What's in a name?

About 17 years ago this month, I was pregnant with my first child.  When Tom and I found out it was a little boy, we were so happy---but I came from a family of 4 girls then 1 boy.  I really thought my first child would be a girl so I had a ton of girl's names ready to go in my mind.  Oh, I had a few boys names that I liked but honestly, never thought I'd use them for my first child.  Then, as Tom and I were talking about what we would name him, the name Kohler came up since it's a family name in Tom's heritage.  Tom had actually thought more about having a son than I did and he actually loved this name and wanted it for his first son.  I have to be honest---this name meant nothing to me when he said it.  The only connection I knew with the name Kohler was that is was a bathroom/kitchen finishings store.  I didn't want my child to be named after a toilet brand!  I immediately fast forwarded to junior high and envisioned kids teasing him about his name and I was worried.  I didn't put up an outward fight with Tom, but inwardly, I was really struggling.  I prayed about it over and over again, and to my surprise, it felt right for him.  So, we named him Thomas Kohler Chamberlain, after his grandfather and father, Thomas.  We didn't want another Tom Jr., so we decided he would be called Kohler.  

Through the years, I have often wondered how he felt about his name.  I have asked him if he is ever teased about his name because I never hear him complain about it.  Then, just last Friday morning, I sat down on my computer and found this essay that he wrote for his English class on my screen.  It touched me so much and I asked him for permission to copy it for my family records.  Here it is:

I Am Me

            My mother and father were the ones that gave me my name.  I was named after my great grandmother’s maiden name.  My grandma’s mother was named Geneve Kohler.  She died when my father was very young so I never knew her. My name is very unique and I love it because nobody else has that name.  My name is very rare because I have never heard someone called that before.  Since no one has probably ever heard of that name before, nobody has ever made fun of me for being called Kohler.  My name fits me and I am pretty sure that people are fine with it.  The main name, by which I am usually called, is Kohler, although Kohler is my middle name. My father’s name is Tom, and my first name is Thomas.  So to make things easier, I was just called Kohler.  But some of my nicknames that I have had in the past are, “Thomas the choo-choo Train,” “Koka-Kola,” (with a K for a C), ”Cold Cuts,” ”Kohler Smash,” and a couple others.  These nicknames mainly reflect me for being strong and funny. I also got most of my nicknames from my friends at football.  But my main name that I go by is just Kohler.  My nicknames are commonly used at football practice, but rarely outside of practice.  The nicknames that I have been given don’t offend me, but sometimes the ways people say them can.  I would not change my name, mainly because it is unique and special to me. I have never heard of anyone else called Kohler besides a kitchen and bath company called, “KOHLER”.  But, I love my name and I really believe that names and nicknames can reflect who you are and what you do.  I wouldn’t change my name anyway because I need to honor it and because it is my great grandmother’s maiden name. I like my name the way it is!

Do you know how happy that made me feel to know that my son loves him name?  I am so glad that I trusted my husband and listened to the Spirit when naming this boy.  He is a very special human being that will do many great things in this life with that name, especially if he is proud of it and will honor it always.