usadeepsouth.com
This Name's For You
by Beth Boswell Jacks
Here in the south of these United States, naming new babies often involves lots of climbing around in family trees.
Take, for example, the progeny of Gerald, my husband, and Beth (that's me), also known as Bebe, both as southern as cornbread and turnip greens. Our eldest is named for her paternal grandfather and both grandmothers; number two daughter is named for me and my sister; number one son is named for his maternal grandfather and his father; the lap baby--our end of the line son--is named for his two uncles and his father.
Did I leave anybody out?
We are also able to cover a lot of familial territory with our affinity for double names here in Mississippi and parts close by. Names like Will Tom and James Edward and Mary Edith and Lucy Ann are commonly shortened to nicknames like "Rabbit" and "Cracker" and "Pumpkin" and "Pookie," but everybody knows Lucy Ann, for example, was named for her venerable great-aunts -- "Pookie" or no "Pookie."
And in true southern fashion, if the need arises, we aren't averse to stacking names even higher -- Jefferson Davis Poindexter Bumpus III is a fictional example (I hope) of a good ole Dixieland moniker that comes ponderously to mind. String 'em out and cover three or four family members, don't you know.
My personal call of bestowal came several years ago.
"Bebe, Bethany went to the doctor this morning and had a sonogram." (This was my wonderful son-in-law Charles calling.)
"Allll right!" I said. "Girl or boy?"
"Another boy."
"Oh, that's great. Wayne needs a brother. They'll have so much fun together."
"We're naming her for you."
"And you've got plenty of hand-me-down clothes, and . . ."
"Bebe, did you hear me? We're naming her for you. I was just kidding -- the baby's a girl. We've discussed her name already. She'll have your full name. Given name. Maiden name. The whole works."
Can a heart burst with happiness? Does pride know boundaries? My devoted children were giving me a wonderful gift, and the honor was staggering.
When I placed the phone back in its base, I flopped to the floor. Leaning against the bed, I sat with my eyes closed, trying to imagine what the years would bring for this little Beth. Would she play the piano like her Bebe? Would she string words together like trinkets, as I so love to do? More than likely not. She'll probably be the athlete I always wished I could be, or the cook I'm not, or the president of the United States . . . or any and all of the above.One thing for certain, she'd have my name, but she'd build her own list of achievements and interests, which is exactly as it should be.
Isn't it confusing having people in the family with the same names? Not at all. Once you're a grandfather or grandmother you acquire a new name -- Granddaddy or Pop or Gran or Nana or something else equally charming. For family purposes and affectionate conversation, I'm just Bebe now.
The only problem this nom d'honeur has caused in my life is the elevation of my meddling inclinations. When I see a young couple about to be parents, I want badly to pull them aside and whisper, "Y'all listen to me. Name that baby for your mamas!"
I wish I could tell these young folks that all the popular fad names in the book could never give their child the sense of precious heritage that only a beloved family name can. And I'd tell them that for a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle, a special friend, there's no more splendid laurel than to have a namesake.
Beth Boswell Dowdy is a precious 5-year-old now. She crawls in my lap, gives me a kiss, and says, "Bebe . . . two Beths. You. Me." And I melt.
All of Beth's life, you see, when I'm long gone and forgotten by almost everybody else, she'll tell folks, "I was named for my maternal grandmother." And there will probably be many more Beths in our family in the generations to come.
There's something awfully comforting about that.
Editor of usadeepsouth.com, Beth Jacks is a weekly columnist for a number of deep south newspapers. She's also the author of three books, Grit, Guts, and Baseball, and SNIPPETS I and II, collections of her newspaper columns.Contact: Beth Jacks
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Read about Beth's SNIPPETS books -- two collections of her columns.
Looking for more unusual Southern names? CLICK HERE
Here's a list of grandparent names and nicknames
Another list, Southern Style: Double Names
Click here for another story about Southern Names: Aptly Named by Teresa Garmon
And yet another story about Southern Names! Naming the Southern Ba-Bee by Wes Wilson
And another: Names -- A Guide to Choosing Wisely by Lonnye Sue Pearson
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