Walden: What’s in a Child’s Name?

The naming of our children can be a meaningful exercise in the construction of our identities. What do your children’s names say about you?

The original title page of Walden was illustrated by Thoreau’s sister Sophia. Image credit: Wikipedia.

“Things do not change; we change.”

-Henry David Thoreau, Walden

The naming of our children is often a long and deliberate process, especially for new parents. Amusingly, we even treat them as nearly sacred and often guard the names we come up with out of …