Some interesting names are those of towns in Florida: Howey In The Hills, Two Egg, Port Lonesome. Each has a story, like Two Egg, so named because during the depression a family would barter two eggs for sugar twice a week. It became a witty saying and it stuck!
Family names are quite similar, as last names can have many meanings: The name of the area lived in, task performed, family lineage.
You can find out something about your name at Ancestry.com. It confirmed that my family name, Bath, stems from the region in England where the hot springs were used for bathing. Maybe my ancestors ran a "Bath House." Who knows?
First names are often an interesting mix: honoring a family member, sometimes chosen for the meaning of the name, other times simply being creative. A friend who teaches in Maryland shared with me this creative name of a student: La-a, pronounced, La-dash-a!
During Biblical times, names often expressed some personal characteristic, or some hope or prayer of the parent; thereafter the child embodied it, and saw it as a personal vow and made his life an effort to realize it.
Interesting names require character on the part of the one named and all of us try to live in such a way as to give our names meaning, character, and value. I am quite sure that you encourage your children to "live up to the family name!" In other words, represent the character and meaning of the name in your daily life.
An illustration of this comes, perhaps apocryphally, from ancient Greece: One day a soldier accused of cowardice was brought before Alexander the Great. The king asked him what his name was.
"Alexander," he said.
"I can't hear you," the king declared.
"Alexander," the soldier replied a little louder.
"I can't hear you," the king repeated. "Alexander," the man declared.
"Either change your name," the king directed, "or change your conduct."
Today, we don’t change names very often except in a covenant relationship such as marriage where each party expresses their commitment towards the other. You can see this in Biblical times after people had an encounter with God; after Abram was called to leave his homeland and follow God, he became known as Abraham; after Jacob wrestled with an angel, he became known as Israel; after Simon son of John met Jesus, he became known as Peter. Each time the new name declared a change, a new relationship.
In a few days University Community Health will be getting a new name. One that grows out of a new relationship. One that speaks of the significance of UCH’s long standing commitment to health care in our community and one that advances the 100-year legacy of Florida Hospital’s mission into a new community.
A new name, a new commitment, an expanded legacy to "live up to" and to "live out" every day as you care for those who trust you with their ills.
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