Dear Jennifer,

I know that you and your sisters own and run this site, so here’s my question to you: what did you name your children and why? Are there stories/meanings behind your own baby names?

P.S. Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,
Anna V.

Dear Anna,

Thanks for asking! I’ll start with my own “baby,” Miranda Margaret. Miranda was my mother-in-law’s maiden name. I’ve always loved the name because it was not too popular, and was also a Shakespeare name, from the play The Tempest. Margaret was my mother’s name, so we were able to honor both grandmamas.

My sister Kate has two sons: Dwight Donald (aka “Ike”), named after his father and my father, respectively, and Peter Austin. Peter was my grandmother’s maiden name and Austin the other grandmother’s maiden name.

Mallory has one daughter, Veronica Lee. Veronica was inspired by the rich and beautiful Veronica Lodge from the Archie comics, and Lee is the middle name of the eldest of Veronica’s aunts on either side.

Although I never really put it together before writing this, I guess we did have sort of a family naming pattern!

Happy Holidays,
Jennifer Moss