What's in a name? Part 1

...Shakespeare and his famous line "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet..." Maybe so, but I'd bet any elementary school kid with a name like Bart or Enus would be willing to swap (no offense to those named Bart or Enus). There was definitely method behind our choosing Baby Kate's name: Kathryn Helene.

Choosing a name that will follow your child forever is no easy task. Amanda and I are definitely "name people," which means the name has to have a great meaning. We had to figure out if anyone we didn't like had that name. We ran through the list of possible nicknames and playground taunting rhymes on our list of possible names. (I suppose they could use "Kate's an ape" or something, but we'll take our chances.) It had to be short, because our last name is 36 letters long. It had to be strong not cutesy, because we want her to be a strong girl. Anyway, we arrived at about 3 or 4 possible names, which we'll save for later just in case. Obviously, the winner was Kate, but wanted to give her the professional option one day of Kathryn.

Kathryn is Greek in origin, which completely fits since I love reading ancient Greek so much. Sorry Kate, you might have a good name, but your Dad is a bookish nerd. It means "Pure." Who could think of a better adjective for their little girl than "pure." Since names are so often self-fulfilling prophecies, this father is keeping his fingers crossed!

So, the shortness, strength, and meaning of Kate is what led us to the name...but since we decided on the name I thought I would do more research on her name. While there are plenty of famous Catherines/Katherines I like the story of St. Catherine of Alexandria the best. Alive during the 3rd century Catherine of Alexandria later became one of the catholic churches best known saints. She actually befriended the Roman Emperor (Maxentius) during his violent persecutions of Christians and tried to convince him to stop. He didn't listen, but did convert the Roman Empress, which led to Catherine's martyrdom. Her story doesn't stop though, but culminates in Paris with Joan of Arc's story as the saint that appeared to Joan of Arc and influenced Joan to lead her people thereby earning Joan's place in history. St. Catherine is also the patron saint of college students, theologians, and girls--a trifecta in my book.

Okay, too much information I know. So, I will save Helene for Part 2...