When I was born, my mother and father named me Ann Leslie Hamilton. Ann was the shortened version of Anna, my great grandmother's name (my mother's father's mother). Leslie was after my mother's sister. I was supposed to be Leslie Ann, but my father's best friend and his wife named their daughter Leslie Mae shortly before I was born. Apparently my mother was upset that they'd "stolen" my name, but to be honest with you, I prefer what I ended up with after all! Most of the time I was called Ann (except when my mother was upset with me and then I got the full name in not so happy tones), but several of my cousins called me by both first and middle names- Ann Leslie. Once while Jeff and I were dating he heard my cousin BJ refer to me as Ann Leslie and he never called me Ann again. He loves that combination. Only a few people (2 to be exact) are allowed to call me Annie. It was often a source of teasing in grammar school so it didn't have pleasant connotations for me, unless it was spoken by Rich Spatifino or David Von Salis. Both of these friends used it as a friendly endearment and I never minded when they said it. To them I will always be "Annie Hamilton", but from all others, I prefer Ann. However, more recently, I have acquired a new name, that is more precious than gold, and I will never grow tired of hearing it. If you look very carefully at the artwork displayed on my refrigerator, you can find it. (Hint- it starts with G and ends with Y)
The "picture" of my name was made by my 10 year old friend Olivia. We sit together in church and she likes it when I draw her pictures. She's the little cutie pie whose picture I took when she sang with Jeff in church last December for those of you who were following me then.
yes, 'granny' or 'grandy' has such a nice ring to it, much like when the boys call me lola. partner's son also calls me lola to differentiate me from his two grandmothers. funny thing is, he can say 'lola' much clearer than 'grandma' or whatever it is they prefer to be called.
i never liked the nickname annie. i had a good friend whose name was 'annie' not a nickname but it's her actual name. i called her 'annie come lately' because she was always late in class and at work.
My mom and dad had two girls. My dad wanted a girl named Beverly, so he got my mom pregnant and, lucky for him, I was a girl. And they named me Beverly. The story that follows my birth isn't a pleasant one, though.
This is a very nice picture. It's sweet. You are a good mom and your daughter sounds like a dream. You are both very lucky to have each other.
I don't know any Ann's other then you! ~ Its not that common of a name these days is it?
I was suppose to be a Jesse, and a boy! But when I came out a girl, that all changed. ~ I had all kinds of nicknames from my grandfather, but everyone else just calls me Sam. ~
I love your sweet drawings from the grandchildren!! You must be "granny" or "grammy!" Love both of your names, Ann AND Leslie. I like my name (Karen) and it's a name that really didn't lend itself for a "nickname." My middle name, Ann, was rarely used. Except by my Dad . . who would call me "Little Orphan Annie!" Hated it then, but love it now. :)
I loved reading about your name! I'm Granny, too--the grandson we raised usually shortens it to G, which is OK, too. I was named Diane after my older sister, Dorothy Anne, who died before I was born. The only connections I had with Dorothy were my name and some beautiful black-and-white photographs that my uncle took of her.
Thanks for sharing this Ann. I have four siblings and none of us have names taken from anyone in our family. Our parents just decided to go with names that they really liked. So my full name is Brian Keith Bigam
@summerfield Thanks Vikki. Yes it's especially fun when I hear Leigh call me Grammy. Every once in a while she calls me Grams and it just cracks me up! @prttblues Thanks Bev! Olivia isn't my daughter or granddaughter. She and her sister live with their grandma because of a troubled mother (on and off drugs), but amazingly she is a happy child- thanks to her grandparents really. My granddaughter Leigh sent the postcard and she's a pip. More like her mom than her dad (my son) but every now and then I see pieces of him in her. I think I turned out to be a good mom because my own mother (in spite of her struggles) was a great mom. I miss her. @sanera Thanks Sam- no I guess it is somewhat rare nowadays. Hadn't really thought about that before! Come to think of it, other than a student I had when I was teaching, you are the only Samantha I know! @karenann Thanks Karenann- I am partial to your middle name (o: and somehow even though we haven't met, I think this name suits you to a T! I'm glad you came to like the nickname your dad used. That is how the kids would tease me, so it made it hard for me to even enjoy the movie Annie for a while! But you do grow past it eventually. Which is good! @httpgeffed Thanks Colleen! At first I liked the idea of being called Nana. But Jeff wanted to be called Gampy after my grandfather who played the banjo we inherited. Nana didn't really match Gampy, thus Grammy was taken instead. And now I actually like it better. @kerristephens Thank you Kerri! Well that sounds like it was a surprise!! Funny, when I learned you and Kimmi were sisters I thought "Kerri and Kimmi- hmm I wonder if they're twins?" @eudora Wow- Diane that is a touching story! You must treasure those pictures even though you didn't know her. I am truly enjoying the title of Grammy. And once in a while Leigh will call me "Grams" which just makes me laugh it sounds so funny! @kimmistephens Thanks Kimmi! I have a few friends whose middle names reflect their dad. It's not completely uncommon. My youngest sister is Sara Kimberly. We called her Kimmy while she was growing up. Eventually it was shortened to Kim and when she went to college she switched over to Sara- but I still call her Kim when we're together as a family. Thankfully she doesn't mind!
