April 06, 2021

A Boy Named Sue by Bob Jones


Johnny Cash made it clear that “life ain't easy for a boy named Sue.” Names matter. They have meaning, purpose, and shape destinies. Naming can feel like a heavy parental responsibility. Or, choosing a name can be a joyous opportunity. Months before our firstborn entered the world, my wife and I started our search for names before we knew the gender.

 

A girl would be Natasha, for no other reason than Jocelyn liked the mystery of the name.

 

For a boy, we wanted a strong name, the kind that would suit a hero. We liked “Cory” because one meaning of the name was “brave hearted.”  We chose “Daniel” for a middle name, after the Old Testament hero known for his courage, faith, and tenacity

 

“Congratulations. You have a boy!” And so it was settled – Cory Daniel Jones.

 

Twenty-five months later, Jocelyn was about to deliver our second born into the world. This time we knew the gender so our search for the perfect name was simplified. John Mark, a disciple of Jesus, caught our attention. We wanted our boy to grow up to follow Jesus and because we were living in Quebec we chose the name, Jean Marc.

 

Their names took on an unexpected life of their own. Jean Marc worked well for the first six years of his life while we lived in Quebec. Moving to Alberta introduced him to how a name can get messed up. His 1st grade teacher pronounced his name as “Jeanne.” His classmates told him he had a girl’s name. To them Jean (pronounced without a French accent) sounded like "Sue." We didn't want him to grow up to be a fighter so intervention was required before our first parent-teacher interview. That’s when his older brother started calling him “JM.” Ironically, both sons would become known by the initials of their name - Jean Marc as “JM” and Cory as “CJ.”

 

Jocelyn made up songs for the boys based on their names and serenaded the boys so often the words are on easy recall to this day.

 

Over time, they became respected names. The boys' athletic abilities and competitive natures earned them honors on a school-wide basis. They helped lead their teams to championships in basketball, volleyball, football, and track and field. Both boys were named “Athlete of the Year” four years running by their Junior High and had their names engraved on plaques and trophies at their High Schools.


Cory and Jean Marc are the best of friends, teammates, and heroes to each other's kids. They are living out the character of their combined names - brave, courageous, tenacious, disciples of Jesus.

 

What's in your name? What is the story behind how your name was chosen, especially if your name is Sue. 

 


I write to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose.

Please follow my writing at REVwords.com

I would love to hear from you.

21 comments:

  1. I am genuinely fascinated by the topic of names and enjoyed hearing about the whys and hows of naming your sons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did you know your name means "brave"? I think it suits you well.

      Delete
  2. What a joy to read about your children's names and how they were decided.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Vickie. Did you know your name means, "victory"?

      Delete
  3. Thank you for sharing how your son's live up to their names!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lynn. Did you know your name means "waterfall"?

      Delete
  4. I love this tale of naming your children! Thanks for sharing :)

    Damyanti Biswas

    ReplyDelete
  5. Enjoyed reading your post about your children's names. Loved the title.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Brenda. Did you know Brenda means "high, noble or exalted"?

      Delete
  6. I'll have to use "A Boy Named Sue" for my blog. Thanks, Bob, for the idea.

    I named one of my rabbits Gideon because he was a little fellow who got into plenty of mischief. He once dug out the phone line from the baseboard and chewed it through. I wondered why my modem wouldn't connect. He also chewed up quite a few letters under my bed.

    Of course some of his mischief backfired. He loved sitting on the toilet lid. One of the bolts broke and he hopped up as usual. But the lid slid and he fell into the toilet. The smart lad learned his lesson and never hopped up there again.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I always love your stories about rabbits, and especially the one about Gideon. Keep multiplying.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love this - and how you and your wife really embraced anointing your children with strong names - and walked with them to keep on blessing in every season/situation. And - I like the names you chose!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And did you know your name means "a collection of the best and most beautiful?" The Dayna of writers.

      Delete
  9. It was wonderful to read how intentional you were in giving your children their names, Bob, and then accompanying them on their life journeys to achieve their potential.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you, Sandra. The meaning behind your name, "God is my judge" is so rich.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Pastor Bob...Love reading your posts to start the day. Your name was popular for many centuries.
    From the Germanic name Hrodebert meaning "bright fame", derived from the Germanic elements hrod "fame" and beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to Britain, where it replaced the Old English cognate Hreodbeorht. It has been consistently among the most common English names from the 13th to 20th century. In the United States it was the most popular name for boys between 1924 and 1939 (and again in 1953).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for commenting and for the backgrounder on my name. Some of my favorite people who first names Robert, not the least of which is Robert G. Orr of the Boston Bruins.

      Delete
  12. Loved this! I do think it's very meaningful to give our children names that they can rise up to. We named our children based only on ancestry and what sounded nice to our ears, but of course we dearly love them. ;)
    Pam M

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is no more important sound than the sound of a person's name. Thank you Pam.

      Delete
  13. Thanks, Bob. It’s so interesting to not only find out what’s in a name but also how different it can be in different cultures. When I was on a class tour in Paris and told the French bus drivers my name they laughed and laughed. It took me by surprise at the time but I chuckle at the memory.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to join in the conversation. Our writers appreciate receiving your feedback on posts you have found helpful or meaningful in some way.