LB writes:<\/p>\n
I’m not pregnant as of yet, but we will be trying soon. I’ve been obsessed with names for as long as I can remember, and I’m really excited about one. It’s not often that I get “stuck” on something like this; the name has become a small obsession of mine, but there is a problem.<\/p>\n
The problem comes from a male name, since we’re able to agree on MANY female names (frontrunners are Celeste and Violet. Our favorite, Olivia, became too popular for our liking).<\/p>\n
The name is Brock. I LOVE it. My husband loves it, too, for many reasons. For one, it’s an alliterative name to our last name, which is Barlow, which I’ve always been a fan of. It’s not super common, but is easy to say and spell- I feel this is important. I also feel like it sounds preppy, smart and strong. One-syllable names, especially for a male name, have always struck me as really great. Also, we’re Canadian, and this name is of significance (in a positive way) to our country’s heritage.<\/p>\n
However, due to the heritage, many things are named “Brock”, including our highway exit, which is where the problem comes in. We live in a small-ish community, which has two highway exits, one being Brock St. As you can imagine, there are also some businesses with Brock in their title… Brock Restaurant, Brock Laundromat etc.<\/p>\n
I’ve grown fairly attached to the name, for all the reasons above, and also because it’s a name we can both agree on. Do you think it would be wrong to use a name that our child would hear all over the place? Does it seem odd to you? Please, crush my dreams now before I get too attached, if that’s the case! :)<\/p>\n
Other details: we plan on having only one child, and we hate creative spellings.<\/p>\n
Thanks so much,<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Are you planning to stay permanently where you live now, or is it fairly likely you’ll eventually move? And is the Brock St. exit area a NICE area, or a dicey one? If it’s considered a nice area, and if you might move away from there anyway, I don’t think you have to rule out the name; even if you’re not likely to move, I think it’s still within the realm of okay. Definitely it’s something to weigh into the decision, though: if it came down to two names you liked equally well, and one had the location baggage and the other one didn’t, I’d go with the one that didn’t.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, my guess is that a small child would get a huge kick out of seeing his name all over the place, and you’d have so much fun collecting photos and items with his name on them. I’m imagining decorating a nursery with large photos you’ve taken of just the “Brock” part of various business names, street signs, exit signs, etc. And if you DO move away, it’ll be a very pleasant association with where he was born. Hmm, that is swaying me back the other direction. I’m imagining if someone in the U.S. lived near a Lincoln St. exit and wanted to name a child Lincoln. I think the reaction to that would be mostly positive.<\/p>\n