Wednesday, July 6, 2011

name

We have finally chosen a name.  Trent Tāne Mercer.  


Trent is Lonnie's middle name....or at least it was until we got married.  When we were married, I wanted Lonnie and I to have the same surname, but I also had a hard time losing my maiden name, so I kept it, replacing my middle name.  In a show of solidarity and understanding (or coercion, depending upon your point of view), Lonnie also changed his middle name to my maiden name.  Trent has found a home again with our wee little man.  Additionally, the name Trent refers to the River Trent in England.  One branch of my family on my father's side are from this area.


Tāne (pronounced Taah-nay) is a Māori name.  Having been born in New Zealand, we wanted part of his name to connect here.  Tāne is the Maori god of the forest (and when you see New Zealand, you understand how amazing the forests are).  He was part of the Maori creation myth pushing apart his parents, Mother Earth and Father Sky.  


As we considered various names, Lonnie and I joked that we were floating name ideas around like we were considering a run for political office.  We threw around various names throughout the pregnancy, discussed them with a lot of people, and even had a couple polls on this blog.  It's an interesting process to go about naming a child...obviously a name becomes a huge part of identity.  We definitely appreciated hearing everyone's thoughts, opinions, and votes on the blog polls, and in some way all of it helped us.  In the end, we tested the name out for a couple of days before making a definite decision.  It seems to fit him well. 

5 comments:

  1. Love the name. It has a great ring to it, espeically with proper pronounciation. So cute that Lonnie took your maiden as his middle. Now that's love. :) Good luck with the first days and weeks with your beautiful babe.

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  2. Glad to hear that you've finally settled on something and that they have such great meanings behind them. I, too, am fascinated by the fact that Lonnie changed his middle name to your maiden name. I'd like to hear more of that story on the blog someday. Maybe when you're a bit more rested.

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  3. Sooooooo so so so happy with the name!!! The meaning behind both names is so interesting and fitting. River Trent in England - cool. Of course, I love the name and voted for it all along, so just know my heart is feeling all warm and fuzzy with your choice :-) And Tane is a terrific name too with it's meaning and it's pronunciation - it rhymes with the nickname I've called Zane (Tsane, latin pronunciation) for the past 21 years. Maybe the nickname for your baby boy could be Tane with the long 'a' that rhymes with Zane? ;-) Totally kidding!!

    Anyway, the whole family and I look forward to meeting Trent Tane on Skype as soon as you guys are ready for a visit.

    Love you tons!!!

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  4. I LOVE that Lonnie changed his middle name. I didn't want to lose my maiden name either. I seriously tried to convince Brandon to take my name. I'm still bummed I couldn't convince him. I am going to try and get him to take Marsh as a middle name!

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  5. Being as Bronson Trent's namesake no longer exists, I told him you named your baby after him. He thought that was cool.

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