If you have children of your own, you know how much fun it is to make a list of all the cutest, most unique, or beautiful names that ever crossed your mind. Finally, you try to narrow it down to a few favorites. The hardest part is choosing between the top two names after you’ve deleted the other ninety-eight. As that delivery date comes ever near, you agonize over the last two perfect name choices for that perfect baby you will bring into this world. By the time your fifth baby comes along, you begin to make up names, or you resort to googling “boy names” or “girl names.”
What if you’d have to come up with a perfect name fifteen times in your own family?
Yes, most Amish parents have ten or twelve babies to name in their lifetime. Many of them have to choose a name up to fifteen times before their family is complete. How do they do it?
Often the first six or eight baby names are the easiest to come up with since many start out naming their babies after the child’s grandparents on both sides of the family. Next, come the aunts and uncles, with a few favorites scattered in as well.
Most amish children are only given a first name and a middle initial. The middle initial is taken from the father's first name. In my family, all my siblings were given the middle initial “U” because our father’s name was Ura. This caused particular embarrassment and mockery from fellow students when writing our initials on our school items — Mary, Rachel, Lovina, Sadie, and Jerry became M.U.B., R.U.B., L.U.B., S.U.B., and J.U.B.
In some Amish communities where they use only single first names, the names are repeated so many times, generation after generation that they have to add extra initials in place of middle names.
Middle names used to be forbidden in some Amish groups. However, many seem to have removed that restriction in recent years.
Today, most Amish communities are allowed to choose almost any name they find pleasing to the ears.
The meaning of names has never seemed to be an important factor in naming an Amish baby. If Grandpa is named Moses, they choose it because they assume it’s a good name, not necessarily because it’s a Bible name. Or if Grandma is named Tillie, it must be a good Amish name!
It wasn’t until after my husband and I were past the Amish baby naming stage of life that we became aware of the importance of giving a child a name with significance. No matter if it’s the name of a relative, a godly acquaintance, or a lovely favorite name, do we want them to live up to the meaning of their name? Some children fortunately live up to their name, while others fortunately do not. But it is their name for life! We do them a favor when we choose wisely.
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