Baby born in France, named Canard (“duck”)

duck

In 2021, the most popular baby names in the French commune of Périgueux were Anna/Iris (tied) and Jules.

The name Canard, on the other hand — the French word for “duck” — was only given to one of the 1,513 babies born in Périgueux last year. That baby was Dyklan Canard, born in August of 2021.

What’s the story behind Dyklan’s unusual middle name?

The baby’s grandfather, tattoo artist Jean-Christophe Bret-Canard, said that his own mother, Georgette, had been a war orphan during WWII. Originally born into a family travellers, she was abandoned in 1943 in front of a church in the town of Châtellerault. She was cared for in an orphanage until, several months later, she was was adopted by a man named Georges Canard, “a French soldier who later worked on the railways and was engaged in the resistance.”

Jean-Christophe has always seen his mother’s surname as a source of pride. He sports a number of duck tattoos — his tattoo parlor is even called Duck — and he gave all four of his sons the middle name Canard.

And one of those sons, Mike, continued the tradition last year by passing the name down to his own son, Dyklan Canard.

(I discovered this story via Appellation Mountain — thank you Abby!)

Sources: French baby named ‘Canard’ is heir to tragic but proud family history, Une famille de Dordogne explique pourquoi elle a appelé son fils “Canard”, Périgord: pourquoi cette famille a choisi de donner “Canard” comme deuxième prénom à son enfant, En Périgord, “Canard” peut aussi être un prénom

Image: Adapted from Anas platyrhynchos male JdP 2013-05-02 by Marie-Lan Nguyen under CC BY 2.5.

Baby name story: Cameron

Illustration of the COVID-19 virus
COVID-19 virus

Diana Crouch of Texas contracted COVID-19 pneumonia in August of 2021, when she was 18 weeks pregnant.

She was admitted to a hospital in Houston and placed on a ventilator. When her condition didn’t improve, she was moved to a life support machine. (Diana suffered “a heart attack, multiple seizures and a stroke on one particularly severe day in September.”)

In November, after gradual improvement, Diana’s condition “plateaued.” So her doctor, Cameron Dezfulian, performed a C-section on November 10. (The baby wasn’t due until January 9.)

Diana was finally released from the hospital on December 23.

She and her husband decided to name their baby boy Cameron Andrew Crouch — first name in honor of the doctor who they credit “with helping to save both Diana and Cameron’s lives.”

Sources: Pregnant woman who nearly died of COVID names baby after Texas doctor who treated her, Parents name baby boy after doctor who treated mom for COVID-19

Image: COVID-19 virus (CDC)

Baby born into June family, named April May

month of April

In March of 1995, Richard and Lorine June of Florida welcomed their third child — another baby girl.

Their first daughter was named Nicole, and their second was named Brooke. For the third, they went with “April May” to create the full legal name “April May June.”

The idea first occurred to them when Nicole was born. [Lorine] recounted that her husband said, “Wouldn’t that be funny?”

“And I said, “No, we better not do that,'” she recalled.

A couple of babies later, though, they changed their minds. “It gets harder to think of names as you go on,” Lorine admitted.

Richard’s father Ralph believed it was inevitable. “With a name like June, it was bound to happen sooner or later,” he said.

Source: Clendening, Roger. “Her parents love their little calendar girl.” Tampa Bay Times 17 Apr. 1995.

Image: Adapted from The Antikamnia Calendar (1898)

Baby name stories: Adlai

Baby Adlai Stevenson Isenhower with his mother (Aug. 1952)

Several of the 1952 babies named after Adlai Stevenson were featured in the newspapers.

One, born in mid-August to Mr. and Mrs. Ben R. Isenhower of Chatsworth, Georgia, was named Adlai Stevenson Isenhower. His older brother, Dwight David Isenhower, had been born eight years earlier and was (of course) named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, “whose forces were then spearheading the European coastal invasion.”

Another, born during the wee hours of the morning on election day (Nov. 4) to Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Smith of Richlands, North Carolina, was named Adlai Stevenson Smith.

Sources:

  • “He’s Named, Win or Lose.” Evening Star [Washington, D.C.] 4 Nov. 1952: A-2.
  • “Political Influence.” Kokomo Tribune 28 Aug. 1952: 23.