What’s in a Name?: The Meaning Behind Our Names
By Tara Clark
So many factors go into choosing a name for a baby. Family tradition, culture, trends, movie characters, you name it! (No pun intended.) Everyone’s name has a story behind it.
I’ll tell you mine.
When my mother was pregnant with me, Charlie’s Angels was a popular TV show and the star of that show was a beautiful, perfectly coiffed blonde named Farrah Fawcett. Farrah was everywhere. On TV. In fashion magazines. On posters.
When my parents had to decide on a name for their new daughter, they couldn’t agree on one. My father liked the name Sara, but my mother thought it was a little “plain” for her. Since she liked the name Farrah so much, she played around with it and decided on Tara. Tara was a popularly trendy name in the late 1970 and early 1980s. Growing up I knew many Taras who were my age, and have never met a child named Tara since then. If you know any, let me know!
Recently, I found the coolest gift called Name Stories. It’s a beautiful piece of printed wall art which explains the definition, origin, and history of your name and includes adjectives that describe it.
Tara means “elevated and exalted.”
The adjectives are honorable, hard-working, patient, practical, responsible, determined, reliable, industrious, intelligent.
It’s pretty cool that my name has two main origins. One from Irish mythology: Tara is the center of the universe, a spiritual sanctuary for their ancient gods, later established as the hub of royal and political power where the Lia Fáil (“Stone of Destiny”) was said to howl when the rightful High King of Ireland was chosen. Incidentally, Tara is also the name of the Hindu goddess, from Sanskrit meaning “star.” (Either way, I’ll take it!! It sure does make a girl feel special!)
Name Stories explore the essence of names through rigorous research that traces their linguistic origins, meanings, context, and relevancy through time. Part science, part art, the Name Stories process is intense, scholarly, and driven by an insatiable passion for the curious words human beings call themselves. After all, every name is full of life. Telling its story keeps it alive, and helps us learn not just about each other, but ourselves. The Name Stories products celebrate the essence of our identities by showcasing namely narratives in a beautiful, artistic rendering that’s worthy of being treasured for generations.
Name Stories makes a perfect birthday gift, baby shower gift or Valentine’s gift. It is a beautiful heirloom that can last a lifetime.
My Name Stories print is going to hang in my office to remind me of my adjectives.
Honorable. Hard-working. Patient. Practical. Responsible. Determine. Reliable. Industrious. Intelligent.
I am Tara.
To research your name or order a gift, visit Names Stories.
