What's In a Name?

Choosing a name for your child is tough.  We always started a list, then slowly started weeding names off, added middle names and tried all combinations.  We always knew we did not want a name that someone else in a classroom would have.  Thinking of all the nicknames they could get, the initials, the rhyming words and ways it could be made fun of is tough. 

Cohan's name was not on our list.  My sister, Abby, works in a hospital and constantly texted me names she liked.  We usually vetoed most of them.  I remember the exact time we got her text.  We were on our way home from St. Louis.  We had just visited my friend, Allie, her son and husband.  Abby's text said she had a patient named Cowan.  As I read the text to Scott, we couldn't figure out the name and how to pronounce it.  As we figured it out, we both realized we LOVED the name.  That was it.  We then, just needed to figure out how to spell it.  I remember telling my grandpa, who was 96 years old, the name, Cohen, that we had chosen.  His exact words were, "Isn't that a Jewish name?"  I don't think he meant anything by it, but it made me think... Are there more ways to spell it? 

I told my family the name and we were trying to figure out a different spelling.  My aunt and cousin were in a bathroom (weird, I know) discussing the name.  A woman overheard them talking and stopped them.  She was from Ireland and told them that if we were an Irish family, Cohan was a popular name in Ireland and changing the e to an a in Cohen/Cohan made this an Irish Gaelic name.  His middle name was never a discussion.  My brother has my mom's maiden name, my nephew has my sister-in-laws maiden name and Scott had the idea to give Cohan my maiden name. 

Cohan Schmidt Watson it was. 

Just like with Cohan, when we found out I was pregnant, we started our list.  This time, however, I knew the name I wanted.  Since I was little , I have always wanted a little girl named Ireland.  Not only do I love the name, how it sounds and what it represents, I think it's unique and different and special, just like I dream our little girl will be.  Scott and I have always wanted to travel to Ireland, my mom's side is extremely Irish and goes there often and this name represents all of this.  A middle name, to me, represents something given down or passed on.  My grandmother's name is Norene.  Scott's grandmother's middle name is Noreen.  His aunt, who never had any girls' middle name is Noreen.  It would only be right to pass that name to our little girl. 

Our little girl's name is going to be Ireland Noreen Watson.     

It's funny how you remember people's reactions to names you share with people.  I totally understand why some people don;t share names until the child is born.  Both of our kids' names might not be everyone's favorite names, but they are Scott and I's favorite names and that's all that matters. 

 These big names will represent the awesome little people that we call our children.