How Reed Got His Name

I feel like naming a child is one of the most nerve-wracking things you experience in life. There are SO. MANY. OPTIONS. What if their personality doesn't match? What if they don't look like a "Gertrude" or a "Frank"? What if 5 other kids in their class are named "Katie"? What if you love the name, but you know other people won't?

You do you, mom & dad. If you love it, especially if it has meaning, then go for it!!

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REED OTTO RICHARDS

Origin

Reed: The name originated as a nickname for someone with red hair or with a red, ruddy complexion. 

John has red hair, so there was/is a good chance that our kids will too. Reed hasn't shown many signs of becoming a ginger yet, but only time will tell. John didn't fully transition to a ginger until he was a bit older.

Otto: An element meaning "wealth, prosperity".

I was always proud of the fact that my name means "cheerful". My greatest hope for Reed is that he lives a wealthy and prosperous life (not just financially, but that helps too!).

Reed Richards = Mr. Fantastic 

John has a Master's Degree in History. He wrote his thesis on the topic of "How Comic Books Shaped Youth Culture in the 1930's, 40's and 50's," which basically translates into the fact that he got to live out his childhood dream and was given a free pass to buy/read as many comic books as he wanted for a solid two years.

The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. Richards possesses a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and electrical engineering, chemistry, all levels of physics, and human and alien biology. BusinessWeek listed Mr. Fantastic as one of the top ten most intelligent fictional characters in American comics. Wikipedia

Luckily I really like the name Reed because I'm not sure I would have had the choice to choose any other name. This literary reference is just a little too perfect to ignore.

Great Grandpa

The name "Otto" comes from Reed's Great Grandpa, George Otto. My Grandpa was the patriarch of our family and someone who an entire community looked up to. He accomplished so much, including graduating from Stanford as an orthopedic surgeon. When he passed, we were lucky enough to inherit an entire wall full of diplomas and awards from his career. I look forward to Reed being able to see the name "Otto" on all of those when he grows up to see what an amazing man he is named after.

Keith Richards

Keith's daughter has a son named Otto Reed. Unfortunately the baby's last name isn't Richards, but either way this is a pretty cool coincidence.

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So, in conclusion, I don't think Reed could have a more meaningful name. Before he was born I was concerned that there wasn't going to be any nicknames with a name like "Reed" since it's so short. As soon as he was born, we immediately started calling him Reedo. For some reason it took me weeks to realize that we literally named him Reed O. We call him Reedo so often, I think some people think it's his real name!