Mere days – two, if memory serves me – before Wren\’s early arrival, I arrived early at my prenatal yoga class. Sitting in the car on Greenwood Avenue, iPhone in hand, I used the gift of a few quiet minutes to search for inspiration for a name.
Dan and I had planned a water delivery in our West Seattle house for Baby #2, and so my searching took me down a rabbit hole of water-related names. Among them was the name Ren, a name of Japanese origin meaning water lily or lotus. In typical Drury-Tanner fashion, multiple levels of meaning soon surfaced. With Dan\’s work in the architecture industry and our British roots, the alternate spelling Wren came to mind in connection with Sir Christopher Wren, a revered London architect of the 17th century. It seemed fitting that, if we had a second boy, one would have a name relating to my literary interests, the other would have a name relating to Dan\’s career, and both would have a London connection.
The rabbit hole led deeper as I considered another possible link in the aviary definition of wren. Google searching taught me that the songbird\’s parents take on a shared role in raising offspring, thus teaching a life lesson about shared responsibility in parenting that goes beyond traditional gender roles. Observations of the wren\’s ease at migrating have led to an understanding that home can be anywhere – the adage, \”Home is where the heart is.\” In Celtic and Native American tradition, the wren animal totem symbolized a plethora of characteristics, including creative, cheerful, carefree, and friendly.
The more I researched, the better it got, and the more I fell in love with the name. Here was a name that not only connected to Baby\’s parents, but that symbolized so many characteristics that I absolutely hoped to instill in my child.
It wasn\’t until a few days after Wren\’s birth that Dan and I committed to the name. We\’d been considering Rupert, simply because it was a solid English name that would be uncommon among Baby\’s American peers. Ultimately, we chose Rupert as one of Wren\’s middle names. If the name \”Wren\” was too obscure for him as an adult, he could always opt to use Rupert. And – surprise, surprise – we soon realized that this middle name, too, had a deeper significance…
Early on, Wren sometimes became referenced as Renfrew for no reason other than nicknames happen. Maybe the unconscious reason bubbled below the surface, though: When Dan was living in Vancouver, B.C., two main roads bookended his neighborhood: Renfrew Street and Rupert Street.
Although the desired water birth didn\’t happen due to his early arrival, Wren has entirely embodied the symbolism of his name. He has proven to be a creative, cheerful, carefree, and friendly little boy. Wren is our songbird and musician, happily singing along with nursery rhymes from the comfort of his car seat or overturning the footstool to use as his podium as he conducts an imaginary marching band in the living room.
It surprised some people that our boys remained unnamed for a few days after their births. It turns out that there\’s a lot in a name, however, and I\’m grateful that Dan and I took the time to find the perfect names for our children.
As for Camden? Stay tuned. There\’s a lot to be said about his name, too…
To Palimpsest 