Names

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet;" Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 Scene 2 lines 43-44
"Not if you call them 'Stench Blossoms'." Bart Simpson, The Principal and the Pauper

Usually just two words, and in some cases just one, are enough to identify a person and it is this which makes names so important. We wanted to avoid giving our child a name that was either obscure or common; we sought to provide an identity without ostentation. Anything remotely associated with a famous person was immediately rejected. In fact we agreed to avoid naming our child after anyone, as this could create only one friend but many enemies. The problem was that although all people are unique, no name is (yes I know I've just ended a sentence on a preposition, but I can't think of another word for "unique").

We eventually agreed on Cate, which by spelling with a "C" paid homage to the Celtic blood in both our families and also made the name special but familiar. We realised how familiar when settling down to watch the Lord of the Rings.