{What's In A Name?}

This is a link-up with Amanda that I am super excited about.

I obviously have no father for these imaginary children (yet!), but I have names picked out already.

I'll start by telling the stories behind mine and my brother's names.

Hanna Lindsay - Hanna was my paternal great-grandmother's maiden name, which is why it doesn't have an H at the end.  Lindsay was my paternal grandmother's middle name, and also my paternal great-grandfather, my uncle, and a couple cousins have it as well.

Claude Ross - My brother's name also came from family.  Claude is my daddy's first name as well as my paternal grandfather, and great-grandfather.  Ross is my maternal grandmother's maiden name, as well as my mom's middle name.

Payton Thomas - Payton is the only name that didn't come from family.  My parents just liked it.  They also considered Reese and Lance as well as John Thomas.  But, my Nana wanted to call him JT and my mom hated that.  Thomas was my maternal grandfather's first name.

So there's our name stories.

The names I love for my future children come from many different places.

I have so many boys names picked out, but girls names are a completely different story.

Rankin Grier - This is my all-time favorite name ever.  My first boy will definitely have this name, and I'll have kids till I have a boy to give this name to.  Rankin and Grier both come off my paternal family tree on Ancestry.com.  They both come from uncles way back, but I absolutely love both of them.

Easton Blake - I have two friends from college who are almost as obsessed with baby names as I am.  We all have growing lists, and get approval from each other to add to the lists.  I really liked Dallas as well, but if I have Rankin and Dallas we're gonna sound like the biggest rednecks ever.  Easton and Blake really have no family background I just absolutely love them.

Knox, Pierce, Graham, Nash, Smith, Hayes, Wyatt, Grant, Ellis, Dixon, and more - These are just a few more on my list.  I like really southern last names as first names for some reason.  It just works for me.

Ella (or Eva) Lindsay - This is really the only girl name I have picked out.  Ella was an aunt that died in 2000 that I adored.  She was wonderful and I would have spent so much more time with her if I'd known how early she would be gone.  Eva is another aunt I have who never had any children and loved me and my brothers like we were her own grandchildren.  She has alzheimer's now so most of the time she doesn't remember us, but I still love her just the same.

That's the stories behind my names.

Hanna