What's In a Name?

I have always been intrigued by the meaning of names. My  first name, Siobhan (pronounced Shavon),  is the Irish version of Joan and means , "God  is gracious"! My mother didn't know it's meaning at the time but knew she loved Ryan's Hope. I was named after a Soap Opera character. Could that be why I am so dramatic at times, you think?

In the beginning  of our relationship, Reggie told me he had always wanted to name his daughter Imani which is Swahili for "faith". I responded, "You should do Imani  Danielle. Danielle means God is my judge." Neither one of us  had any idea that we would share a child together.

Fast forward  to July 2011. "It's a girl!" Great, we have a name already, right? Nope! Although, Imani Danielle was pretty, it just wasn't right for our baby girl. We played with  a few names over the next couple of days. Kaitlyn , Alyssa, Sydney, Kennedy......none were it! I was determined to give  my daughter a name that meant something. What would it be??????

We started  looking  at family names . Surely, we could find something brilliant between our two families. Surely was RIGHT! Reggie's maternal grandmother , Laura, passed away before he was born. Despite never knowing her,  she still holds a special place in his heart. My  maternal grandmother, Elvera Louise, who we affectionately called ,Mema, passed away  from cancer when I was 20 years old.  She taught me how to cook eggs on a gas stove at the tender age  7,  thread a needle,  sweep leaves off the porch, make sweet tea and most importantly, gave me the nickname, Bunnie!  The  seeds she planted within me are countless. There isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't cross my mind.  Whether it's her voice in my head  telling me to put a pinch of salt in my food as I cook or thinking of one of her crazy  phrases when I see something stupid, she is there! 

Reggie already has a cousin named Laura and  Elvera as at first name wasn't an option.  Let's play with this for a minute. While driving  home from work, Reggie asked, "What  about Lauryn?" Lauryn? hmmm....But what about the middle name? 

Lauryn Elvera? No!

 Lauryn Louise? Nope! 

So, I decided to take the first two letters from Elvera and combine them with the last three of Louise. ....ELISE! THAT'S IT, LAURYN  ELISE!

Our daughter's name isn't defined by some variant or origin.   No baby name search engine  can come up with any meaning that compares to what Lauryn Elise means to us. It means two great women, two loved women , two admired women, two unforgettable women,  and two very missed women live on with every breath our daughter takes.

Laura May Phillips

Elvera Louise Hill

Lauryn Elise Howard