What’s in a name...

In choosing a name for our son, Nicole and I had all of the usual “first time parent” conversations. We talked about our dads’ names, biblical names, family names, we even talked about the possibility of naming him “Jeff Jr” in our search for the all illusive perfect name. We dug through a variety of baby name books and culled through a few websites when it finally dawned on us: what we really needed to do was to ask ourselves the fundamental question “What does a name mean to us?”. This single question changed the scope of our entire conversation. We realized, in time, that what was really important to us was a name that our son could draw guidance and strength from as he grew older. Something that might help him find his way when faced with difficult or confusing circumstances. It was this train of thought that lead us to the name Atticus James. Atticus is based on Atticus Finch from the Great American Novel To Kill A Mockingbird and James is my father’s name. To me, Atticus was the pillar of strength and guidance we were looking for. He is a great and compassionate character who’s ideas and morals are as relevant today as they will be a hundred years from now. Our problem, or my problem to be more specific, was that I felt Atticus was too “heavy” a name for a child. I was having a hard time imaging a four year old answering to Atticus or Nicole and I trying to explain the meaning of his name over Saturday morning cartoons. It was Nicole who gracefully solved this predicament, “let’s just call him AJ” she said as we drove back from Wisconsin Rapids. “AJ”, I thought, “Yeah … that’s it!” It’s cute, it’s inviting and most of all, it has meaning. I don’t know how many people connected the dots between Atticus and To Kill A Mockingbird, but the ones who did seemed to have an all too familiar smile when we shared his name. I was looking forward to AJ seeing that smile, connecting to that smile the way I have and appreciating that smile as he grew older. I find solace in that smile now, in the connection it brings and the memories it sparks. I hope when I’m an old man re-reading To Kill A Mockingbird that I’ll not only enjoy the relationships of Scout, Jem and Atticus but I’ll also remember the conversations Nicole and I shared the days we were searching for a name.