“[name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables” must hold a soft spot in a lot of our hearts with how many references there have been to her lately. Which got me wondering, what would [name]Anne[/name] have named her own children? So I pulled out my old, well-loved set of “[name]Anne[/name]” books and read. I fould this particular excerpt especially charming and appropriate for sharing. Namenerds, Enjoy!
“Well, [name]James[/name] [name]Matthew[/name] is a name that will wear well and not fade in the washing,” said Miss [name]Cornelia[/name]. “I’m glad you didn’t load him down with some high-falutin, romantic name that he’d be ashamed of when he gets to be a grandfather. Mrs. [name]William[/name] [name]Drew[/name] at the [name]Glen[/name] has called her baby [name]Bertie[/name] [name]Shakespeare[/name]. Quite a combination, isn’t it? And I’m glad you haven’t had much trouble picking on a name. Some folks have an awful time. When the [name]Stanley[/name] Flaggs’ first boy was born there was so much rivalry as to who the child should be named for that the poor little soul had to go for two years without a name. Then a brother came along and there it was – ‘Big [name]Baby[/name]’ and ‘[name]Little[/name] [name]Baby[/name]’. Finally they called Big [name]Baby[/name] [name]Peter[/name] and [name]Little[/name] [name]Baby[/name] [name]Isaac[/name], after the two grandfathers, and had them both christened together. And each tried to see if he couldn’t howl other down. You know that the Highland Scotch family of MacNabs back of the [name]Glen[/name]? They’ve got twelve boys and the oldest and youngest are both called [name]Neil[/name] – Big [name]Neil[/name] and [name]Little[/name] [name]Neil[/name] in the same family. Well, I s’pose they ran out of names.”
— “[name]Anne[/name]'s House of Dreams”, L.M. [name]Montgomery[/name]
Thanks! I love the [name]Anne[/name] series and am just now reading [name]Rainbow[/name] [name]Valley[/name]. There is also a part in [name]Anne[/name] of [name]Windy[/name] Poplars where calls [name]Katherine[/name] with a “K” “so much gypsier” than [name]Catherine[/name] with a “C”.
I’m a huge [name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables fan, so I really loved this post! I’ve always wondered why the children are named after [name]Anne[/name]'s side of the family… I guess poor [name]Gilbert[/name] had no choice.
I just have to show some love for this thread, as another [name]Anne[/name] fan. Those books really are a treasure trove of names, as well as characters.
Oh my! My favorite name for a girl has been [name]Blythe[/name] since I was 12 because of these books! my third son may get it as a middle name, but I hate to use it in case we have another. And now, every time I see [name]Felix[/name] I think of the character in The [name]Story[/name] Girl. Great post!
That’s cute… a name they’d be ashamed of as a grandfather, LOL.
My best friend looooves [name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables and she had planned to name a baby girl Avonlea. She has two boys and has decided that she isn’t going to try for another, but I think it’s a really pretty name idea for a girl.
