How We Named Keith

This weekend Keith turns one! I am so excited to celebrate our little man. Today I thought I would share how we picked out Keith's name. I love the process of naming our boys and still adore the names we picked for both The Brothers.

Brian and I decided to keep our kids names a secret. We wanted people to be excited for the names we picked as opposed to trying to change us or swaying our opinion because of their likes or experiences. I loved the big surprise of introducing our kids to our family and telling them what we named them. It was so special to me to have our little list (we never decided ahead of time) and in the stillness of a hospital room cradle our little baby and name him with my husband. For us, it was the best way to name our kids. 

We did share the middle name with people ahead of time. Keith's middle name is Brooks after me. My middle name is Brooke. My sister was named after my mother and my younger brother was named after my father. I was named in a more random way after a friend of my Dad. I wanted my kids to have family names so they were meaningful like my siblings. We narrowed Keith's middle name down to Brooks after me or Archabald after my grandfather. In the end Keith and Brooks fit best together so that is how his middle name was won. 

Keith's first name we picked from a list of Scottish names because of my family heritage. We wanted a name that was easy to spell and pronounce but that was not commonly used. Brian really wanted a shorter name with few nickname options and I wanted a name with meaning. We were quite picky when it came to naming both our boys but it is a life long gift to your kids to take the time and make sure it can't be teased and that it flows well with the last and middle name. We liked the names Callin, Caleb, Keith, Kevin, Zachery, Nolan, Sean, Archabald, Graham, Griffin, Kellen, Calvin, Grant, and I am sure several more I can't recall. When we went to the hospital we narrowed the list down to Caleb, Keith, and Nolan. 

Hours after Keith was born my sister brought Shane to the hospital and we got to listen to Shane call Keith by all three names so we could hear how it sounded but nothing really stuck. We enjoyed our time with our little family and then Rachel and Shane left and Brian and I pondered the names. We liked them all but lots of friends had been using the name Caleb and Keith and Nolan did not have the meaning I was looking for in a name. Then Brian looked down at Keith and said "He looks like a Keith, I think that should be his name." I still was not totally convinced but as I thought about it Psalm 23 came to mind; He leads me by quiet waters. Keith means dwells in the woods and his middle name Brooks fit so nicely as a woodsman type name. Keith was a sweet little thinker to me.  I could see him being still in the Lord, dwelling, meeting God in nature and suddenly that name fit. It was perfect! It fit all of our desires in a name and now Keith would not be anyone else but our sweet little Keith Brooks or KB as sometimes his mama calls him.

How did you name your kids? Did you share them or keep them secret? Did you have one picked out or need to see them first like Brian and I did? I would love to hear!