This West London Life

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What’s In A Name?

Where did your name come from? The majority of people I know tend to have been named after a family member or a close friend. Not me. I’m named after a nun. 🙂 I wish I could tell you that the said nun had provided my parents with spiritual guidance and succour, but sadly I…

Ruth
1 minute
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Where did your name come from?

The majority of people I know tend to have been named after a family member or a close friend.

Not me.

I’m named after a nun. 🙂

Source

I wish I could tell you that the said nun had provided my parents with spiritual guidance and succour, but sadly I can’t. Apparently, after I’d been born and Mum was enjoying/enduring her forced stay in the maternity home, she read an article in Women’s Weekly called The Story of Sister Ruth and that was that.

I never did learn what Sister Ruth’s story was, but I suppose being named Ruth is an improvement on Battling Bertha! 🙂

9 responses to “What’s In A Name?”

  1. Mary-Lou Burma Avatar
    Mary-Lou Burma

    I really like the name Ruth. Ruth is definitely an improvement on Bertha … with no offence to those out there called Bertha. Thank goodness that someone brought Woman’s Weekly in for your Mum to read!

    For me, Ruth is a maternal middle family name. It has been in the last 6 generations; I did not get it as part of my name, one of my older sisters got it & her daughter now carries it along.

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    1. Ruth Avatar
      Ruth

      Haha, thank you!
      Nice to know my name is popular in your family. 🙂 For years, I didn’t know many other Ruths, but now I’m friends with several. 🙂

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  2. Carole R. Avatar
    Carole R.

    My father chose my name Carole. They wanted it to be spelt Carol but the registrar insisted that Carol without an e is the boys spelling. He would only register me as Carole. My mother wanted to name me Stephanie which I would have preferred, as there were many girls with my name at school.
    My mother is named Gladys so I escaped that dreadful name, luckily she herself hates her name.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Ruth Avatar
      Ruth

      Hmmm, Gladys …
      Do you spend lots of time telling people your name is “Carol with an E”? Stephanie is also a nice name.
      I don’t know which name I would have chosen for myself …

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      1. Carole R Avatar
        Carole R

        Yes I do. When I taught at an FE college the kids would call me ” Carole with an E” sometimes, they made me laugh every time!
        I still miss being around young people.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Deb Avatar
    Deb

    I don’t know why they chose Deborah for me, but as there are quite a few Debbies in my age group, I suspect it was just a popular name at the time. I don’t have a middle name and we didn’t give our children middle names either!

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    1. Ruth Avatar
      Ruth

      Maybe after Debbie Reynolds? Deb(s) is a great shortening of your full name. People add onto mine and I always tell them that only Mum got away with calling me Ruthie!

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  4. SandyG Avatar
    SandyG

    My mother was Italian and wanted to call me Alessandra, but my dad put his foot down as I was “an English girl living in England” so I was Sandra – and there were three in my class, and five in that year group! Mum later said she wished she’d been firmer and had her way. My grandad always called me Sandy and that stuck.

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    1. Ruth Avatar
      Ruth

      Alessandra is lovely and I think it would have suited both your Italian & British heritage.
      I have a friend called Sandra and she is always Sandra, never Sandy. 🙂

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