@bkbinthecity Thanks for sharing your name story with me too! Our younger son and his wife chose the name Isaac for their son and that's not a family name on either side. All in all, even the family names are usually ones your parents like. I've always liked the name Brian too! @sarasdadandmom Thanks Terry- it just sort of spilled out when I posted the picture! @twinsplusone Thanks Sharon- it seemed to be a natural thing to post for today's word! Glad you enjoyed it!
love it! I love hearing stories of how people got their names. I also love the meaning behind names. I think it really does tell you about the persons characteristics.
I am Anna Ruth Coffey. My parents chose Anna from the Bible. Anna was an incredible woman who spent night and day worshiping God in the Temple. She also got to hold Jesus when he was just a baby. Ruth comes both from the Bible but also after my dad's grandmother, Winnie Ruth. As for meanings, Anna means 'gracious one', Ruth means 'friendly one' and Coffey is an Irish name meaning 'Victorious'>
I was named Muriel Joy when I was born. But when my parents brought me home my grandmother told them they could not call the poor child Muriel, so they changed it to Julia Diane. I have been called Julie for as long as I remember. I am thankful to my grandmother!
I have been blessed to be known as Mom for the last 30 years and now am honoured to be known as Grandma for the past 21/2 years. I also get called sweetie - but only one person is allowed to call me that ;)
I Love this Grany!!! :) Nothing in the world better then being a Grandma!! NaNa is what my Grandchildren call me and i got that name from my step-children's kids ( also my grandchildren) I was a tad bit young at the time to be called Grandma and they all had other Grandma's so actually i felt more special being called NaNa....Now as far as my Real Name ...It is Ellen Margaret..I was named after my Mother and my Grandmother but it was Shortened from Eleanor!! Thank God !! My Grandmother on my mothers side was Eleanor Louise and my mother was Eleanor Margaret ...and that is how i got my middle name..I know Ellen means " Light" How appropriate!!! Thanks for sharing ..this was fun! :0)
I need to add that i Got the Name Ellie Mae from my Step Children who at a Young age just called me Ellen but as they have grown older they now affectionitly call me" elliemae"...(at least i think it is from affection..they could be making fun of me !! )...lol!...That is why i chose that name for my user name on this site..Ellen and Ellie were already taken!! lol!
Nothing special about my name at all, just one my Mom picked out. In fact, it is something I don't believe they even thought about, but I think it is nice when families pull the history into the name choosing
A lovely story Ann. I have a similar story in that only two people get away with calling me Nicki. I always get Nic, always have and always will. I was meant to be Amanda Jane and am so glad I am Nicole Louise. Sophie is Sophie Louise and because people shorten her name to Soph (which I hate) we named Paige, Paige. It is very Australian to either shorten a name or lengthen a name so Paige is known as Paigie Paige or when she is in trouble Paige Renee!
@annaruth You have a beautiful name Anna (of course I am partial to it myself!!). @cortens Great story Julie! I actually had a friend named Muriel. Whenever she introduced herself to someone she would say, "I'm Muriel- like the cigar." She actually liked how unique her name was and it suited her! Grandma, as you know, is one of the best names in the world.
