A number of people have asked us about the origins of Anna Justine's name. Here are some tidbits (probably much more than you wanted to know!) about how we chose her name.
Anna means "gracious and merciful" in Hebrew. Our names (Seth and Elizabeth) are both Hebrew in origin, and we wanted to continue the tradition with our own children.
In the Old Testament, the story of Hannah tells of a "barren woman" (not a fan of that term, by the way) who prayed every day for a child and promised that if God blessed her with a child, she would dedicate him entirely to God. God answered her prayer and sent her a son, Samuel (incidentally, my maternal grandfather's middle name). After a time of praying for our own child, we are blessed beyond measure to have one of our own.
In the New Testament, Anna is a prophet who prophesies when the infant Jesus is presented in the temple. She was married for seven years, then after losing her husband at an early age, devotes her life to living in the temple to worship, fast, and pray. Rather than spend the rest of her days dwelling on loss and unfairness, she chose to embrace life and devote herself to ministry and caring for others. This resonates with me, as I am someone who is constantly striving to do the same.
Anna is revered as one of the first figures exemplifying feminist theology. In her book Taking Up the Cross, Barbara E. Reid writes: "That Anna is a widow provides an interesting lens on her prophetic ministry. The Greek term for 'widow,' chçra, means 'forsaken,' 'left empty.' Instead of being forsaken, she forsakes her home in Asher, in the north of the country, to take up residence in Jerusalem. Rather than one 'left empty,' she fills her days with fasting and prayer and prophecy. The Hebrew word for 'widow,' almanah, has at its root the meaning 'unable to speak'; a widow is one not spoken for. Ironically, as one 'not spoken for,' she speaks as God's mouthpiece for her people." The figure of Anna embodies qualities we hope to cultivate in our daughter. Instead of being defeated by life's challenges, we hope she will devote herself to positive thoughts and actions and a life of service to God and others. Instead of staying silent, we hope she will speak up for her convictions and be an articulate voice in the world. (No pressure, right??)
Anna is also a popular name in Norway, paying homage to our Scandinavian heritage. The name Anne/Ann/Anna also appears on both sides of our family tree. Ann is the middle name of Seth's maternal grandmother, my middle name is Anne, and my great-great-aunt (a professor at St. Olaf) was named Anna. There is also a miniature china tea set (for dolls) that has been passed down to any woman in my family with the name Anne or Anna. I received it from my great-aunt, also named Elizabeth Anne, who received it from her Aunt Anna. It's in a glass display box, which will hang somewhere in our home with a description of all the Annas who have had it before her.
Last but not least, it is a subtle nod to my most favorite heroine and wonderful role model, Anne of Green Gables. :)
Justine means "just, fair" in English, and also has French origins. And, totally by accident, it happens to be a combination of our mothers' names, Jean and Christine. And no, it's not because I'm a lawyer. It was Seth's idea – he just loves it! And so do I.
Lastly, it just so happens that Anna and Justine are the names of two lovely, musical women whom my brother loved and respected greatly (and so do I—they are both terrific friends of mine). In fact, both of them appeared as guest musicians on Eric's college senior recital! We didn't name our daughter after either of them, but I really like knowing that Eric likely would have approved of the choice.
Justine means "just, fair" in English, and also has French origins. And, totally by accident, it happens to be a combination of our mothers' names, Jean and Christine. And no, it's not because I'm a lawyer. It was Seth's idea – he just loves it! And so do I.
Lastly, it just so happens that Anna and Justine are the names of two lovely, musical women whom my brother loved and respected greatly (and so do I—they are both terrific friends of mine). In fact, both of them appeared as guest musicians on Eric's college senior recital! We didn't name our daughter after either of them, but I really like knowing that Eric likely would have approved of the choice.
