Tag Archives: Heritage

A Name Story ~ When everything falls into place

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I met Chrystina and her son Lev at The Babytime Show last spring. We had a long talk about his name and the meaning behind it. I have held on to this special name story to share at just the right moment. With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought the timing was perfect to share the story about how little Lev was given his name, as told by his Mom:

Here’s the story behind our son, Lev’s, name. I must admit, it’s a good one :)

A little background on my husband and I. My husband Aaron is Canadian with German and Irish blood (mixed with some Native American and Canadian Indian on both sides), although his family has been here since the 1700′s. I was born in Canada, but blood-wise, I am 100% Ukrainian. My father is from Lviv, the Western, patriotic capital of Ukraine and all my grandparents are also from Western Ukraine.

Several of Aaron’s male relatives bear the name Richard, so we knew from the start that our baby boy’s middle name would be Richard.
We wanted a Ukrainian first name for our son.  We wanted to honour my heritage and it would allow for a traditional name that—in Canada—would be unique.  We didn’t want something different just for the sake of being different. Our top four choices were: Nykolai, Roman, Theodore (pronounced TEH-OH-DOOR) and Lev.  We couldn’t decide on one name because we loved them all, so I proceeded to research each name, starting with Lev.

I speak Ukrainian, so I already knew that Lev means ‘lion’ in Ukrainian.  This is partly why Lev was on our list: our son is a Leo and my husband and I LOVE animals, especially cats.  I also knew that the city that my father’s from—Lviv—is named after the founder’s son, Lev Halytsky.  A quick online search revealed that Lev means ‘heart’ in Hebrew, an undisputedly beautiful word, which appeals to the yogi side of my character.  My spiritual and yogi friends also adore how Lev also sounds a lot like ‘love’.  My online search also revealed that Lev is short for Leviticus (as in the Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament) and the Leviticus priesthood is descended from none other than Moses’s brother, Aaron.  This fact took my breath away: ‘This is unbelievable’ I thought to myself, ‘Lev is descended from Aaron and Aaron’s my husband’s name!’

I called my husband immediately and shared with him this amazing information.  It’s at this point that we decided we’d name our son Lev.  “If we don’t”, we thought to ourselves, “surely we’d get struck down by lightening.”  It was a nice touch that naming our son Lev Richard (in other words, the ‘lion-hearted’ Richard) would also reflect my husband’s love of Medieval history.

 Fast-forward to three-and-a-half-months after my son’s birth.  I was reading Eat, Pray, Love and Elizabeth Gilbert was explaining how in the Balinese culture it is not the your birth date that’s important, rather it’s the day of the week that you are born that bears significance.  She used Thursday as an example.  This piqued my interest because Lev was born on a Thursday.  Gilbert explains a bit about Thursday’s child and she goes on to say that he has two guiding animal spirits—the lion and the tiger.  This floored me!  Not only is Lev a Leo, but—according to the Chinese calendar—he’s a tiger!  What’s more, he was born in 2010 and this was an auspicious year in that it was the year of the white tiger, which happens only ever 60 years.

So that’s my humble story of my Little Lev’s not-so-humble name. I don’t think I have to tell you that we’re stumped for names should there be a baby number two!

 

I love a good name story! Are you ready to share yours? Email me at candace@nameyourtune.com.

I would love to make a monthly feature sharing your stories here.


 

What Your Baby’s Name Says About YOU

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ARE YOU TRADITIONAL, SENTIMENTAL, OR GREEN?

Many different things go into the mix when parents set out to choose a name for their baby.  You want it to fit you, your family, your brand.  Our loves, our past, our hopes, our philosophies are deeply tied not to the names that we have ourselves, but to the names that we give our children.

Names are often the first thing that people learn about us because our name is on a list of appointments, attendees or members.  It is likely that some conclusions will be drawn, based on a name on a piece of paper, before you even walk into the room. Because you are the one who gave this name, it is a reflection of you and those preconceptions will often be about you. As your baby grows and is out there, independent in the world, those preconceptions will become about them.

Here’s a rundown of what your baby’s name might tell the world about you:

 

You are TRADITIONAL

These are the names that are most traditional—they have a long tradition in a family, religion or culture. These names are often chosen out of honour—a family member or tradition. They are also ‘can’t go wrong’ names.

Jack, James, Emma, Hannah, Matthew, David, Joshua, Sophia, Jacob

 

You DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

This one is about the name itself but it can also be about unique spellings of more common names.  At the top of the list of names that are famous for being different include Gwyneth Paltrow’s Apple and Moses, Jason Lee’s Pilot Inspektor and Casper. It’s not just celebrities though—we have seen our fair share too, including Pirate, Byrd and Cinnamon.

Poet, Pippa, Rhapsody, Django, Morgandy, Lyric, Maverick, Dukalyn, Brick

Modifying the spelling of what might otherwise be considered a traditional name lets it be known that you have a flair for the unique. Twists on conventional spellings include exchanging an I or an E for a Y,  using an IE instead of a Y, exchanging a K for a C, adding an extra A or using a silent H.

Lucie, Aaden, Khate, Khloe, Justyn. Baylie, Abigayle, Liya, Cayla

 

You are “GREEN”

These names are some of my favourites when imagining what the parents are like. I imagine that they are vegetarian or vegan, they love to hike and do yoga, they have been using reuseable shopping bags for their groceries before it was fashionable and they would probably rather go camping than to Disney World.

Cedar, Oak, Ocean, Zen, Lotus, Maple, Leaf, Lake, River, Harvest

 

You are SENTIMENTAL

These are names that might be handed down through family history or surnames being given as first names. These names might also come from a special time or place, such as the little boy named Rigley, “yes, for Wrigley Field,” explains a new father, “My dad were big Cubs fans and some of my greatest memories of childhood are there, with him.” These are also names of special places.

Hudson, Anderson, McGregor, Sheridan, Smith, Dublin, Bauer, Maclean

 

You are a POP CULTURE ENTHUSIAST

These names tend to reflect current trends in pop culture and entertainment. An increase in the names Bella and Edward of Twilight fame, are an example. Also in this category are names influenced by celebrities, music and literature, such as the little boy named Hendrix, “yes, as in JIMI,” his Dad smiles.  Another strong example here would include Mariah Carey naming her daughter Monroe, after Marilyn Monroe, one of her greatest inspirations.

Lennon, Lennox, Costello, Coltrane, Farley, Huckleberry, Moby

 

You have  STRONG TIES TO YOUR HERITAGE

When a name is from your families ties to their culture, heritage, religion or ‘home’ it shows a strong connection to where you come from. These names might be popular cultural names or spellings or they might be names that are rich with meaning. These names might say something to people about your family history.

Mohammed, Hadassah, Ceildh, Bjorn, Dimitri, Mordechai, Prianka

 

With all of this in mind, preconceptions are just that. They are an idea or an opinion formed before acquiring adequate information or experience.  You might not fit into any of these categories, or you might fit in to more than one. What is clear about all of them is that much time, thought, consideration and love went into choosing them. Each and every one.

What does your baby’s name say about you?