[name]Hi[/name] berries!
Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about the name Meriwether (for a boy, after [name]Lewis[/name] of course) in a strictly hypothetical sense – I’m not expecting, and I don’t think I’d actually be brave enough to use the name, but I think it’s interesting. What are your thoughts? Are there any good nicknames you see? Is it too girly, or does the image of the explorer supersede likeness to [name]Mary[/name]?
Thanks for any opinions! 
As soon as I saw the title I thought “[name]Lewis[/name] and [name]William[/name] [name]Clark[/name].” It’s such a strong association, and to be honest, I think it’s kind of a silly name. Meriwether? [name]Merry[/name] Weather? I know it’s perfectly legitimate, it’s just odd to me, and I can’t picture it as anything other than a very guilty pleasure. [name]Lewis[/name] seems a much more appropriate way to honor him, not to mention easier to live with. But I don’t really know why you’d want to honor Meriwether [name]Lewis[/name]- he had a rather tragic life, and aside from the expedition, it didn’t seem tremendously successful.
I have no problem with guilty pleasure names- mine even include [name]Nefertiti[/name] and [name]Esmerelda[/name]- but this is one I definitely don’t think should be used.
Meriwether is a tough name for a boy to carry. Maybe, possibly, as a middle name, but I think it’s too much. Really fun to talk about but not easy to imagine on a child.
I’m not usually one to think a name will prompt teasing but in this case I think it would. I think it’s the “[name]Meri[/name]” part that pushes it over the edge.
I didn’t think of Meriwether [name]Lewis[/name]. I thought of the female fairy (Merryweather) from Sleeping Beauty.
It could be a tough name for a boy to live with.
I thought of this one a while ago and decided “middle only”*. I dig deep into rarities, but Meriwether is too much frilly word for me to want to use regularly.
*Assuming I had more than a passing interest in using it.
I think of the fairy too (she was my favorite!). I think [name]Lewis[/name] would be a much, much better option for a boy (or [name]Clark[/name], for that matter).
I knew an adult whose middle name this was, and he actually went by both it and by [name]Meri[/name]! However, he had gone by his classic, solidly masculine first name in childhood and adolescence, which I think was probably a blessing. I think the story was that in adulthood someone told him Meriwether/[name]Meri[/name] suited him better, and he went with it! He made it work, but again, I still think his story confirms this is a better middle name candidate than first name. I wholeheartedly agree, if you want to go with the history, [name]Lewis[/name] or [name]Clark[/name] is the better pick. Good luck!
I think of the fairy as well…the name doesn’t feel masculine to me at all…nor really like a name. I can’t imagine ever shouting it out and seeing someone respond to it.
I thought of the fairy too. I think she is more well known in our culture than meriwether [name]Lewis[/name] .
I am a TOTAL [name]Lewis[/name] and [name]Clark[/name] geek (I even spent the [name]Summer[/name] of 2003 following the trail), and I have to admit, I too pondered using Meriwether for each of my boys. It was a passing thought though, and I quickly dismissed the name for 2 reasons: (a) It is a very hard name to pull off, especially with [name]Meri[/name] as a nickname (b) as much as I adore and admire Meriwether [name]Lewis[/name], his “melancholia” and the manner of his death scare me and I’m superstitious about annointing my sons with that history. I admire your love of the American [name]West[/name] and applaud your thoughts, but the name may be a bit much for a child Good luck!