there aren't many around
In last Saturday's Advertiser, I read a story about an Adelaide barrister, named David Stokes, who had recently (last year) come out as a woman.
Transgendered.
She now comes to work in dresses and high heels, make up and dangly earrings, the whole works.
Not a problem, she's been accepted by her peers, uses the women's bathroom, no one is fussed and she is now very happy as Heather Stokes.
Here's the paragraph that caught my attention.
"I chose the name Heather last year because....it was relatively uncommon. There aren't a lot of Heathers around."
She's right.
I knew a Heather in primary school.
Since then, not a one.
I've lived in South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, twice, Victoria, also twice, and now back in South Australia for the last 27 years.
Not one Heather.
Yet it is such a pretty name.
Transgendered.
She now comes to work in dresses and high heels, make up and dangly earrings, the whole works.
Not a problem, she's been accepted by her peers, uses the women's bathroom, no one is fussed and she is now very happy as Heather Stokes.
Here's the paragraph that caught my attention.
"I chose the name Heather last year because....it was relatively uncommon. There aren't a lot of Heathers around."
She's right.
I knew a Heather in primary school.
Since then, not a one.
I've lived in South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, twice, Victoria, also twice, and now back in South Australia for the last 27 years.
Not one Heather.
Yet it is such a pretty name.
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Reminds me of another name I knew in grade school and never since: Sherry.
ReplyDeleteThere are about a zillion older Heathers here. They are all about mid-40s usually. But. No Bronwyns or Bronwynns at all. I think that is just an Australian thing.
ReplyDeleteI don't personally know any Heathers but it is a nice, soft name. Reminds me of something with a sweet aroma. Ha
ReplyDeleteYou are so right... apart from Heather Locklear (whom I don't know personally), I don't know a heather either!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your recent comments on my blog I seem to have lost your email address from gmail, as I usually respond via email, so I don't want you to think I'm ignoring you :)
My daughter has two long-time friends named Heather, but I can't think of any others I know with that name. (Did you ever see the movie "Heathers?" Maybe that movie scared people off the name for a while.)
ReplyDeleteHeathers is one of my all time fave movies, there are 3 of them in that!
ReplyDeleteWe have a neighbour called Heather and someone on my blog list has that name.
ReplyDeleteIt is a pretty name. One of my sis in laws is called Heather
ReplyDeletehttp://blossominginthemountains.wordpress.com/
Heather is a beautiful name indeed.
ReplyDeleteHooray for Heather and her colleagues. I have known two Heathers, but have lost touch with them both. It is a very pretty name though...
ReplyDeleteJoanne Noragon; I haven't known any Wendys or Rosslyns since then either.
ReplyDeleteHappy Elf Mom; another old name, I don't think I've ever known a Bronwyn.
Manzanita; Heather is a plant that grows across the moors in Scotland, with soft purple flowers. I would imagine it to be something like lavender. I must google it and see.
gaby@727m2; I'd forgotten about Heather Locklear, probably because I'm not a fan.
Susan; I've never seen "Heathers", is it really scary enough to turn people off a name?
Fenstar; I'll have to get hold of a copy and watch it.
Andrew; Nice to know there are still a few Heathers even if I don't know any myself.
Blossom; a sister-in-law! As sweet as the name suggests I hope.
The Wicked Writer; it is pretty, perhaps I'll have a great grand daughter with the name one day.
Elephant's Child; I wish there were a few more Heathers. Perhaps the newspaper article will spark a new interest and we'll see a few pop up in the birth notices.
Maybe it's an uncommon name downunder because 'heather' isn't such a common flower? I've only ever known one! But I'd much prefer that name to the WAY overdone Kylie!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't believe I know any Heathers either....
ReplyDeleteRed Nomad; before Kylie Minogue appeared on Neighbours I'd only ever known one Kylie, a lovely little girl with waist length thick curly hair.
ReplyDeleteDelores; I've never known a Delores until I met you.
I like the name Heather... I have a great niece called Heather and a friend of my daughter had a a little girl called Heather....
ReplyDeleteHugs
Barb xx
True. I only know of one Heather - distantly.
ReplyDeleteHuh. You're right. My good friend, Heather, who is in her fifties now, is the only one I know. Interesting how names go in waves, isn't it? My daughter named her daughter Hazel. Now I hadn't heard that name in forever!
ReplyDeleteMy Canadian great-niece is called Heather. It's funny how names go in and out of fashion.
ReplyDeleteI did know a lass named Heather back in the 1950s and also had a wonderful penpal named Heather that lived in New Zealand. She would be about 85 now if she was still alive. Obviously there were many Heathers 'way back then' but I know of none in our world right now.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Neubeck; it's a wonderful name and since there is Scottish ancestry on my ex husband's side I'm surprised there aren't any Heathers in there.
ReplyDeleteVicki; I haven't known any since 1965.
Diane Tolley; names do go in waves. Which must be annoying in school classrooms where the teacher finds herself (himself) teaching maybe a dozen kids with the same name. We have several Hazels here in Aus, an ex-prime minister's wife was a Hazel.
jabblog; I wish Heather would come back into fashion. Everyone seems to be going for the filmstar copying, with weird names or weird spellings.
Mimsie; My primary school friend would be 61 now. Even back then there didn't seem to be too many around. There were more Lorraines, Jaquelines and Pamelas and plenty of Sallys.