When my son was born in 2005, we wanted a different name.
We knew we weren't going to name him Matt or Tom or Dan. All fine names — they just weren't for us.
At the same time, I also knew I didn't want my child to have a weird name.
Different, not weird, was my game plan.
I suggested all sorts of names. Reed is still probably my favorite.
But in the end, my son's dad convinced me to let us call our baby “Rye.”
It is now no longer a name but just him. When I say “Rye” now, I don't think of anything but my beautiful child.
Some of you, I'm sure, think the name is weird. I don't. I think it's short and powerful and — if you want it to be — a reference to J.D. Salinger's “Catcher in the Rye,” a classic literary work.
Besides, with a middle name like “Watson,” my son could have a great pen name, if he decides he wants to write the next great American novel.
Rye Watson. How powerful is that?
Imagine my surprise, though, when I entered “Rye” into our new names finder — called “Oh, baby! Let's name it” — on momaha.com.
There is another one!
My Rye isn't in the database because he was born in Colorado, but in 2006 in Nebraska someone gave birth to a baby and named him Rye.
He is the only one of the 500,600 babies born in Nebraska over the past 20 years named Rye.
How crazy would it be if both boys named Rye end up at the same school?
Veronica Daehn Stickney is editor of momaha.com.
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