Names. How important they are. I like my name. While I am no "Women’s Libber," I am proud of my maiden name. I have always used it when writing. Of course, I am proud of my married name too. Except for a few ancestors who ran moonshine, I don’t think there are any renegades on either side. Actually, I am a cousin, about fortieth removed, to Martha Washington.

Popular names comes and go. From the late 1800’s until the mid 1950’s, Thomas and Mary were always among the top 3 names. By the 1980’s, Thomas had dropped to the twenty-first most chosen name and Mary to the thirty-seventh. Thomas and Mary were replaced by modern names like Kaitlin and Brad.

Everything has a name. Even collective wind has an identifying label. Storm names are agreed upon by the World Meteorological Organization. Serious storms over the Atlantic have a rotating six-year list of names. Look for Rafael in 2001 or Isabel in 2003. The Eastern Pacific can look for Carlotta in 2000 and Javier in 2004.

Is it supposed to be an honor to have a storm named after you? Name a blooming flower after me. Name a celestial star, "Nancy Lee," if you must, but not a violent sea storm.

Buddy served on a Destroyer ship named the U.S. Chevalier II during the Korean War. I asked him how ships got their names and he readily supplied answers. Battleships are named after states. Submarines after fish. Cruisers are identified with cities. Destroyers are named after heroes. He wasn’t sure who Chevalier was though. Even the Internet was no help.

There is a dog breed named Chevalier. Even an actor. But Chevalier II remains a mystery. Surely a reader will know.

Nancy, though, isn’t an usual name. My parents considered naming me Martha Frances after my mother and an aunt. In the early 1940’s, being named after a family member was common. My middle name, "Lee," came from my maternal grandmother, Claudia Lee Smart. She was a godly woman and a tremendous influence in my life. I am proud to be named after Grandma. But my first name came embarrassingly close to being Lu Lu.

For days after I was born, my parents hotly debated my first name. As I was being dressed to leave the hospital, the head nurse told my folks they HAD to have a name for the birth certificate. My Daddy picked up the newspaper. He turned to the comic page, ran his finger down the strips and said, "That’s it. We’ll name her "Nancy." So now you know.

At least it beats Olive Oil.