Day 4 - 92 -- Choosing Names

What's in a name? An online friend asked for ideas to help them name a pair of kittens. Many creative ideas were shared. It made me think back on naming processes I've been part of over the years. Often names seem to reflect the personality of the namer as well as hopes for the namee. For people, uniqueness is often part of finding a name. It might be a name or word that isn't often seen as a name (e.g., Apple, Rumor, Moon Unit) or it might be a more common name but one that is spelled differently (e.g., Katelyn and all its permutations). Others use family names passed from one generation to another and to anther.

Naming of animal companions takes on a broader group of names from which to choose. I've had friends with names from the arts -- artist, choreographer and literary character from a favourite book series. Choosing such names has meant having a test period -- trying out the name to see how the furry one reacts. Once a positive reaction is seen, the name is tried again later in the day or on the next day. If the response is reasonably consistent that name is it. No use having a name that I like but won't be responded to when called. It is process that can be quite fun. I'm sure others have their own methods to choose names for companion animals -- like the crowd sourced ideas used by my friend today. As long as names 'fit' and feel right, how we choose them shouldn't matter.

Thinking through the fun of past name choices led me to thinking of songs. I chose a fun song that many will recognize even with this 'newer' cover version. Enjoy!

The Name Game -- Laura Brannigan