May 16, 2009

the name game

This post is for those of you who inquired about Twain's name.

First, it was Gus. Like waaaay back when I first got pregnant and was haphazardly throwing around names. And personally, I still really do like the name. And it helped that I knew a trim, tall, handsome Gus in college. However, I was not sure how my child would fare in grade school...and the rest of life. 

Would they call him Gus-Gus like the mouse on Cinderella? 

or Fussy Gussy?

What kind of image does Gus portray? Is it rolly polly?

These were the questions plaguing my brain. So as much as I liked the name, I just did not love the name, so I was reluctant to actually pull the trigger. 

So I kept looking.

and  looking.

Then came Hansel.

Yes, as in Hansel and Gretel.

I do like the name and interestingly enough, the name means John.

Perfect right?

Well, the problem is that some accused the name Hansel as being too feminine. Boo. I thought it would look cute on a shaggy-haired boy. But I could see where they were coming from.

Back to the drawing board.

The whole name game was driving me crazy. There was one night I stayed up til midnight searching through all of Mark Twain's literature for a fun character name. 

The name Twain stood out to me and so I did a google search on "baby names and Twain", to see what popped up. Here is what I found.

"The boy's name Twain \t-wain\ is ofMiddle English origin, and its meaning is "divided in two". Made famous byAmerican writer Mark Twain, who got his name from the calls of river boatmen. His original name was Samuel Clemens.

Twain is a very rare male first name and a very rare surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census). "

I was pleased to see that the name was acknowledged as an actual first name(though rare) and not just a surname.

I was definitely interested. I liked the way it went with my other boys' names. So I emailed myself the name, so I would still remember it in the morning(keep in mind it was late and there have been numerous times where I came up with a name and drove myself crazy because I forgot it).

That night I also came across the name Orion, who was Twain's brother. I know, I'm a nut. But I just couldn't resist a name that starts with the "O" sound.

Over the next few days I mulled it over.

Gus Orion 
or 
Twain Orion

I ran the name "Twain" by the peanut gallery and did not get any "yucks" or "ews".

As the days went on, the name Twain increasingly grew on me. I could just envision his stuff with the name embroidered on it. So fun.

Tweetle Beetle Twain.

I think it suits our little bug perfectly.



















Twain here. Sorry for hogging the blog lately. My mommy just can't help herself because I'm her last baby. She keeps muttering something about how spoiled I am going to be, but I have no idea what she is talking about.

21 comments:

  1. u need a newn header! This spoiled boy needs to be added

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  2. Everytime I saw a picture...I thought..."ooh this is so cute...its my fave." right up until I saw the next one.

    soooooooo cute that Twain.

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  3. He is just so adorable and squishingly cute! I love how you found his name too!

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  4. My sis and i were talking about baby Twain the other day and decided "TWAIN ...(insert last name)...." Is a perfect, perfect rockstar name.

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  5. ugh I'm dying over all the cuteness!!! and I want to know who is in the "peanut gallery" and why I am not a nut? well... you know what I mean. =)

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  6. His name sounds so sweet and fits him perfectly :)
    -We have a farm dog named Gus...

    I love his orange binky!!!!
    He is sooooooo sweet!

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  7. your little tweetle beetle is perfect in every way. i loved meeting him and really really hope to see you all once more before we head back "home".
    twain looks so great written out.
    i love the double buttons, too.

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  8. I LOVE the name... and I LOVE that onesie! (Another idea for me to steal.)

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  9. this child just steals my heart, i adore him!! ANd that onesie!!!
    oh goodness, he is the sweetest!
    I love his name and i loved hearing the story behind it! Each and every one of your boys names are unique and adorable and he fits right in!
    He is SO darn photogenic!!
    I have a friend who's little brother's name is Aaron but for some reason his nickname was Gus, Gus Gus or Gussy. He is 17yrs old and we still call him that LOL! So that name has a bit of a soft spot in my heart but you did right in choosing Twain for your sweet boy, it's perfect! :D

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  10. So glad you posted this!

    And those pictures...I saw one and thought 'oh he looks like Calvin', then I kept scrolling and though 'oh he looks like Finn'. LOL!! But in EVERY single one I thought 'OMG how adorable'! And no worries on any blog hogging...we must get to know this new Band member somehow! :)

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  11. He looks so much like Calvin in those pictures! I love it!

    I know you didn't take those pictures today with him in a hat because it's 110 degrees outside! UUUUUGHGGGHGHGHGHGH! I'm going to Sara's to swim.

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  12. He is so precious Davi and his name suits him beautifully!

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  13. A friend of mine just named her baby Angus and will call him Gus. I think Twain suits your lil guy just fine! I love the way you came about his name! He sure is a cutie! And I just love that onesie!

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  14. Love love love his name. Been thinking bout you and the munchkin. Hope you're feeling great! Holler if you need anything! And I LOVE the buttons!

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  15. Name picking can be stressful huh?! I absolutely love his name, but even more so I adore little Twain! You make some pretty darn cute little people Davi!

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  16. I can't believe you are finding time to blog! He's adorable and IL love the name!

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  17. What a great name! It's unique and cool, not one you hear a lot. You may be starting a new trend.

    What a beautiful boy!

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  18. see, i like the explanation, because i wondered if you were intentional about choosing names of famous writers or names from literature (putting calvin in a literature category). in any event, i love twain, and all your boys' names. in fact, xander was nearly oliver, and if this baby's a boy that name is back in the running. :) good thing we're not neighbors. -- and yes, twain's incredibly adorable and i too love his onesie. who wouldn't?

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  19. Twain is a great name for such an adorable baby. Your kids always win the cutest baby contests. (e.g. cutest baby on a Christmas card, cutest baby announcement on the fridge, etc.)

    By the way, thanks for your bloggy comments to me. I feel so happy when I read them :-)

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  20. ahhhh, he is so prefectly tiny and loveable and cute!! I want to get my hands on him and give him some loves. :) SO so so so precious.

    his name suits him perfectly-- I LOVE it, and it fits so well with the other boys' names. That's something I took into major consideration when naming Rosalie... it had sound adorable when I listed all three names of my girls. :)

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  21. I am so glad I got to see you and little Twain last week! I think you're amazing for getting out and it looks like you're settling in as a mom of 4. May God bless your whole family!

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