@ellimae I think this is one of the best posts I ever had! I am really enjoying all these name stories!! One thing I've noticed as of late is that names like Eleanor are making a comeback. A young couple in our church named their son Jackson; another young couple we've known through the years named their daughter Josephine! And another named their daughter Clara. Our grandson is Samuel. I love the return to classic names. They are fun to say and seem to bring out the fact that each person is a unique individual. I had to chuckle over your statement about being a grandma at a young age. When our first grandchild was on the way, I didn't feel ready to be "Grandma" yet. Then I started doing the math and realized my grandmothers were about the same age as I when I entered their lives! Of course from the first moment I saw Leigh, that was it- I was in grandparent heaven. @inertie Thank you Inertia! @sangwann Thank you Dione! I know how that is. I once had a friend whose name was Dudley. It was a family name that had been passed down for several generations (I think he was the fifth!!), but as you can imagine, he really hated it! So after his father passed away, he started using the name Chris. @digitalrn Thanks Rick! That is sort of how my husband ending up being "Jeff". It was a name his mother liked and his father had no objections! @nicolecampbell lol- Isn't that funny how every parent using the child's full name when they're in trouble? Every culture does it! If my sons heard their full names used they would immediately do one of two things- stop what they were doing, or beg for forgiveness! Funny- I would never shorten Sophie to Soph. To me, it just doesn't sound right but that's interesting that in Australia it's the thing to do. Here in the states it's not too different. If it's a longer name, it will probably get shortened. Our younger son was always Christopher at home, but all his friends called him Chris. Thanks for sharing your name story! It's been fun to read them all. @steeler Thanks Howard!
I like the name Ann. my mother's name was Klara Anna. I named my daughter Gace Clara Ann.( Clara with a C instead of the German way with a K) my name is Elsa Brunhilde..I was called Brunhilde at home and hated this name..when I immigrated I could've changed it maybe to Elsa but I didn't..instead I shortened it unofficially to Bruni. I guess we all have a story to tell about our names.
@bruni Thanks Bruni! Yes, some of them are endearing and some fun and some rather special. I guess most of all it comes down to whether you are satisfied with what your parents have chosen. I like your choice to unofficially shorten your name. Bruni has a very nice ring to it!
my name is Santina (i do not like) is a italian name, i was born in Brazil,my parents emigrated in the 50's, my grandmother was so called. the mother of my dad. my mother called Rosetta and my dad Bruno
Precious name ... granny :D!
My father is Paul and wanted a son to be named after him. Unfortunately I surprised them and they changed the name to Paula. Everybody call me Paula except my two sisters. For them I am 'ousus' (big sister.) My youngest son's name is also Paul :) My husband calls me angel and just use my name if he is cross with angry at me ;)
@tobi Thank you for sharing your story with me Santina. It is very interesting to me that your parents came from Italy and moved to Brazil! Do you have a nickname that you prefer? That was the situation for my Aunt Davy- she liked her nick name better. @paulavdmerwe Thanks Paula! It has been fun to read everyone's stories. My younger sisters never had a special name for me- but that would have been a fun thing. I have a few friends who are named after their fathers- in the female version of the name. Sometimes it just works out that way!
I am named after my father's fiance in Greece ah...not after my mother ... I escaped being named lorelle shorelle lavincia mclaughlin as my dad used to tease me that I came that close to being named. My dad settled with short easy to spell names. All of my brothers were biblically named ...and then there is me. I don't like being called pammie or pamela just pam. Of course young children and dear friends can get away with anything. One young friend simply just called me LaLa as we used to sing together from her infancy :)
Anyway, I am happy with my name now. Pamela means honey (sweetness) and Anne means grace so somehow I ended up with a biblical name after all... Sweet Grace!
My daughter is Margaret Ann, though we call her Meg. I've always loved the name Ann as a balance for almost any other name, whether traditional or innovative.
@potsbypam Thanks Pam- you have a happy ending name story! And a very pretty name too! @allie912 Thank you Allison! Both of my grandmothers were named Margaret! My mother's (step)mother went by Peggy. But my dad's mom went by Margaret, never any derivations. Meg has such a nice soft sound to it. And I've always liked Maggie.
