All of you have been very nice (to my face) about the fact that my baby's* name is Teagan (pronounced TAY-gan.) But the fact is that every time I get a call from the doctor's office confirming TEE-gan's appointment and that HE'll be getting immunized, or people ask me to repeat myself when I tell them her name, I wonder if maybe I've done her a disservice. Heaven bless Brandon, he gave me a 51% say in what we'd name her and reassured me that if he hated it, he would have used his veto card. Seeing as Teagan Elizabeth is on her birth certificate, he didn't hate it. We waited until the very last minute to fill out her information - it's one of the weightiest decisions we've ever made. But Brandon has never looked back. In fact, he was surprised to read the draft of this post. I'm not saying that I regret her name, I just feel badly when I have to correct people and while we knew it would need to happen before she was born, now that it's actually happening, I wonder if she'll hate me for it.
Teagan was a name I'd heard growing up and loved. It came back to me while I was expecting her and although he'd never heard it, Brandon was very respectful when I told him it was on my list. I liked the name before I ever thought to find out what it meant, but turns out the Irish meaning of the name Teagan (TEE-gan) is little poet, and the Welsh meaning of the name Tegan (which is supposedly unrelated, but is pronounced the way we pronounce it) is pretty or fair. Sweet, no?
As we reviewed potential names, we agonized over different spellings and while something like "Taegan" or something more phonetic like "Taygan" or "Taigan" might have helped people get her name right the first time, we didn't love them.
More often than I care to admit, people correct me when I introduce Teagan as "Taygan."
Random stranger: "What's her name?"
Me: "Teagan."
Random stranger: "Huh?"
Me: "Teagan. Like Reagan with a T."
Random stranger: "Oh, you mean 'REE-gan."
Me: "No, I meant "RAY-gan." Thinking that if I know who Ronald Reagan was, they would too?
It is interesting how comfortable random strangers can be when it comes to giving opinions on children's names. For instance, I meant to share this particular run in six months ago...
As I was shopping for Teagan's 1st birthday (items on list: tablecloth, serviettes and balloons - it was a fancy affair) I ran into a couple with cute twin girls in their cart. They asked how hold Teagan was, and I told them she'd be celebrating her 1st birthday in a few days. "So what's the theme for her party?" they asked me. Thinking they had heard me wrong, I repeated that she'd be turning ONE. Their noses turned up and they said "Oh, so there's no theme?" We're six months out of grad school and had closed on our house the day previous, so we didn't exactly have money earmarked for tiered cakes and embossed invitations. Sensing that we were clearly weren't going to see eye-to-eye on the subject of extravagant birthday parties for babies, they changed the subject and asked me what her name was. See conversation quoted above. Add "Oh. [shared sideways glance, and mutual sneer] That's different." [matching sneers] Tough crowd. So I politely asked the names of their twins. "Luciana and GiaBella." No lie. Read those names again and tell me that my daughter's is different. I thought I would have received more understanding from people who'd also chosen names with cultural significance, but I was sorely disappointed. Doing my best to be polite, I excused myself and wished them the best with what was sure to be the Party of the Century for Luciana and GiaBella - neither of which made the Top 10 Baby Names list of 2010...not to mention the top 500.
While it may be a little different, I can't think of anything that suits her better. We had a short list of names we liked, but looking back, it's hard to imagine her as any of those. That's not to say that we'll start from scratch next time around, but a Teagan by any other name wouldn't smell as sweet. Although her odor has less to do with her name and more to do with her weird eating habits. She's cheeky, she's spunky, she's hilarious, she IS different. She's Teagan and we love her.
Honestly, have any of YOU ever had second thoughts about the names you gave your children? Or have you ever had strangers make you feel uncomfortable in a discussion about names? Do tell!
* Yep, I called her "my baby" but I suppose that isn't accurate anymore. If you want more details about my TODDLER at 18 months, please check HER BLOG - if you need an invite, just leave me your e-mail.
8 pennies for your thoughts:
I think Teagan {pronounced TAY-gan} is PERFECT for her. :) Far too many people think that just because they have an opinion that it needs to be shared. Ignore them. Your babe is GORGEOUS. Her name is GORGEOUS. And I want to munch on those adorable cheeks. That's all. :)
We love Brock's name - and can't imagine him as anything else - but his name is Brock Gourley. Broccoli. When we first talked about the name Brock, Clint said they'd call him that. I said, who cares? But now his name is that. When my uncle pointed that out, we had already filled out the paper work and weren't going to change it. It's not that big of deal, but I didn't ever think I'd be one of those parents who names their kid a word. Not that we did it on purpose.
Teagan is a lovely name. From someone who can't seem but name her daughters the names that are on the top 10 list every year (poor Izzy will SO be Izzy #13 in elementary school) I admire people with more creativity than myself. Plus, with those cheeks and that blonde hair, you could have named her poop stain and she'd still be completely irresistable.
Hear, Hear to Mindy's opinion! I love Teagan's name from the instant you told me, and I've never looked back. I think people often speak without thinking--We chose the road less traveled with names too and there are always those who think they know better than you do and will frown on your choices. I say boo to them. Teagan is adorable and her name fits her!
I know how you feel. For Ellery's appointments we are always getting the "she is getting...." They always think that his name is a girl name. But I love it and have always loved it since I first heard it (its my husbands middle name which was his great-grandfathers first name). It suites my little guy perfectly.
And I would have never thought that Teagan would be a boy name.... different, yes, but beautiful. Everyone has opinions about everything and the only opinion that matters is yours.
So I'm not good at the comment thing, but I thought you should know how awesome Teagan's name is. Because my name is spelled with just one t, it is always misspelled or questioned, but my name means something--it's my great-grandfather's name. You've given Teagan something to make her standout and a name that means something. No matter how many times people say it wrong or look at her strange, she will always enjoy her name...I know I have. But If I had to change my name, I would make it more unique, not more generic.
we have a little boy named finn, and people are always asking us if it starts with a "ph" or if it's spelled "fin." pretty much, no matter what you name your children, people will give their unsolicited opinion.
not to mention my name is valeri, no "e" on the end. i've actually had people pronounce it valerI, which is completely ridiculous. (my pops wanted all of us to have the same amount of letters in our first and middle names, thus no "e." i thank him everyday for allowing me and my name to stand out from the rest.)
We have happened to fallen in love with Teagan. (the name, and the child, but the name for the sake of this post). Being as traditional as possible, we think we'll spell our boy's name Quamerin. Do you think he'll hate us for that? :)
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