Meredith

Throughout my life I have met only a handful of fellow Merediths. I can think of only two famous Merediths, Meredith Baxter and Meredith Brooks (singer of one of my fave songs!). There are also a few men with the last name Meredith (Don Meredith, Burgess Meredith, etc.). I'm used to repeating my name several times for new acquaintances and I know that people will invariably spell my name incorrectly. (BTW, the only correct way is my way.) So it is with some surprise (and delight) that I've come to this realization: my name is en vogue. It seems that everywhere I turn I hear my name on television, movies, etc.

I first heard Meredith in the remake of the "Parent Trap" movie starring Lindsey Lohan. Unfortunately, the Meredith character was not a nice person but I don't count her as a valid Meredith because she had blond hair and blue eyes. Next, the lead character on ABC's hit "Grey's Anatomy" is named Meredith. Fortunately, this Meredith is very sweet (even if she does have a disastrous personal life). Grey's Anatomy has quickly become one of my favorite programs, and not just because of the excellent character naming. THEN, I heard that Sarah Jessica Parker's character's name in her new movie, "The Family Ring", is also Meredith. From what I understand she's not such an interesting character so we'll have to see how she develops in the movie. Also, on a recent episode of "Alias", one of the character's had a wife named Meredith. And just last week I learned of another Meredith on the show "7th Heaven". What going on?! Suddenly Meredith is the hot name in Hollywood! I should also mention that my good friend Amy just named her little girl Meredith. I've always said that Amy has good taste.

Growing up I always liked the name Melissa better than my own but as I've matured I've come to love the uniqueness and beauty of my Christian name. When I was young I always wanted a cool nickname but never really had one. I don't like the nickname "Mare" because I'm not an old horse. Chase finally came to the rescue with his inability to correctly pronounce my name. Before his language skills developed, whenever he tried to say "Meredith", it came out "Merf". And thus was born my nickname.

Meredith is of Welsh origin and means either "guardian from the sea" or "guardian of the sea". When I was younger I took this meaning seriously and combined with my love of marine life, thought it was destiny that I'd be a marine biologist. But then I realized that not possessing an aptitude for science and biology is a major problem if you want to be a marine biologist. Fortunately, right around that time, the political bug bit me and I decided that I could do just as much guarding of the sea on the House Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation Wildlife and Oceans. So I will still fulfill my destiny, just in a different capacity.

While it's very cool to hear my name on the big or small screen, it is also rather odd. I find myself wanting to answer whenever I hear, "Meredith?" on television. So usually I oblige with, "What?" (Especially when Dr. McDreamy is calling the name!) Just a 25-year-old reflex. It will be interesting to see if Meredith remains a popular Hollywood name. I also wonder how many little girls will be named Meredith as a result of the current media saturation. I have a feeling that in about 20 years I'll meet a young woman who will tell me she was named for a Meredith character on television. I'll tell her that regardless of how she got the name, she's fortunate to have such a lovely name.