Women's History Month: Names

March is Women's History Month and as such Geneabloggers' prompt today is: Do you share a first name with one of your female ancestors? Perhaps you were named for your great-grandmother, or your name follows a particular naming pattern. If not, then list the most unique or unusual female first name you’ve come across in your family tree.

My name is unique within the families. My mom always said she wanted something smooth to flow with the harsh Ruczhak. I however thought of family names when naming my children!

My oldest is Mary Theresa is named after my maternal grandmother - Mary Rose. My Mary would have been named Mary Rose as well but with a last name of Eckman, I did not think her initials would be appropriate (MRE), especially since I married into a law enforcement/military family. Theresa was simply selected then because (I was Catholic at the time) my favorite saint then was St Theresa the Little Flower. (Photo at left here is my maternal grandparents: Lloyd and Mary Rose Welsh Still).

With the twins, I thought I was having one of each. Anna was always obviously a female and Zorina was always a bashful breech so yeah I assumed!

Anna is Anna Mabel, after both our grandmothers. Anna is my Baba's (paternal grandmother) name. Mabel is the hubby's paternal grandmother. It flows nicely and it is kind of an old fashioned name which fits nicely since people tell me Anna has an "old soul"! (Photo at right is my Baba & Gigi - Anna Kurenda & Joseph Ruczhak).

Zorina ... like I said I could have sworn we were having a boy so we decided upon Joseph Frank, after my dad and both our grandfathers. Daddy and Gigi (my paternal grandfather) are both Joseph. Glenn's dad is Frank. And then she was born ... and  Poor Zorina was quite the surprise. (The photo below and to the left is Glenn's dad - Frank Eckman).

We could have gone with Josephine Frances since both are actually family names as well. Josephine is his Aunt Jo and Frances is Baba's mother but I do - to be honest - like either name. As much as it pains me to admit my first thought when I hear the name Frances is the Talking Mule so that would just simply not work for my kid! She finally got Zorina Katharine. Zorina was Glenn's choice - a female heroine from the first sci-fi book he could recall. Katharine was the name I had arbitrarily selected for the child we lost.

We have so many unique names in both families that it would be difficult to select any one name as the most unique family name. All the same, my girls all have special names, unique to them.