Thank you both. It's really been fun reading all these name stories. I had no idea everyone was going to enjoy talking about them this much!
@olivetreeann Meg was named for her paternal grandmother who was Margaret ,called Peggy! The amazing coincidence is that when we were trying out names before Meg was born we researched the meaning of Margaret and it means pearl, which was my mother's name!
Granny! I am known as MeeMaw. Enjoyed your story about your name. My dad named me after Carole Lombard, his favorite movie star at that time. Actually I love the name, Annie-- "Annie get your Gun," "Little Orphan Annie," "Annie's theme" by John Denver. It has kind of a happy down home feel to it. But glad you told me you don't like it....wouldn't want to get in trouble, LOL! Cute shot to go with your story. Grandchildren are so precious at that age.
@cimes1 My friend Judy goes by MeeMaw. The name Grammy came about because what I originally wanted to be called (Nana) didn't quite work with what my husband wanted to be called- Gampy (after my grandfather who gave us the banjo). We are waiting to hear about the arrival of grandchild #4 any day now.
Carole Louise, my Gran's name was Louise and my mum loved the name Carole, she wanted an e on the end because that way I would not be confused with a Christmas Carol. Two people in my life get to call me Kaz, my Dad calls me peanut. It is lovely to know you Ann Leslie
@melorac Well, Carole Louise, my sister is named Diana Louise! And the Louise she was named after was our grandmother. We also have a very dear friend named Carole, who at one time was also our landlady. I have always liked Carol with an e- and I also like Christmas carols. Thanks!
very interesting info about your name. I am picky about what others call me, too. I hate having my name shortened to Chris or Chrissy. Only one person in my entire life has been allowed to call me Chris and that's my Grandpa Tuffy who was the most wonderful man to ever walk the face of the earth. My mom and dad got away with calling me by my initials (CD) but not often. My brother, to this day, still calls me Sissy, but yeah, everyone else is required to call me Chrystal. My husband is the opposite. His parents and I call him by his given name, Michael. Everyone else shortens it to Mike. :-)
@crickle1969 I can see why you would prefer Chrystal and every now and then when I'm commenting on your pictures I think of using your name but couldn't remember if it was Crystal or Chrystal. Now I'll remember! Chrystal is very pretty!
April 2nd, 2012
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i never liked the nickname annie. i had a good friend whose name was 'annie' not a nickname but it's her actual name. i called her 'annie come lately' because she was always late in class and at work.
i like ann. it sounds like fun.
This is a very nice picture. It's sweet. You are a good mom and your daughter sounds like a dream. You are both very lucky to have each other.
I was suppose to be a Jesse, and a boy! But when I came out a girl, that all changed. ~ I had all kinds of nicknames from my grandfather, but everyone else just calls me Sam. ~
I love the name Ann.
@prttblues Thanks Bev! Olivia isn't my daughter or granddaughter. She and her sister live with their grandma because of a troubled mother (on and off drugs), but amazingly she is a happy child- thanks to her grandparents really. My granddaughter Leigh sent the postcard and she's a pip. More like her mom than her dad (my son) but every now and then I see pieces of him in her. I think I turned out to be a good mom because my own mother (in spite of her struggles) was a great mom. I miss her.
@sanera Thanks Sam- no I guess it is somewhat rare nowadays. Hadn't really thought about that before! Come to think of it, other than a student I had when I was teaching, you are the only Samantha I know!
@karenann Thanks Karenann- I am partial to your middle name (o: and somehow even though we haven't met, I think this name suits you to a T! I'm glad you came to like the nickname your dad used. That is how the kids would tease me, so it made it hard for me to even enjoy the movie Annie for a while! But you do grow past it eventually. Which is good!
@httpgeffed Thanks Colleen! At first I liked the idea of being called Nana. But Jeff wanted to be called Gampy after my grandfather who played the banjo we inherited. Nana didn't really match Gampy, thus Grammy was taken instead. And now I actually like it better.
@kerristephens Thank you Kerri! Well that sounds like it was a surprise!! Funny, when I learned you and Kimmi were sisters I thought "Kerri and Kimmi- hmm I wonder if they're twins?"
