Archive for September, 2010

Nola Jean

Posted by Will on September 7, 2010

What is the meaning behind the name?
Well, if you can trust the internet, the meaning of Nola, from the Gaelic, is “fair or white shoulder”. Jean, coming from its Hebrew origin, means “God’s grace”. Neither had any bearing on the reasoning why we chose the name.

Okay, wise guy, then what’s the story behind the name?
We kept a spreadsheet of names for a few months as we compiled potential candidates for a possible male or female (don’t laugh, we’re not the only ones out there). From there, we meticulously ranked the names on a basic 1 to 3 scale every week. Some names had a good run, some sizzled and then flopped. We had some that scored consistently high. Nola actually was a late-comer to the party. But, I think we instantly knew it was a keeper.

Don’t ask where, exactly, Nola came from. We can’t even agree who came up with it (although, I suppose I am inclined to agree it originated from Brittany’s ginger head).

Jean is Brittany’s mother’s middle name.

Will you share some of those who did not quite make it?
Nope.

Sounds like it was a tedious process.
You are correct. The process was long, drawn out, and led to many debates. Words were occasionally heated, feelings might have been bruised, but no vases or plates were tossed. Once we found out the gender, we had the name together in probably five minutes. It’s funny how complicated processes can be resolved in short, tidy endings at a bus stop in Silver Spring.

Okay, but why “Nola”?
First of all, we wanted something unique but nothing too trendy. Brittany’s lone requirement was that it could not be on the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Top 1,000 in recent years. Well, it was #946 in 2009 and #919 in 2008 but that was unpopular enough to garner Brittany’s approval. Nola had its heyday from around 1910 to 1945. It did not register in the SSA’s Top 1,000 from 1965 to 2007.

In addition, Nola Jean sounds like a strong Southern name. Not that it was a big deal to either of us but making that geographic connection certainly is a plus.

What a minute, didn’t you say Nola was short for something?
In all honesty, it was only after we chose the name that a family connection was made. My mother’s grandmother’s name was Mynola but apparently, people called her Nola … Kind of like how everyone calls my grandmother Pauline while in reality her first name is Edrie. Oh wait, it’s nothing like that.

Nola Jean is not my lover …
Yeah, you are not the first one to reference that.

So, what is that Louisiana connection about?
Yup, heard that one, too.

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