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 My
mother named me Lois Maxine. Now, in all my lifetime orbits around
the sun I have not met very many ladies with the name Lois. I was
talking to another Lois yesterday and we forlornly agreed it is not
a moniker that seems to be coming back into use.
Name Census, “Lois is considered ‘old lady’ today because it peaked
in the 1920’s and has been rare since, so it’s not part of the
current vintage-name revival trend. Unlike Eloise or Louise, Lois
has no strong modern pop-culture presence in mainstream media, so it
lacks the ‘cool’ factor that helps names resurge.”
I’d take umbrage with that, but I don’t like the name either. Lois
is a French-origin feminine name meaning “renowned battle-maiden”.
Hmmmmmm. Rethinking my past, perhaps Mother had an inkling as to
what life was going to be like for me.
Ukbabynames.com, “The name Maxine is derived from the Latin name
Maximus, which means ‘greatest’ or ‘most excellent’. It is the
feminine form of Max and carries connotations of strength,
confidence and determinations. The name has a timeless elegance and
sophistication, making it a classic choice for parents seeking a
strong and empowering name for their daughter.” Tah! Dah! How’s that
for parental naming?
Actually, Mother’s middle name was Maxine. She never liked it, but I
was the fourth child born in five years and she was tired of
choosing names. Therefore, I was branded with two rather shunned
appellations. After marrying Mac, I discovered I loved the
alliteration of Maxine McQueen and was quite impressed with my
handle having a “x” and a “Q” in it. It stuck. Many of my friends
only know me by Max. I write using the pen name L. Maxine McQueen.
I’ve finally learned to like it. ……even if the world isn’t ready to
let it return as a revival of such.
My Mac’s name was Kent. He had no middle name and that is a column
itself. Do you realize how many forms demand a middle name or
initial? I’m here to tell you……. countless, numerous, a myriad!
Luckily, he was a Junior, so he just used that as his middle name or
“J” for the initial and the world accepted it.
Upon finding out my name is Lois and Mac’s was Kent; there were many
that teased us as Superman. Clark Kent and Lois Lane. I. Hated. It.
It made my teeth itch. Mac with his easy-going nature, could care
less one way or the other.
As I mentioned, upon realizing that their friends Mac and Max were
actually Kent and Lois, friends would question why. We always
explained we were in the witness protection program and if we
explained the entire situation we would have to kill them.
Now this got me to thinking about other names. For instance, the
name Curt. The word means brusque, abrupt, blunt or terse. Why would
a parent name their child such? Well, Curtis comes from the old
French work curteis, pointing to a person with good manners or
courtly behavior. Or the Germanic roots meaning brave counsel. Yep.
I’m confused,also.
Let’s go with the name Mark. It’s a surface blemish, a symbol a
sign, a score, a standard or a victim.
The name though is derived from the classic Roman name Marcus. It’s
linked to Mars, the Roman god of war, giving the name associations
with strength and valor. It has biblical roots because of Saint Mark
the Evangelist who wrote the second gospel and is the patron saint
of Venice.
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How about names that are also nouns, such as: Rose, Ivy, River,
Sage, Wren, Pearl, or Forest. (Yes, like in ‘Run, Forest, Run!’)
Adjectives can also be names. Joy, Sunny, Earnest, or Frank. Here
are some names that became adjectives. Queen Elizabeth
I//Elizabethan (a mixture of the old English and the ruder Italian
of the Renaissance} …...Alfred Hitchcock//Hitchcockian…... (themes
including obsession, fear, and paranoia) …...George
Orwell//Orwellian (unfortunately it’s an antonym of its inspiration.
It became synonymous with the type of dystopian and authoritarian
society his word warned about.
We can’t forget the verb names……Sue (who can forget Johnny Cash in
‘A Boy Named Sue?), Pat, Jack, Don, Grant, Josh, or Ace.
How about Picasso’s full name….Pablo Diego Jose Francisco DePaula
Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trini
dan Ruiz y Picasso?” How’d he ever get that name on his kindergarten
paper?
Next, let’s get into the fun of names of things we probably don’t
even think about. Overmorrow is the day after tomorrow. Isn’t that
cool? Slip that into your next conversation about meeting up with
someone.
I use interrobang in this column regularly. It’s the punctuation
mark combining a question mark and an exclamation point (?!).
Do you suffer from dysania? That’s the condition of finding it
difficult to get out of bed in the morning.
How about the word tittle? We use it all the time. It’s the dot over
an “i” or “j”.
You musical people will know this one…. vocables…the ‘na na na’ and
‘la la la’ which don’t really have any meaning in the lyrics of a
song.
The Minds Journal listed anatomical terms such as…...lunula/the
pale, half-moon-shaped area at the base of a fingernail…rasceta/space
between the thumb and index finger (also called the purilicue) ….
glabella/the smooth area of the forehead between and slightly above
the eyebrows…...gnathion/the lowest midline point of the chin…...columella/the
strip of tissue between the nostrils…hallux/anatomical name for the
big toe.
For those of us that love pizza the cornicione is the outer part of
the crust on a pizza and the tiny plastic table placed in the middle
of a pizza box is a tent.
“If names are not correct, language will not be in accordance wit
the truth of things.” Confucius
Al Pacino, “They say we die twice…once when the last breath leaves
our body and once when the last person we know says our name.”
L. Maxine McQueen
may be contacted at
maxmac.1@juno.com
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