The Great Baby Name Debate Has Begun! Plus: The Stories Behind Every Boy's Name {Linking Up With Team Whitaker!}

Happy Friday, friends!! My beautiful friend, Kathryn, who blogs at Team Whittaker, hosted a baby name blog link-up this week.  I'm a little slow submitting my post, but I loved her idea, and wanted to take part in it!  

Digging through old photos of the boys and remembering stories of our early days of parenting has been so much fun.  It's easy to get stuck in the day-to-day living, to keep plowing forward through life, and so often I forget to look backwards, to see where we have come from, and how blessed we have been.

Now that I'm past the half-way mark, nesting, planning and name selecting are getting serious around here.  Many of the recent evening conversations at the supper table have sounded like this:

Mom and Dad: So boys, let's talk baby names.  We think it would be nice for all of us to decide on this baby's name.  Do you have any favorites?  

Ben: I think you guys should decide, because all I do is think all day at school, and I'm too tired to think about names right now. {Long Pause} But, just so you know, I'm not a big fan of John. Or, Peter. Or, Frank. Or, Ambrose. Or, Isidore. Or..... 

(Oh, dear, we love most of those names.  This democratic debate may end up in a dictatorship. )

Andrew: Welllll.....(says the family comedian)...I've actually been thinking about this for a while, and I think it's time we have some "P" names.  But, only if it's a girl.  May I suggest Priscilla or Petunia? You do love flowers, mom!  But, if it's a boy, I vote we name him Big Mac.

George: I'm only going to share boy names, because I've been praying so hard that this will be a boy, and you said God hears the prayers of children, so I'm confident that he's going to answer my prayers. So, how about Expeditus, after St. Expeditus?

Henry:  Shoulder shrugs.  That's the best we could get from him.

The naming of our children over the past 14 years has been such a fun experience for me and Steve. During our college dating days and engagement period, we both fell in love with so many incredible saints, and we knew, right away, that (hopefully) our children would inherit a few of their names. Our desire to bless our children with saint names, and family names as well, is rooted in the hope that they will find strength and encouragement along their journey toward heaven in knowing that there are incredible souls in heaven praying for them, souls that they can look up to, emulate in their daily life, and ask for intercession during times of weakness and struggle.

We have no special formula for choosing names for the boys.  Sometimes their names have come from our own particular devotion or love for a certain saint during my pregnancies, some names have simply popped into our minds during the course of an ordinary day, and that name has resonated in our hearts. One thing we do agree on is having a name for the baby before  I go to the hospital.  I have to be able to speak his/her name the very moment they are born!  To call our child by name the moment they reach my arms fills me with an indescribable joy!

Here's the story behind their names:

Benedict's name was the easiest for us to agree on.  He is named after Steve's great uncle Benedict LaRocque, who was a very holy Benedictine priest, whom we loved very much.  Fr. Benedict gave both Steve and me spiritual direction during our engagement, he presided at our wedding and baptized both Ben and Andrew.  Benedict's middle names are after his daddy and Steve's dad, Bob.  St. Benedict is the father of Western Monasticism, and Benedict has studied the life of his patron in detail and connects in a special way to Benedict's contemplative spirit and spiritual leadership.

I have loved the name Andrew for the longest time, and knew that one of our boys would be given this special name. One night, while lying in bed, names swimming around in my head, I asked Steve what he thought about naming our second child (if he were to be a boy) after the first two apostles.  I'll never forget him turning to me with surprise and asking, "Did you know that my guardian angel's name is Simon? I've always wanted to share that name with one of our sons!" That night, Andrew's name was permanently etched in our hearts.  As for Joseph, well that's an easy one, who wouldn't love to bear the name of our Lord's earthly papa?  Andrew keeps a little statue of St. Andrew beside his bed, and asks St. Andrew to pray for him to have courage before every sporting event.  

Of all of the boys, George is the one who is most proud of the saints he's been named after. George's name has a three-fold meaning.  First, he is named after St. George, whose story is especially appealing to boys, because legend has it that he once slayed a dragon, rescuing an entire village from fear and death! Secondly, George is named after my dad's father, George, who was also one of five boys (he had a sister as well). Lastly, During my pregnancy with George, after reading A Man of the Beatitudes I fell in love with Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, an Italian saint who, although a member of a wealthy family, lived a life of deep humility, great generosity and zeal for the gospel. Patrick comes from the famous St. Patrick of Ireland, and the name Thomas is in honor of St. Thomas More.

Oh, Henry!! I recall, with great distinction, reading about the 40 Martyrs of Wales and England, and being deeply touched by St. Henry Morse's tenacity, courage and devotion to the people of England. His story stuck with me for the longest time, and so did his name!  Thus, Henry's name was chosen, and thankfully, Steve liked the name, too.  James is the name of Steve's grandfather on his mother's side, and Augustine comes from St. Augustine, the son of St. Monica who experienced a great conversion and eventually became a bishop!

I have to be honest, it was my true desire to give our Charlie the name Gabriel as a first name.  But, Steve couldn't quite get over him being called Gabe his whole life.  Everyone has a different feeling towards certain names, and I wanted Steve to love the boys' names as much as I do, so Gabriel became the first middle name.  Being pregnant during Advent is such a joy for me, and I found St. Gabriel's encounter with Mary to be one of profound beauty, so I quickly became very fond of Gabriel.  Charles' first name honestly bloomed out of a pure love for the name Itself. But, St. Charles Borromeo, patron saint of learning and the arts, will one day be a champion saint for Charlie to look up to.  As for Francis, well, who among us does not love the incredible story of St. Francis of Assisi? When Steve and I went to Rome to have our marriage blessed by then Pope John Paul II, we took a train ride to Assisi, and it was on that trip that my love for Francis truly bloomed.

What name will be given to Husband baby #6?? 

The family conclave is still in session over that one!

Want to join us?? Share your favorite boy/girl names in the comments!