Saturday, April 22, 2006

How Quinn Got Her Name

For some reason it was a lot harder deciding on Quinn's name than Celeste's. A large part of it was we had less time to think about such things, but for some reason thinking of another girl's name just seemed harder.

We bounced around a few choices — I was really keen on Mellicent for a while — but gradually came to agree on Amelia Quinn. The big sticking point for Evelin was syllabic balance, which was why I posted that quiz back in January. (Only 10 votes were cast, and it didn't really help solve things.)

Evelin made a brief argument in favor of Quinlan, but I wasn't sure. Amelia Quinn and Quinn Ross both sound fine to my ears, but the 3–1–1 syllable pattern of Amelia Quinn Ross caused problems for Evelin. In the end, I warmed to Quinlan (although there were questions as to whether the spelling should be Quinlan or Quinlin) and we made the final decision during the drive to the birthing center.

As far as family roots go, Quinn's name isn't as well attested as Celeste's was, but there are at least two Amelia's in my paternal grandmother's line (both circa the late 1700s). The closest to Quinn or Quinlan that I know of is a Jacquine (from the early 1600s and also in my paternal grandmother's line). I am certain there are other Amelias in the family tree, I just can't locate them at the moment ...

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