Happy Birthday to a boy whom I may only know through the internet but love dearly nonetheless, and a big congratulations to his parents who are going through some changes themselves!
My son was named before he was conceived. After being married for a few months, my husband and I took a trip from Virginia to see his family in Missouri. While we were there, we went to visit his father’s grave. I had only ever heard his father referred to as Jerry, his first name, but when we saw the gravestone, I saw that his full name was Jerry Everett. Driving home from the cemetery, I commented to my husband that Everett was a nice name. He told me that his father was named after a favorite Uncle Everett and that the name had been used for generations in his father’s family. Then he said, “Maybe it’ll be used again.”
A few months later, I had a very vivid dream where I was talking to a young man, about 18, who was trying to decide if he should go into the Army or go to college first. He looked an awful lot like my husband. When I woke up, I asked my husband if he had any cousins about 18, that maybe we had met on our recent trip and I had forgotten about. He didn’t, but the mystery was soon solved . . . I found out I was pregnant with our first child about a week later.
We both agreed almost immediately that his name would be Everett. I humored myself making lists of boys and girls names, but I was certain from almost the moment of conception that it was a boy and his name would be Everett. When my grandfather Joe passed away during my fifth month, the middle name Joseph became obvious as well.
We got a lot of wrinkled noses from family and friends about the name (it was too old, too uncommon, hard to say) but we never wavered for a second. He has been Everett Joseph always.
Happy Birthday, my big, beautiful, strong, smart boy who looks exactly like his Daddy. This year, you will be three, start school and welcome a baby sister. We love you so much, Everett Joseph!
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
What a lovely, lovely story. Happy Birthday, Everett! And I can’t wait to hear what you name his little sister.
Congratulations and Happy Birthday! Its wonderful that you chose the name you both loved and was meaningful, instead of giving in to others’ opinion on it.
I enjoyed your story so much! Happy Birthday, Everett!
I had a great-uncle whose middle name was Everett (Erwin Everett, born 1904). Your post has made me curious about the name: I see it was #94 in 1904 and last year #320 — higher than I expected. Everett is an ‘everpresent’ name — steadily in the SSA Top 1000 every year since 1880, peaking at 81 in 1906 and never lower than 647 (1995). So where, I’m wondering, did Everett originate? “Oxford” says Everett is “the transferred use of the surname, a variant of Everard…(which) was in regular use in the Digby family of Rutland from the 15th to the 17th centuries, probably as a survival of the Norman name.” The meaning of Everard is given as “hardy, brave, strong”. “Penguin Reference” says of Everett: “English surname that was taken up on an occasional basis as a first name among English speakers towards the end of the 19th century.”
Everett Joseph – an excellent name and so meaningful for your son.
Happy birthday, Everett! Such a sweet story for a sweet boy
Thanks everyone! We enjoy him so much.
Patricia—we surmise that Everett was probably a surname at some point in my husband’s family tree, maybe a maiden name that a mother started using on her sons? He is of German and Welsh ancestry and the area of the country where his family has been for generations is heavily populated with Germans. My guess is that the original “Everard” got corrupted to “Everett” upon the family’s original immigration to the Us in the 18th or early 19th century. His heritage is mostly poor farm folk, so there aren’t many written records of the family tree. My ancestry is Italian and my family tree is full of last names corrupted in translation from the old country to the new.
I also figure that the Everard last name must have been fairly common in Germany during that time period and the Everett corruption thus became known in the US and soon jumped to first name status.
PS Wondering how my Great-uncle Erwin Everett got the name Everett, I looked at my family tree on his mother’s side and see that his grandfather (his mother’s father) had Everett as his middle name too: Walter Everett, born 1831. Now I’m wondering if Everett might have been a surname in the family, perhaps on Walter’s mother’s side. Might Everett have started out as a surname in your husband’s family as well?
I think I took to genealogy because of the names. So fascinating to learn the names of ancestors that we’ve never heard of before and know very little about. Also fun to try to discern why ancestors chose the names they did for their children.It sounds like the name Everett may have some hidden stories in your family; maybe someday you’ll discover more about them!
Everett has always been a favorite name of mine, as well. My maternal grandfather was Everett Eugene. My Mom intended to name me Everett Eugene II and call me “Buck” like my Grandpa if I was a boy. She actually ended up naming my little brother, Joseph Everett. I’m hoping to use it some day for one of my own!
Dear Everett, Happy Birthday to You! You are adorable and you have a beautiful name with its own great story.
Happy Birthday Everett!
Happy Birthday!!!
Happy Birthday, Everett! Great story- thank you for sharing!
What a sweet story and what a beautiful name! Happy Birthday, Everett
!!! Happy Birthday Sweet,Funny,Adventurous Everett!!!
Thanks for sharing Mimi
I agree with pps. It’s a beautiful story, a beautiful name. Congrats!
Love,
Marie (BayAreaBrown)
Happy birthday!Love the story, and the name. Had this little one been a boy he would have been Everett Clark.
Happy Belated Birthday!
Happy Birthday, Everett! I have loved his name since the Old BBC days. I don’t think I heard the full story of his name, and I think it makes the name more charming! You did a great job! Please let us know what you name his little sister.
Everett is a name I love, and have considered to use. When I was pregnant with Zafira, before I knew the gender, I had a co-worked who went by his middle name of Everett. He strongly suggested that I name the baby after him, so that persuaded me away. He was a larger than life character, and long gone from my workplace.
It’s a name I love, and glad that you used it even though you received less than postive feedback from some.