“We’re all mad here.”

“Name her Alice!  Name her Alice!” was my four-year-old refrain after my new baby sister was born and yet-unnamed.  At the time, my knowledge of names was limited, but I was passionately fond of the title character in my book-on-tape abridged edition of Alice in Wonderland. Alice eventually became my sister’s middle name, and I was quieted but not quenched.  I wanted to name more things, many things.

When I first decided to obtain a book on names,  I was disgusted to find that all the books dedicated to disclosing the meaning of names  had the word “baby” somewhere in the title.  I was eleven and had no intention of having a baby anywhere in the near future.  Blushing slightly, I nevertheless purchased a book and memorised it; reading it over and over until I had it embedded in my head.

It still sits on my shelf, held together by tape and fond memories.  A quick glance through its pages displays a chronicle of my evolving taste in names.  At various times over the past fifteen-or-so years I went through and highlighted, underlined, or otherwise indicated which names were the most appealing to me.  When I bought the book, Jaquelynn, Kimberly, and Kenneth held my fascination, now I would plead for Imogen, Honora, and Clarence.

I had my first child, a daughter, this spring, and in my quest to find a name for her that both my husband and I could agree on, I discovered — to my wonder and amazement — that I was not alone.  There was whole world out there of people as equally fascinated by names as I was.  I discovered the joys of name blogs and messageboards.  Such excitement!

Now I am adding my own voice to the throng.  Let’s see if I can keep it up!

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