Thursday, January 14, 2010

What's in a name?

Hello, I'm Ashley. I don't really have much of an opinion about my name.  I don't love it, but I don't hate it either.  I've never really felt much like an Ashley though.  I've always wanted to be named something fun like Lucy, Sophia, or Vivi.  I particularly like the name Dottie.  I guess I like names from the 50's. Aside from Dottie, because I think she'd kill me, I think I'd name my girls those names if I ever have them.
 
Anyway, I found out yesterday while on Facebook that my name was the 2nd most popular name the year I was born, in between Jessica and Jennifer. I think my mom lied to me when she said she named me that because no one else named their kids Ashley.  Clearly they did.  Kind of odd considering it means "ash meadow".  I was hoping for something like lovely, spirited, most beautiful on Earth.  But no...ash meadow.  Oh well.
 
Mama Kat said in her instructions to explain why I was named my name. Well...there is a very nice reason and evidently the real reason which is really...charming.  My family owned a German restaurant in Ann Arbor for years.  It was on Ashley Street.  When my mom decided that's what she wanted to name me she told my dad that it was to honor the restaurant. However, she tells me that she named me after her:

That's Ashley Abbott from The Young & the Restless.  My mom tells me she loved her in the soap as soon as she saw her and always wanted a daughter named Ashley.  This is my mom:




This is how our conversations went when I was little:

little Ashley:  "Dad, why was I named Ashley?"
Dad:  "Oh, cause Mommy thought it would be nice to name you after the street the restaurant was on."
little Ashley:  "That's nice"
Mom walks in the room and whispers to little Ashley:  "No it's not, I named you after Ashley Abbott, from Y&R.  You're going to love that show when you're older too."
little Ashley:  "I'll stick with Dad's story."
Mom: "Be thankful, he was going to name you Percy if you were a boy."

Oddly enough, I love Y&R and I also have a secret desire to name one of my kids Percy.  I think Percy and Dottie would be cute.  You?

To see more reasons people are named what they are check out Mama Kat's blog!!

Have a great day!!

18 comments:

  1. Great post! Too much fun! I have been a Y&R fan since forever...so I do understand!
    I named my 2nd daughter, Erin...thinking it was a unique, yet beautiful name...when she started school there were 4 Erin's in her class. Um, not so unique!
    Dottie and Percy would be beautiful names for children...
    ~AM

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  2. I have one of the most popular names too, Amanda, the 3rd most popular from the year I was born! My parents said it was just their favorite and had no logical reason for choosing it. They wanted to name me Allison, but had a friend use that name for their kid right before I was born!

    Good post :) and I love the name Vivi!

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  3. my parents also knew no other ashlee's (i grew up on long island), so i was the only one for a while. then when i moved to ohio and NC, i was one of a million ashley's in my classes! at least they spelled it differently to give me a little something else, but yeah, it does bum me out that i know 500 ashley's.

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  4. Ashley is a pretty name - my oldest neice on my maternal side is named Ashley. I am amazed it was so popular at one time because I do not know very many!

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  5. Great story! I love the name Ashley, and loved Ashley Abbott! It's kind of like they gave you a name that meant something to each of them. That's so nice. when I asked my dad what he wanted to name me, he said "Bulwinkle." glad I got the name I did. By the way, I like the names Vivi, sophia, and Percy, but not so sure on Dottie :0)

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  6. that's pretty funny...even funnier because my grandmother named me "Gina"...after a character on y&r...sigh. lol At least you are named after some beautiful soap character. Mine is old. lol

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  7. Awesome story! There is a lot of people named after Y&R! I like the names dotty and percy. Percy is a train on Thomas the Train!!

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  8. Percy and Dottie! Love it. Although ... I agree, I think you should go with Lucy ;)

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  9. Fun story! My mom told me nobody was naming their kid my name either when I was born...I believe her...except 4 years after I was born, it was one of the most popular names out there!

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  10. too funny - they're both kind of fun reasons to be named that though - and at least you have a story to tell

    i love the name sophia but sadly it appears that it is becoming one of the most popular names (or at least sophie is) - i bet you wouldn't meet very many other dotties though

    i took that facebook thing too and my parents got an f-, apparently i have one of the most popular names as well

    i was supposed to be named joanna angela (both my brothers have the same initials, JAS) but seconds after i was born my mom changed her mind

    i'm happier with the change plus i was named after a beatles song, so i'm calling it a win - thanks mom :)

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  11. Haha this is a super cute post. I know for sure that my parents named me after my aunt (my father's sister) who died pretty much around the time that I was conceived...

    I already know that I would like to name my first daughter Remy...not sure about sons. Dottie and Percy sound adorable!

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  12. Love Percy and Dottie!
    My neice's name is Ashley and her mother is now kicking herself for not spelling it Ashleigh...does it really matter?

    I also watched Y&R and Love Ashley Abbott!!

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  13. hahaha! I love the names Sophia and Vivi too. And I always wanted a different name as well :)

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  14. I always wanted to name one of my daughters Gabrielle, but my husband vetoed it = (

    My girls tell they are glad. My oldest wishes i would have named her Ashley.

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  15. I'm actually trying to cutback on my Y&R viewing. I wish they would wrap up the Adam storyline.

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  16. Sounds like the story of my son's name. The hubs thought it was a family name. Nope, totally got it from Legally Blonde. Ah ha ha

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  17. Okay so I'm one of the other most popular names of the year. Jessica. My mom too swears that she didnt know of anyone else with this name. Its okay though because from the time she found our she was pregnant she always called me Jessica.

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  18. I do like the names lucy and percy. . . a lot actually.

    would you believe that Taryn was in a top 10 list for names the year after I was born? Neither can I- maybe all the other Taryn's changed their names.

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Thanks so much commenting! It really brightens my day!