What's In A Name

I think most people would agree that one of the biggest challenges facing a parent-in-waiting is choosing a name for your child. This is not like choosing the crib, the stroller, or the colors of the baby’s room. No, this is something serious, something permanent. A name is something you carry with you until the day you die, and even then, your name may be carried on beyond that. A name has the power to define a person. Think for a minute about some of the most iconic figures throughout history and say their name out loud; Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Socrates, Aristotle, Wyatt Earp, Luke Skywalker. These names all have something in common; they are strong, powerful, defining names. Do you actually think Napoleon would have conquered all of Europe, led his armies to countless victories, and become the renowned and feared leader he was if his name had of been Francois or Pierre? I hardly think so. Do you think Luke Skywalker would have been able to destroy the Death Star, slay Darth Vader, befriend savage Ewoks, and save the galaxy if his name was Billy Skywalker? It is laughable to even think so.

So understandably, it was with great trepidation that Lauren and I began the process of choosing names for our baby. We decided to steer clear of the popular and trendy names, after all, who wants to be in class with six other kids with the same name? In disregarding those names, we narrowed our list considerably and began looking at more traditional and biblical names. There were so many to choose from and when I would find a good one, Lauren would not like it and when she proposed one, I rejected it with equal disdain. We each created lists of our top 27 guy names and our top 10 girl names and sat down time and time again to go over them in hopes of discovering that perfect name. After weeks of fruitless discussions and countless impassioned debates vehemently arguing the pros and cons of this name or that name, we began to get discouraged. We decided to take a couple of weeks to rebuild our tattered lists and then start the process anew.

As so often happens in life, the answers to your biggest problems are provided when you are not actively pursuing them. In the case of Lauren and I, the answer to our problem (choosing a suitable name) was provided from the unlikeliest of sources during the unlikeliest of times. One night while Lauren and I were enjoying the company of my adorable niece Brooklyn, we tried to explain to her that Lauren’s ever increasing belly was because she had a baby growing in there. I am pretty sure she thought we were out of our minds because how would a baby get inside of Laurens stomach, but being a good sport, she asked “what’s its name?” We mumbled something about not having a name yet and then out of the blue she gave us the solution to all of our name choosing woes! She looked up at us with her big doe eyes and said in her sweetest and most sincere voice “you should name it Juero Basketball.” EUREKA!!, We had our name!! For the first time since the pregnancy began, Lauren and I were in total agreement on a name!!

Juero (pronounced Where-O) Basketball. Just say it out loud a few times. If you want, yell it out loud as if calling your child to come inside for dinner. As you have no doubt discovered, the name just flows off the tongue like a sweet song and the real beauty of it is that it doesn’t matter if our baby is a boy or a girl. Since Juero is Spanish in origin, if it is a girl all we have to do is change the masculine O to the feminine A and call her Juera (pronounced Where-a). Its absolutely perfect! Since the meaning of a name has always been important to me, I immediately looked up the definition and was once again floored at how perfect this name was. Juero is Spanish for “a white American boy” and Juera is Spanish for “a white American girl.” Since we are definitely planning on having a white American baby, the definition was perfect! And if its possible for perfection to get even more perfect, the middle name, Basketball, is a sport that everyone loves to play or watch. So, a white American boy or girl + a sport everyone loves + Dennis = the most perfect name our child could ever have. And we owe it all to Brooklyn, who, coincidentally, is aptly named for one of America’s most iconic bridges. Now all Lauren and I have to do is decide between the Mexican fiesta theme or the camouflage theme for the baby’s room. Who knows, maybe my nephew August will be the one to provide that answer.