What's in a Name? That Which We Call a Rose by Any Other Name Would ... Be a Meme?

Catherine Elizabeth "Kate"; née Middleton

Catherine Elise Blanchett

I've been meaning to write this post for months, but I kept putting it on the backburner and neglecting it.

It was only from listening to a podcast this week at the ABC 'Head Room' show by a guy named James Valentine called 'Endangered Names' that got me back on track with this post -
Endangered names

"Why doesn't anyone call their child Garry or Wendy any more?

Names that were popular in the 60's have fallen off the popularity charts in favour of Charlotte and Oliver.

Why?

And what are the consequences of certain names?"

I couldn't help thinking of David Bowie's song 'Valentine's Day' when I saw James' surname;-)

I had become fascinated with the idea of whether given names (and even surnames) were as randomly given out as we would think in life, or whether that decision is made on a higher plane of consciousness, if not a higher plane altogether.

Rosemary's Baby?-)

It was actually the name Elizabeth that got me thinking about all of this "a name as meme" thinking, as I was reading the book (still am) 'Eat, Pray, Love' after having watched the movie for the second time in my life ... both months ago now ... and the guy in the book and movie who becomes Elizabeth's "soul mate" had an ex-wife in Australia named Elizabeth, too.

Elizabeth Lowrie wants the last word after the success of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love

"We all recognise the name Elizabeth Gilbert. She took us on a journey of self discovery as she declared the end of her marriage and went travelling to find solace in life.

Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love became an international bestseller and was adapted for the screen starring Julia Roberts as Gilbert.
During her travels Gilbert met new beau Felipe (real name: Jose Nunes), a Brazilian born Australian. Both were recovering from divorces.
Back in Australia Nunes ex-wife, Elizabeth Lowrie, was surprised to see her divorce which she perceived to be amicable described quite differently in the press.

Everyone seemed to be talking about Nunes ‘bad divorce’.
Now Elizabeth Lowrie has set the record straight in her new novel Committed Undone.

Lowrie has dedicated her book to:
“... all the women who work hard to make their divorces gracious.”
Struggling with issues of grief and betrayal Lowrie took herself on a trip to connect with friends and family but most importantly with herself.

She visited The Grand Canyon and spent six weeks meditating in a Buddhist retreat.
“This book is written simply to tell the truth as I lived it.

I just want my voice to be heard.” Lowrie said."

Now there is an idea for another movie maybe?-)
But what also struck me at the time about the name Elizabeth was the "Elizabeth Fraser saga" unfolding at 'The Secret Sun' blog about the Scottish singer's connection to Jeff Buckley and his father Tim's 'Song to the Siren', because Elizabeth Lowrie lives at Hervey Bay in Queensland, Australia and Hervey Bay is in the Fraser Coast Region of Queensland, Australia, which is across from Fraser Island, which is named from -
"Eliza Fraser and her story of survival from a shipwreck on the island.
Captain James Fraser and his wife, Eliza Fraser, were shipwrecked on the island in 1836.
Their ship, the Stirling Castle, set sail from Sydney to Singapore with 18 crew and passengers.
The ship was holed on coral while travelling through the Great Barrier Reef north of the island.
Transferring to two lifeboats, the crew set a course south, attempting to reach the settlement at Moreton (now Brisbane).
During this trip in the lifeboats, Captain Fraser's pregnant wife gave birth in the leaking lifeboat. The infant died soon after birth.
The Captain's lifeboat was becoming more and more unseaworthy and was soon left behind by the other lifeboat which continued on.
The sinking boat and its crew was beached on what was then known as the Great Sandy Island. Whether the survivors died due to disease, hunger, exhaustion or battles with the native population will never be known for sure; most likely a little of all of the above.
Captain Fraser died leaving Eliza living among the local peoples.
She was rescued 6 weeks later by a convict, John Graham, who had lived in the bush as an escapee and who spoke the Aboriginal language."

Elizabeth (Betty) Boop, Rose McGowan and Hollywood's Pop-cultural 9/11?
Just sayin'...everything is connected in some cosmic way and names are a big part of it ... at least I think so ... Boop, Boop e, doop;-)
The Call of Cthulhu?!

Eat, Pray, Love(craft)?-)

I guess it's hard to write a movie about a life that is still on the journey.

The Great what?
Don't answer that:-)

I used to hate my first name (Darren) when I was growing up in the early '70s and wished that I had a "normal" name like most of the other boys in my class, as "Darren" wasn't a popular name until later on in Australia anyway.

My mother claims it was her who wanted the name Darren for me because she liked the singer Bobby Darin, but don't ask me why she spelled it the Irish way.
Bobby Darin's birth name was Walden Robert Cassotto, so I got off lightly in hindsight.
I could be walking around hearing people calling me Walden right now.

I wonder if that song also carries a curse?-)
Cursed Songs?

Song To The Siren by Bonniemarie

I like the above definition from 'Urban Dictionary' of my name the best and I noticed it was posted by Dernage on September 22nd, which is the day before my birthday of September 23rd.
I think that I need to get a new key-ring made up for my next birthday.
That is a hint to one of my sons, Kevin or Sean;-)

St.Kevin, Hollywood, 42 and Reflection

Heaven knows how the names we choose, or are given really come to us I guess?-)
Love on the Rocks ... A Fool's Journey?