What’s In A Name?
So, an explanation of Cambren’s name is probably due. While no one yet has actually gasped out loud or shouted, “How horrid!”, it has been amusing to see the vague looks of confusion and unease when people first hear his name. Some have asked for clarification: “Did you say Cameron?” Others have chewed on it: “Cam-buh-ren… Cam… Bren…” And a few have actually just taken it in stride: “Cambren huh? That’s great.” I’m thankful for this last group, although I have to wonder if some of them would even bat an eye if we named our baby Lemon Jello.
So where did the name come from? The simple answer is that we made it up. Yep. Believe it or not, every name started that way somewhere. Ours just started here. Technically, we aren’t the first to use the name, just among the first (as web searches have since shown me), but we arrived at it on our own all the same. It was inspired by “Cambria”, which was the ancient Roman name for Wales (part of Britain).
What does it mean? Lisa and I decided to give Cambren the meaning “Trustworthy Ally” — the kind of guy that you would want for a brother. We didn’t pick that totally out of the air — it goes back to the Welsh root. To keep it really short, Cambria was a latinized form of the welsh Cymru, which is thought to derive from the old brythonic word Combroges, which meant “compatriots.” Probably because the Welsh could be counted on by the Brits to stand with them against the marauding Anglo-Saxons. Or something like that.
But if that’s too messy of an explanation for you, just go with “they made it up because they liked the sound of it,” and you won’t be too far off the mark.
9 Comments So Far
2. Clint wrote:
That’s cool, Trish. I guess mispronunciations and misspellings just come with the territory of having an unusual name. Ultimately though, I think it’s those unusual names that are the most memorable.
3. AutDancer wrote:
Well, you could have only have named your child Lemon Jello if you were Frank Zappa, or some other rich and famous dude, to protect them from all the people that would beat him up. Still, I bet Dweezel Zappa and Moon Unit had their share of difficulty.
4. Lisa Weber wrote:
I think Cambren is neat. It’s FAR better than Lemon Jello (or Orange Jello - those people should be sterilized), better than 4real, better than Urhines Kendall Icy Eight Special K!
(and here’s hoping my coding works…)
5. Clint wrote:
That is hilarious Isa! I’m half afraid to ask, but could his first name be pronounced “Your Highness”? Wow… there is definitely a line somewhere, and I think Special K’s parents crossed it.
6. Mrs. T wrote:
I like Cambren =) - the name and the person. =) Rebekah’s name is always spelled wrong. When people shorten it to Bekah they want to change it completely to be spelled Becca. It’s frustrating =) My sister even did it on a sweatshirt for my mom that has all of the kids’ names on it. Poor Bekah is the only one that got misspelled. Even my browser underlines it as if to say it’s spelled wrong. =(
7. Clint wrote:
LOL Heidi. Yet another reason to turn off those goofy spell-check features! I like the way you guys spell Rebekah. I think that gives it more of a classy, old-testament sort of feel.
9. Maureen Williams wrote:
not sure anyone reads back this far but if you do you will be happy to know that Penn Gilette’s daughter Moxie Crimefighter Gillette and Jason Lee’s daughter Pilot Inspektor probably know how they feel. And in the mispronounciation category Seamus (pronounced shamus with a long a) is in the 50/50 category which is more then I expected. Often it’s said Sea-mus as if referring to the red sea.
1. Trish wrote:
I love it when names mean something special to the family. My Allicen is named after great grandma Alice, just modernized a bit. BUT it is ALWAYS mis pronounced, and mispelled. It sounds “allison” just like the other spellings. But I love the different spelling, I sat while I was pregnant and tried to figure it out. 2 L’s? 1 L? sen? cen? Allicen. She likes it too.
Thanks for sharing this Clint!!