I tried to brainstorm non-pregnancy topics for the blog, but what can I say? I’m 35 weeks pregnant and I have baby on the brain! We haven’t kept our baby name a secret, but we also haven’t made a big announcement. Word, get ready to meet Lyla Rose Cude! I thought I would share the story behind her name for those curious and anyone who may be in need of baby name inspiration!

Andrew and I both have middle names that were passed down from family members. I’m named after my great-grandmother Myrtle Rose. She and I had a very special connection. By the time I was old enough to really interact with her, she had suffered a stroke which took away most of her verbal abilities. I would sit with her in her chair and she would pat my hand and hug me, unable to speak. Once, after sitting with her for a while, my aunt asked me if Grandma had said anything to me while we were together. I instantly replied, “No, but I heard her say she loved me in my head.” She passed away when I was four. Through the years, I’ve learned more and more about the woman she was, the impact she had on my dad’s life and therefore my life, and about the things she and I shared in common. Needless to say, I wanted to pass her name on if I was ever blessed with a daughter.

With a middle name of Rose already chosen, I knew I wanted her first name to be Southern, timeless (not trendy), and a little bit unique. I love my name because it’s not a name you hear every day, but it’s recognizable. I have a soapbox about “different” names. If you give your child a difficult name, their first interaction with every person they meet will be correcting them. I chose a name that could be easily pronounced and spelled.

In the spirit of full transparency, I got the name Lyla from the show Friday Night Lights. I thought it was so pretty and I didn’t get tired of it over the years. It’s also fitting that my daughter’s name would come from a TV show, because my first name came from the TV miniseries “North and South.”

Andrew and I are both very Type-A, so we had our baby names picked out when we were engaged. If you’re struggling to choose, I would say you’re probably over-thinking it. I know it’s a huge decision, but if you think about it that way, it’s almost paralyzing. Decide what’s important to you in a name. If you’re uninspired, try searching popular baby names through the decades. Or dive into your family tree and look at middle names and maiden names as well as first names. You just might have a hidden gem somewhere in there!

What about you? What’s the story behind your name or your child’s name? Tell me in the comments, I’d love to hear it!