“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Maybe, but I’ve got some new thoughts about names.

I have a cousin named Katrina. I’ve always loved that name—and my cousin. But today, if you say “Katrina,” it’s not my cousin that comes to mind first. It’s the devastating hurricane that killed more than a thousand people in 2005. The city of New Orleans was one of the hardest hit, and damage from the flooding can still be seen today.

Erma Bombeck has always been one of my idols in writing, but if you say her name today, I immediately envision torrential rains and tall pine trees swaying ominously, which was the view out our back window when Hurricane Irma blew through our area in 2017.

“Milton” is not a common name these days, but it always made me think of Milton Berle, the actor and comedian referred to as “Mr. Television” back in the early days of TV. Or Milton Bradley, of board game fame. And until a few weeks ago, the only “Helene” I could name was Helene Curtis, from the cosmetics and hair care company. If you said the name “Ian,” I used to think of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond. Or the esteemed actor, Sir Ian McKellan.

But not anymore. Now all of these names instead make me think of the major hurricanes and tropical storms that share the name.

This all reminds me of an episode of Criminal Minds—a TV show about FBI profilers who hunted down serial killers—in which one of the main characters and his wife were expecting a baby. The father-to-be was lamenting the fact that they were having trouble picking out names for the baby, because every one they were considering was the name of a famous serial killer, or one that his FBI unit had tracked down. Of course, it doesn’t make sense that they then ended up naming their son “Jack.” After all, Jack the Ripper was one of the most famous serial killers of all time.

To Shakespeare’s question of what’s in a name, I have to respond, “A lot more than meets the eye.” Especially when they’re as closely associated with storms and serial killers as they are with actual people. I hope that changes sometime soon. What I’d much rather see—in names and in the world—is more Hope. Grace. Faith. And Joy.

And no hurricanes allowed.

October 21, 2024
©Betty Liedtke, 2024

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