Margaret Alys

Submitted by Gsiaczek

DH and I contemplated our daughter’s name for months. We’re both drawn to classic names, and had further agreed that any name we chose would have to meet two criteria: It had to have several nickname choices and (most importantly) would have to pass the “Supreme Court justice” test. In other words, could we imagine the name sounding good with a professional title? Supreme Court Justice Tiffani Heaven, for instance, just made us giggle.

(not that we have any intention of pressing our daughter towards any particular career or range of careers. We just want to make sure she can fit in anywhere, namewise).

The nickname issue was particularly important to us because we want our kid(s) to be able to choose their own nickname if they want to. My husband had done so as a kid, and I think it really helped him find his sense of self.

With regard to middle names, we were much more willing to choose something offbeat. I also wanted a name that would somehow reflect my own name, since I had (grudgingly and reluctantly) agreed that the baby would carry DH’s last name. Since I have a celtic-sounding middle name that starts with “A,” (Alanna), we decided we’d find similar names for our daughter.

Going into the hospital, we had two front-runner names, and had decided we’d meet the baby before naming her. When she was born, there was no doubt as to her name — Margaret Alys. We call her Maggie.