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How Ryan Got Her Name

RYAN ELIZABETH RICHARDS

Unlike the story behind Reed's name (click here to read about that), Ryan's didn't come as easy to me. Going into the process of naming our second child, I had one main requirement: it must start with an R. 

 I'm a little more than obsessed with the Kardashians and the brand they've built. I always knew that I wanted both of my kids' names to start with an R so they can create an RR empire together, like the KK empire Kris Jenner leads.

There actually wasn't much discussion about her name. Once we confirmed we were having a girl, we had a pretty short conversation until John got settled on the name Ryan. I was very hesitant about it until I consulted my sister and besties who all confirmed they loved it. Bonus: my Mom's maiden name is Ryan, which helped seal the deal for me.

I was hesitant to announce her name at first because most reactions have been along the lines of:

1. "Isn't that a boy's name?" Steph and Ayesha Curry did it, so I can too. 

2. "Do you have any other names picked out?" No.

3. "People are going to mistake her for a boy." In print, yes that will probably happen.  However, according to Fortune magazine, there's a major bias when it comes to hiring based on male vs. female names seen on resumes. I hope gender discrimination is long gone by the time she's in the job market, but if not, giving her a "boys" name is potentially going to help her career. 

4. Would you have named your son Ryan? No, probably not. We probably would have gone with Riley. 

I found this blog post written by a girl named Ryan and found it pretty entertaining. Sorry baby girl if we set you up for a lifetime of this: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/faq-girl-named-ryan

I'm pretty sure John and I have always agreed on our future daughter's middle name being Elizabeth. Elizabeth is my sister's and Grandma's middle name. Reed and my Grandpa share the middle name "Otto" as well. My Grandpa and Grandma are two people that John and I have always looked up to and are honored to be able to name our kids after them.

So far the only nickname she has is Cryin' Ryan. As Reed says, "Mommy, Ryan's cryin'!"
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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!


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Welcome to my blog!


Hi and welcome to my blog! I'm starting this family blog as a way to document memories for our family and to share some of our adventures and projects with the world. Back before I had kids, I was pretty dedicated to my crafting blog, which was a fun way for me to share my DIY projects and get some of my work out on Pinterest. It lead to many creative side-hustles and one of my posts has even been shared over 39,000 times on Pinterest!



Alot has changed since then. Every space in my previously perfectly clean home is covered in superheroes and swaddle blankets, our spare bedrooms are now converted into kids' bedrooms, and my craft room is slowly becoming a play room. These past 2+ years of parenthood have been the best years of our lives though and we wouldn't change it for anything! 

I have lots of posts saved up ready to share, so I hope you follow along as we take on some creative projects and fun adventures! 

Follow me on Instagram to see more of our behind the scenes. My Insta stories are pretty much still all of Reed at this point, because every parent knows that the 2 year old runs the show. 

xoxo Hilary
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