowed upon me the name 'Karlita'. Paul on the other hand, coming from a long line of those with the same name was nicknamed 'Duke' at an early age. To this day to make things easier, they call him that and so does the rest of his extended family. It was a bit odd when we first met to hear it  but I'm used to it now. I, on the other hand still just call him Paul unless I'm speaking to his parents, in which case I'll refer to him as 'my Paul'.

SO, now it's your turn to introduce yourself! I would love to get to know you all better and I'd love to hear the origin of your name, how you got your nickname or how you decided upon the name of your child/children. I hope you'll join in and leave a comment! :)

Happy Monday!

Reader Request: Stationery Savvy

Image Sources: Betsy White; J Press Design;  Oblation;  Betsy White (clockwise)

Today’s request comes from a reader that would like to remain somewhat anonymous, given the uniqueness of her name. She has a couple of tricky dilemmas to tackle when it comes to stationery, monograms and which names to use as she has kept her maiden name and her husband is often referred to by his nickname versus his given name.

Here is what she e-mailed me:

I have a question about Stationary. I want to order some custom stationary, but am not sure what to put on it. If I order note cards, do I put my name on the front, or my monogram? If it has my name on it, can I use them for Thank You cards for things for myself AND my husband, or only myself?


Also, my husband and I have different last names so how do I create a monogram to use on things? This has bugged me since our wedding as I have always wanted personalized stationary, but none of the stationary companies I have contacted seems to have an answer.


My initials are MMB and my Husbands are DEC. To make it more complicated, my husband is known to almost everyone as a Nickname as he and his father share the same name. This nickname (Woody) does not share any of his official initials. We even had to put the nickname on our wedding invitations so people would know that I was marrying the SON not the Father.


HELP!!!  If you have ANY idea where I can find info on this, it would be great.


Thanks so much!!


M. Bourne


First of all, thank you for your question Ms. Bourne. I love custom stationery and it’s a fun way to send out correspondence, thank you cards and to keep in touch with friends while adding your own unique and personal touch.


To answer your first question about note cards, you can really use whatever you would like on the cards, but bear in mind that it will ultimately depend on who will be using these cards. If they'll be used exclusively by you, then you can use your first name only, your first and last (maiden) name or a monogram which is unique to your three initials which would include your maiden name. Tradition dictates that it is always appropriate for a woman to use or incorporate her maiden name, even after becoming married. So, one alternative that many women choose (as do those without a middle name) is to use their maiden name as their middle name. HERE is a whole site page dedicated to the very topic of using names within a monogram.


If you intend to share the note cards with your husband, you should probably use the initial of your married surname. For a joint monogram which would include both of your names, list your first initial, your married last name initial in the middle (which is larger than the other letters on either side) followed by his first (most commonly used) initial. This is very common now and many family and friends of a newly married couple often purchase stationery or other custom items like bed sheets with the couple’s combined names for a truly united monogram.


Any of these selections would allow you to use your note cards as thank you cards for a wedding, baby shower or for an occasion such as a housewarming party.


In terms of the monogram that you’d like to create for other uses, tradition calls for the use of a given name vs. a nickname. However, in these modern times, you could use his nickname since that is the name that he is really most known by. It’s really a matter of personal preference. For formal invitations or events, I would encourage him to be listed with "Jr." behind his first name or use the roman numerals “II”, so that he can be differentiated from his father. My husband has a similar situation as he shares his father’s name also. As such, he often uses the above additions to his name and frequently uses his middle initial as part of his name professionally, since Paul Davis II would just come across a bit 18th century.


Since you have already made the decision to keep your maiden name, you can continue to create personal cards or monogrammed items for yourself that involve all 3 of your original initials. For anything that you purchase together such as something monogrammed for your home, because you are now married and share the home it would be most appropriate to use his surname initial “C”.

I hope I was able to answer all of your questions and that you feel a bit more confident about proceeding with the purchase of your new custom stationery. Be sure to visit Pear Tree Greetings' website via my sidebar button, under 'sponsors' as they offer some gorgeous designs! Custom return address labels will really complete the overall polished look.


Your e-mail is also very timely because there will be a fun giveaway involving stationery in the coming weeks. Check back for your chance to win some gorgeous goodies!


Warmly,