 do. He loves the heroism of the saints like Fr. Emil Kapaun. I am probably the Sherlock Holmes and he is the Watson. I am constantly looking, reading, investigating, and telling him about someone new I read about. I would be lost without his Captain Obvious skills in pointing out the nicknames that might arise if certain names are given to our children. (i.e. Ben Boever [bend over] — probably shouldn’t name a child Ben. Although, we did name the baby we miscarried Benedict)
Kate: Do you take nicknames into account when you’re choosing first names? Like, maybe you like a nickname and back-fit into a first name from there (you like Beth so you choose Elizabeth)? Or you hate the nickname Sam so you cross off Samuel/Samson/Samantha from your list of considerations? Or do you just choose names you love and don’t mind the nicknames that arise naturally?
Lindsay: Nothing is off limits. Like I mentioned above, I feel like a scientist to the degree that I take apart names and dissect them like no other. I love discovering the deeper meaning and origins to each particular name all the way back to Greek and Latin roots. I love discovering who which saints had devotions to. I love knowing the saints’ confirmation name, their parents’ names, where they were born, which parish they attended, which convent or monastery they were apart of, which symbols are associated with them. I love discovering what they loved and honoring them in that way.
We have a terrible case of the nicknames. Our poor children. I don’t know how to break the habit. Everyone has so many nicknames that it really should bring into question why we spend so much time giving them their legal name. I love it though!
Kate: What are some of your ideas that you never got to use? Or that you’d love to see others use that might not be quite right for you?
Lindsay: My sister, Kristin, is married to man that immigrated from the Ukraine when he was 8-years-old. There are 16 children in his family. Their culture, families, and food are so fascinating. I LOVE all their names, but they certainly have a Russian tone. We aren’t Russian so they just don’t quite work. A few that stick out are Reuvum, Edict, Slavic, and Milana. I love so many Russian names, but they just don’t fit our Irish/German/French heritage.
I also love the idea of Irish names with their unique spellings and pronunciations.
Kate: I think I remember that you’re from a big family, is that right? And your husband as well? So you probably have a bunch of nieces and nephews—what do you think about cousins sharing names? Or even the children of a close circle of friends?
Lindsay: Yes! I am the second of ten children. John is the second of eight children. God has given our children many cousins on both sides which is so very wonderful. John’s parents have 40 grandchildren so far and my parents have 31 grandchildren so far. We both have siblings that are newly married and several unmarried. We look forward to each new birth like it is the first. There is no greater joy than baby days in our families. It truly is wonderful and celebrated each time.
Amongst our families, everybody is so wonderful about sharing names and actually, I think most would deem it an honor if someone used the name that you have already used. Ironically, we don’t have any doubles yet. I love the names everyone has chosen and some that stick out are Scholastica, Athanasius, Magnus, Avila, Abraham, Rome, Edith, and Marian. Although, I love all the names our siblings have picked out. Everyone is so thoughtful and intentional with their names.
Now amongst our friends, it is a different story in regards to repeating names. We live in Lincoln, Nebraska and Catholicism is certainly alive and well in this wonderful place. There are many repeats and it certainly seems that everyone just knows that LIFE is certainly in abundance in our parishes so names are going to be repeated. It truly is a wonderful problem to have. I love gatherings especially when there are 7 Georges present, 5 Peters and 3 Marias.
Kate: You told me you’ve helped some of your friends with their baby naming—would you mind sharing some of your favorite final results?
Lindsay: Oh Yes! I think my close friends know my love for beautiful names. I had a few friends ask what names I had discovered during their pregnancies.
1. My friend Kristi has five children. She loves traditional and family rooted names. With their 4th child (baby girl), they were stuck on what to name her. I woke up one morning, called her and said, “Her name should be Evelyn.” Kristi immediately went, “YES! That’s it!” Come to find out, it was a family name and worked out so perfect.
2. My friend Leah was pregnant with their 4th child. They had three boys and asked what baby girl names I had been cooking up. They specifically wanted a biblical name. They liked unique, yet shorter names. I suggested, “Lael.” She immediately said, “YES! That’s it.” ‘Lael’ means ‘one who belongs to God.’
3. My friend Emily and I were sitting one afternoon watching our girls during ballet practice. We were both due about the same time with our 8th babies. I was due a few weeks before her. We were talking names and mentioned they were stuck on what to name their baby boy. I said, “Here! Name him this! I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote ‘Campion’ for St. Edmund Campion.” I told her if we had a boy, which we probably won’t, but if we do, we will name him either Kapaun or Campion. She loved it and said her husband was just reading about St. Edmund Campion. Well, I DID have a boy and we named him Kapaun. When Kapaun was born, she texted me and asked if she could really use the name Campion. OF COURSE!!! Do it! So now we have Kapaun Boever and Campion Villa a few weeks apart. She told me she kept that piece of paper I wrote his name on and put it in his baby box. I love that story!
Wasn’t that just the most wonderful interview?! Aren’t you just as a-swoon with Lindsay’s naming sensibilities as I am? So very many thanks to Lindsay for giving us a peek inside the Boever Family Naming Process, and please all remember to pray for her and her baby and family!
💐💐💐
36 thoughts on “Celebrity guest: Lindsay from My Child I Love You”
I just love these stories! What lovely, faith-filled, thoughtful, intentional names! Thank you for sharing your family and your faith with us!
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So sorry for your losses, Lindsay, but congrats on the upcoming arrival!! I followed Lourdes’ story before and after she was born, and she is truly an inspiration.
Re: #10, have you ever read “A Woman Called Damaris” by Janette Oke? I love that book!
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Lindsay is such a gem. She set the bar high when I was a little girl and has been a role model for life. To Heaven!!
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What a beautiful thing to say!!
This was so great! I just had a friend name one of her twins Claivaux! I have a special love for place names so Clairvaux has been a name I’ve loved for years. I think it’d pair so well with my daughter Cana! Here’s to hoping she’s blessed with a sister one day!
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Oh yes, Cana and Clairvaux would be amazing sisters!
What a truly beautiful and joyful post! I loved reading each of these stories! And I appreciated the insight that St. Zélie Martin really was named for the azalea. I really thought this, despite modern dictionaries only listing the spelling “azalée” for azalea in French. Given Lindsay’s prodigious reading and research, I take that as confirmation!
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I love this! Such a good idea for a post. Thanks for sharing, Lindsay!
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This was a great interview!! I’ve always wanted to ask Lindsay all of these same questions as she has beautiful, original and meaningful names for all of her children. Thank you to both of you!!
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Hello! What a lovely post!
I was wondering if I could get any advice on naming a miscarried child? I don’t even have any naming experience to draw from because this is my first child. I feel terrible because I didn’t even know I was pregnant until I wasn’t any longer. If I had known, maybe I would have gotten to know his or her name. Thank you
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Ohh Mary Kate, I’m so sorry for your loss! I did a post on gender-neutral names for miscarried babies (), inspired by this post at A Blog About Miscarriage () — you might find those to be helpful (be sure to read the comments as well!). Some people choose names they like that they’d feel uncomfortable