"Ethan" is the new "Jason"
I named my son Ethan, thinking I was being a little bit different. When he was born just over 9 years ago, I didn't personally know anyone with that name. But now it seems like every other kid out is an Ethan.
I went to my Ethan's baseball game this evening, and struck up a conversation with a woman who was the grandma of the "other" Ethan on his team. We heard everyone yelling, "Go Ethan!" and realized that there was yet ANOTHER one on the opposing team!
The people who moved in next door to us have an Ethan the same age, and the neighbor kids call them "Big Ethan" (mine) and "Little Ethan" (theirs).
After my son's swimming lesson last week, I heard his instructor say, "Ready for your lesson, Ethan?" My son looked a little baffled, and the instructor had to clarify: "No, I was talking to the Ethan behind you."
I hear that boys do better psychologically if they have "common" names, so I suppose I should be glad that I didn't get too original. And I'm pretty sure that with such an uncommon last name, he won't get mixed up with other Ethans.
Of course, maybe no matter what I had named him, people would have been so eager to follow in my cool, trendsetting footsteps that he'd still be surrounded by eponymous peers....