What's In a Name?

I love names. So much so that when I was 12 years old, I used some of my babysitting money to purchase a baby-name book. Not because I was interested in babies - but because I was interested in names. Names have power. Names have meaning. Names sing a song all onto themselves.

One of the most fulfilling moments of being a parent is getting to pick out a name for a small child, a label and a badge they are often stuck with for life. We chose Annika Grace's name when I was in the very early stages of pregnancy. Will and I both loved the name "Annika" from Pippi Longstocking, and, because Annika is a diminutive form of "Grace," thought choosing "Grace" as her middle name was meant to be.

Daniel's name choice is slightly more complicated. We were all set to name him "Alexander" until near the end of my pregnancy, when we both felt "Daniel" was more appropriate. His first birth certificate reads "Daniel Alexander," but, in the span of the next year, we opted to change his name to "Daniel David," both to match the "Daniel D." nickname as well as a homage to my very favorite boys' name of David - since we felt it was unlikely we would ever have a third child at that point.

I love my own name. I am officially Amy Michelle Hageman, a name that is reflected on my driver's license as well as my passport. Occasionally, doctor's offices will call out "Michelle" for me, an artifact of my middle name being eight letters long while my actual first name is only three. I love being named "Amy," love how short and easy to pronounce it is, and how I feel an instant camaraderie with every other Amy born in the 1970s.

Perhaps my primary regret about my own name is my middle name. I officially publish under "Amy M. Hageman," and, until a few years ago, was listed on Facebook as "Amy Stilson Hageman." I began to have some confusion over my middle name and dropped my maiden name from my Facebook profile - but yet still have moments of doubts over whether I should have made my maiden name my official middle name when I got married. My sister and I are both females who have dropped our maiden names completely - and it makes me a little sad to think that the Stilson line through my dad is no longer carried on in any form of name.

I love the last name of Hageman. When I first met Will and he pronounced his name, I cringed over wondering how I was ever going to learn how to spell it, but the name is much simpler to spell than to say. I got married when I was 18 years old and had not accomplished anything professionally under my maiden name and was happy to change to Hageman. I love being a Hageman to this day, love having the same last name as Will and both of the kids, love the sound it makes, love the Germanic heritage, love it.

I know not everyone has the same passion for names that I do. But what a blessing it is when these small items can bring us such joy!