Naming your child after a street

Willow has the same name as the street we live on. The name came first (I chose it over ten years ago) and we just happened to buy a house on a street with the same name. When we saw the house, I commented to Mark that this was the name I wanted to use for a girl. Then the girl came along and we used it.

Our street is well-known in our community, so many people assume the street came first, and that we named her after the street. It’s noticeable even by people who aren’t from the area, if I recite her name and address and the same word appears twice.

One pregnant friend said that inspired her to consider street names for her daughter-to-be. Though she settled on another name, she did seriously consider her street name, Darrah.

“It’s a new source of names that people don’t really think of,” she said. “Why not look to streets for inspiration?”

I wonder whether Willow will find this special or annoying. I wonder whether River will be disappointed that there aren’t any streets nearby with his name. If nothing else, hopefully Willow won’t have trouble telling people where she lives should she ever get lost. Or perhaps, she’ll be remembered as the girl with the same name as her street, and someone can lead her home.