What's In A Name?

Names are a vital part of the human experience. How often do you meet someone, hear their name and say: that’s not right for you, or yep, dead on. The Chihuahua named giant.  The Doberman names princess.  The baby named Maude.  The elderly woman named Tiffany.

I have a relevant experience in this area. A college professor always called me “Tom” not “Jon”.  Of course, it makes sense in a large college, hundreds of students, only speaking to a student once or twice in a semester.  But… I went to Carroll College, small class sizes, class discussions of 12-13 students. Also, I had said professor for 4 different classes as he was one of a handful of English professors. No matter what I tried, and my classmates who corrected him, he saw me as Tom ( he did enter grades under my correct name- even more bizarre). 

Names also have a special place on our farm. Recently we had a group of students over to help us shear, they were amazed that not only do all our sheep have names, I know them ( does my wife? I’ll let you ask). They struggled to fathom looking at a sheep, who looks the same to them) and knowing if its Jane or Ginny.

Our Icelandics have always had strong , Nordic names. As the Norse Vikings settled Iceland, it seemed appropriate. So we’ve had a Freya, a Freida, a Magnus .  As I also enjoy Marvel movies, we’ve had cross overs - Oden, Loki, Sif, and Moljnir. No Thor , as yet, that’s a big name for a sheep to live up to. So is Oden, but he was a magnificent ram who lived up to his name. Our newest lamb, Volstagg, will hopefully be a mighty warrior. 

The Finns were less entertaining, we didn’t want to go Viking here. So we Googled Finnish names and have a Yanis, a Keesa. 

My favorite names are the Shetlands. Shetlands are a Scottish/ English breed. As an English teacher, and quite the nerd, I went literary. We have a George ( George Elliot), Jane ( Jane Eyre), Ginny ( Virginia Woolf).  Our new lambs are Mary ( Shelley or Wollstonecraft) and Milton ( John Milton).  I’ve had to deep dive this lambing, however.  We change the first letter of lambs every year-M is up.  Mary and Milton were easy, no Googling. Marie? That was harder to track down, but indeed there is an author from England named Marie Corelli.  I must confess I have not read that one.

The newest breed- Babydolls- have a combination of whimsy and history ( as I teach that too). Upon seeing her new lamb, my wife instantly said “ He looks like a teddy bear”.  And he does. So if we named one Teddy, historically, the wether had to be Franklin.   By a strange twist, we are hosting a 4H show lamb for a young lady who lives in town.  The sheep’s name: Eleanor.

I must confess, however, that not all names are perfect, and not all sheep are different.  We bought a herd that included two large, white wool covered ewes.  I first thought they were Rambouillet, as I am not a great identifier of common sheep breeds.  Rambouillet's are French, so the girls became Chloe and Clementine.  Oops.  I was later informed they are, in fact, Targhee.  But Chloe and Clementine they remain, even though they are so alike the names are interchangeable.

My final favorite sheep names relate to the two French girls.  One of the ewes in the herd we bought was id’d as Targhee early on.  Targhees were created (bred and modified from Rambouillet, Corriedale , and Lincoln) in Idaho. They are meant to be the true “Western sheep” that survive the tough conditions this area of the country throws at us.  What else can you name a sheep breed from Idaho? Spud.  And when Spud lambed, her ewe lamb was Tater.  

Rick Riordan says names have power.  That is true.  Just ask my college English professor: Dr. Whatshisname.