@eudora Wow- Diane that is a touching story! You must treasure those pictures even though you didn't know her. I am truly enjoying the title of Grammy. And once in a while Leigh will call me "Grams" which just makes me laugh it sounds so funny!
@kimmistephens Thanks Kimmi! I have a few friends whose middle names reflect their dad. It's not completely uncommon. My youngest sister is Sara Kimberly. We called her Kimmy while she was growing up. Eventually it was shortened to Kim and when she went to college she switched over to Sara- but I still call her Kim when we're together as a family. Thankfully she doesn't mind!
@sarasdadandmom Thanks Terry- it just sort of spilled out when I posted the picture!
@twinsplusone Thanks Sharon- it seemed to be a natural thing to post for today's word! Glad you enjoyed it!
I am Anna Ruth Coffey. My parents chose Anna from the Bible. Anna was an incredible woman who spent night and day worshiping God in the Temple. She also got to hold Jesus when he was just a baby. Ruth comes both from the Bible but also after my dad's grandmother, Winnie Ruth. As for meanings, Anna means 'gracious one', Ruth means 'friendly one' and Coffey is an Irish name meaning 'Victorious'>
I have been blessed to be known as Mom for the last 30 years and now am honoured to be known as Grandma for the past 21/2 years. I also get called sweetie - but only one person is allowed to call me that ;)
@cortens Great story Julie! I actually had a friend named Muriel. Whenever she introduced herself to someone she would say, "I'm Muriel- like the cigar." She actually liked how unique her name was and it suited her! Grandma, as you know, is one of the best names in the world.
@ellimae I think this is one of the best posts I ever had! I am really enjoying all these name stories!! One thing I've noticed as of late is that names like Eleanor are making a comeback. A young couple in our church named their son Jackson; another young couple we've known through the years named their daughter Josephine! And another named their daughter Clara. Our grandson is Samuel. I love the return to classic names. They are fun to say and seem to bring out the fact that each person is a unique individual. I had to chuckle over your statement about being a grandma at a young age. When our first grandchild was on the way, I didn't feel ready to be "Grandma" yet. Then I started doing the math and realized my grandmothers were about the same age as I when I entered their lives! Of course from the first moment I saw Leigh, that was it- I was in grandparent heaven.
@inertie Thank you Inertia!
@sangwann Thank you Dione! I know how that is. I once had a friend whose name was Dudley. It was a family name that had been passed down for several generations (I think he was the fifth!!), but as you can imagine, he really hated it! So after his father passed away, he started using the name Chris.
@digitalrn Thanks Rick! That is sort of how my husband ending up being "Jeff". It was a name his mother liked and his father had no objections!
@nicolecampbell lol- Isn't that funny how every parent using the child's full name when they're in trouble? Every culture does it! If my sons heard their full names used they would immediately do one of two things- stop what they were doing, or beg for forgiveness! Funny- I would never shorten Sophie to Soph. To me, it just doesn't sound right but that's interesting that in Australia it's the thing to do. Here in the states it's not too different. If it's a longer name, it will probably get shortened. Our younger son was always Christopher at home, but all his friends called him Chris. Thanks for sharing your name story! It's been fun to read them all.
@steeler Thanks Howard!
My father is Paul and wanted a son to be named after him. Unfortunately I surprised them and they changed the name to Paula. Everybody call me Paula except my two sisters. For them I am 'ousus' (big sister.) My youngest son's name is also Paul :) My husband calls me angel and just use my name if he is cross with angry at me ;)
@paulavdmerwe Thanks Paula! It has been fun to read everyone's stories. My younger sisters never had a special name for me- but that would have been a fun thing. I have a few friends who are named after their fathers- in the female version of the name. Sometimes it just works out that way!
Anyway, I am happy with my name now. Pamela means honey (sweetness) and Anne means grace so somehow I ended up with a biblical name after all... Sweet Grace!
@allie912 Thank you Allison! Both of my grandmothers were named Margaret! My mother's (step)mother went by Peggy. But my dad's mom went by Margaret, never any derivations. Meg has such a nice soft sound to it. And I've always liked Maggie.
Thank you both. It's really been fun reading all these name stories. I had no idea everyone was going to enjoy talking about them this much!