Let's Play the Name Game

Stephanie of love&lace posted this questionnaire a few days ago and I thought it would be a fun post to do on here as well...so naturally I stole it. :) This has apparently been floating around the blogosphere for a while, so feel free to play along too.

1) How did your parents decide on your name?

My dad thought it would be cool to name me after Crystal Gayle, the country singer from the 70s and 80s. I was born in 1989, which probably explains why I have never met any other Gayles even remotely close to my age. In fact, the last Gayle I met was my friend's mom, a 50-something year old white lady. Haha. My mom told me recently that she had wanted to name me Isabella. "Isabella De La Cruz" would have definitely been a very pretty, very Spanish-sounding name for me. And I'm sure if I were Isabella or Bella, the baristas at Starbucks wouldn't have such a hard time spelling my name. (I've gotten everything from "Gale" to "Gail" to "Gaile" to "Gayel.")

2) Do your initials (first/middle/last) spell anything funny?

No, but if my mom had kept her maiden name and passed it on to me as my last name, my initials would have been GAG. For that reason, I'm thankful that I got my mom's maiden name AND my dad's last name.

3) Did you take your middle name from childhood or did you drop your middle name and take your maiden name as your middle name?

I technically have two middle names, including my mom's maiden name. I'm not sure if I want to make my maiden name my middle name someday or keep my mom's maiden name as my middle name and just have two last names (are you still with me?). Either way, I definitely want to drop my first middle name, Alexis. I hate it because 1) that's what my mom used to call me when she was mad, and 2) it sounds like a porn star name - no offense to anyone reading this whose name is Alexis. As for changing my last name when I get married someday, I have to admit that I have some reservations about it. It's not like my current last name is super rare or anything. (My dad's side of the family is so huge that I know they'll never have a problem with holding onto their family name.) It's just that the last name I have right now is the one that's on my high school diploma and the one that will be on my Bachelor's degree. But like I said, I wouldn't mind making my last name my new middle name or having two last names.

4) Are you or will you name your children systematically? (ie, same first letter, same orgin, etc)

That's what my parents did. All of our first names begin with the letter G and my brother's first middle name also begins with an A. That's not really something I plan to do though. I'd rather choose names based on whatever sounds good with my future husband's last name or whatever name has meaning for both of us.

5) Did you decide on baby names as a little girl? Did you stick to them or change your mind?

Actually, no. I always thought that was something I'd want to sit down and decide with my future husband. :)

6) Does your family have any names that have been passed down through generations?

Like I mentioned, my second middle name is my mom's maiden name. For that reason, I'm pretty sure I'm going to want to keep it for life.

7) Do you look at the meaning of the name or just the name itself?

My understanding is that Gayle means "lively" and that it comes from the Hebrew name Abigail, meaning "my father rejoices." Hmmm...Maybe my dad was happy that he got to name me?

8) Do you name pets with human names or pet names?

I think it's much more fun to give pets human names. I'm not the kind of girl who would ever name her dog Rover or Spot...though I did once have a fish named Bug-Eye.

9) Are there any names that you have an affinity or dislike for based on a childhood experience/someone you once knew?

Other than names of my ex-boyfriends or names of his ex-girlfriends, there aren't really any names that irk me so much that I have to avoid them like the plague. On a related note, I do like the name Jennifer but I know I will never name any future daughters that, just because that name is so popular.

 
10) What are some of your favorite names & why?

Since I don't plan on having kids for a long time, I'll tell you all of my favorite dog names instead. :)

Boys: Rafe, Hunter, Henry, Ben, Dieter

Girls:  Sasha, Emma, Mischa, Lacey