and a bubble burst

A 'Getting to Know You' meme, that I've seen some other blogs do (though, namely stolen from here.) Maybe you'll learn something!

1. How did your parents decide on your name?
I believe it was from a character in a TV show that came out around the time I was born, but my parents couldn't remember which one? Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, Mom. It also wound up being very popular the year I was born -- there were four Caitlins in my ballet class when I was 4, but there are so many different ways to spell it and pronounce it, even when I meet another Caitlin, (or Caitlyn, or Kaitlin, Kaitlyn, Katelyn...you get the idea...) I still feel special. Heck, I feel more special when I find one that's spelled and/or pronounced the same way. Name twins!

2. Do your initials (First, Middle, Last) spell out anything fun/funny?
I'm a CON! And if I take my boyfriend's last name, I'll turn into a COP, which he finds hilarious.

3. Did you take your middle name from childhood or did you take your maiden name as your middle name? (If unmarried, what do you plan to do?)
I really like my middle name, O'Neil (my Mom's maiden name,) and I want to keep it when I get married, but I feel some guilt not keeping my Dad's last name, Nelson. However, they mean the same thing (Son of Neil, just from different Western European origins,) so that makes me feel a little better. Plus, there are boy cousins who can keep my Dad's family name alive, so I don't have to feel as guilty.

4. Are you or will you name your children thematically (ie. same first letter, all of same origin…)
Hah....no. Unless you count names I like as a theme. =P I'm not a big fan of thematic names.

5. Did you decide on baby names as a little girl? Did you stick to them or change your mind?
I'm not a very maternal person, I don't think, so the earliest I remember ever picking out baby names is high school. The end of high school, after I'd finally decided that yes, I do eventually want to get married. That being said, a lot of the names I like are probably going to drive my kids crazy, because they aren't normal names. Specifically, I'm into names of Celtic descent. But I like other things, too.

6. Does your family have any names that have been passed down through generations?
No? Not that I'm aware of.

7. Do you look at the meaning of the name or just the name itself?
I don't usually look at the meaning of the name when I'm deciding if I like it, but I do like to know the meaning of the names I like. Does that make sense?

8. Do you name pets with human names (Sally, Henry) or with pet names (Fluffy, Mr. Bo Bo)?
We don't have any pets right now (sad face!) but all our animals had pretty animal-y names: Friskie, Nala, Shortstop, Kobi (whose full name is Kobayashi Maru...yay for Star Trek?) Scout, Amber (I guess I do know human Ambers, but she's named that because she's amber-colored,) Hemingway, Rio. My parents had cats before I was born named Robert (a bobcat...Bob the Bobcat. Very original) and Vanessa, but the other three cats were Fizzbin, Ernie and Little Kitty. And we fostered a Pomeranian named Winston for a while when I was in high school, but that's not a very popular name. Unless you were born in the 1800s in Britain. We like animals.

9. Are there any names that you have an affinity or dislike for based on a childhood experience/someone you once knew?
I tend not to like names that are (very sterotypically) for "preppy" girls (e.g. Tiffany, Britney, other names that end in y?) or old-fashioned girls names, e.g. Ingrid, Martha, Barbara, cause they tend to sound...well...old. Sorry, just how it is.

10. What are some of your favorite names? Why?

Boys
Neil
Jameson
Kieran
Neason
Tobiah
Reilly/Riley/Rilee (last one for girlz, not dudes)

Girls
Celeste
Leila
Sofia
Cecelia
Keely
Isidore

edit: plz add Kylie (Kiley, Keilly?) to the list, as well as Emma/Emaline (maybe my thematic names will all be from Ben Folds songs...)
-C