Two days ago, I asked on Facebook: Why Did You Choose Your Child’s Name? An aunt, niece, and two sisters responded. For example, Nanette answered about another niece: “Lynnae’s name was chosen as part of my middle name and adding the ‘ae’ to make it unique”.
My wife and I considered several names before settling on Molly for no reason that I can recall. Coincidentally, my then 94-year-old great-grandmother started a health decline during the late stage of Annie’s pregnancy—and she was way overdue! I told Annie that the baby wasn’t coming out until Gram passed. She died on August 1st, Molly was born the next morning, 18 days late. I would later learn that Molly is a nickname for Mary—Gram’s name. Serendipity?
I chose the middle name, Claire. I don’t know if Claire is French, but it sounds French to me—and there is French Canadian ancestry from my maternal grandfather. More importantly, I wanted Molly to have a more formal option should she choose a profession that demanded a more refined name.
Gwendolyn was my top pick before we chose Molly. I occasionally wonder if that would have been better choice. Abbreviated nicknames/derivatives include Gwen and Dolly.
I used Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra to shoot the Featured Image, on Oct. 27, 2025 at the Trade Joe’s in Pacific Beach. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 64, 1/51 sec, 39mm (film equivalent); 2:13 p.m. PDT. The candid portrait is unedited and composed as shot.