Libby Libby Libby on the Label Label Label

I was born in 1973.

The 10 most popular girl names in 1973 were:

Jennifer | Michelle | Amy | Kimberly | Lisa | Melissa | Angela | Heather | Stephanie | Rebecca

Ode to the 1970's

Then there was me: Libby.  

Until I was probably 15 or so I had NEVER met or heard of anyone else named Libby.  Not a person at least.  From the earliest time I can remember I was taunted with "Libby Libby Libby on the Label Label Label" which as it turns out was a popular marketing campaign used by Libby's canned good (you know: Libby's Pumpkin Pie Filling?) in the early 1970's.  Problem was the campaign was long gone by the time I was old enough to be aware of it so for years I truly thought my neighbor Chuck Crouch had made it up and had managed to share the song with EVERYONE I ran into.  This harassment was a terrible thing to endure and needless to say I came to hate my name.


This one thing however was not enough on it's own.  Add to it two other things:

My sister's names are Lauren and Lisa--both beautiful names. And legend has it that when my parents told my sisters what they were naming me they BEGGED them to not name me Libby.  They voted for Leslie.  But my parents were determined.

In addition is the fact that anytime I told someone my name I got "oh nice to meet you Debby/Lidya/Liddy/Wendy/Luby" and then I would have to simply tell them "no it's LIBBY" at the top of my lungs.  I would get these sad little looks of "oh you poor thing who named you Libby?"

I went through a stage when I was 7 to about um...18 where I would tell people my name was Jean (my middle name), Elizabeth (a likely explanation as some Elizabeth's go by Libby it turned out, although I had no idea why someone would shorten such a beautiful name to such an awful name) and there was one chapter where I would tell people my name was Cassandra (I have no idea where that came from but I was only like 7 when I used this name).

In college I remember making a phone call to some guy for work.  His roommate answered and said the guy I needed to speak with was not there but could he take a message?  I told him my name and he said "oh what a pretty name".  Me?  A pretty name?  Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!

Later when the guy called me he said "can I speak to Lidya?"  Ugh.

I am not sure at what age this conversation with my parents happened but in my mind I am about 20.  Around the snack bar at my parents house I said "why did you name me Libby?  It is the worst name ever!"  My dad's feelings were hurt.  I could see it on his face.  He said to me "Your name is beautiful"

I never complained again.

As an adult I have had friends say to me "You ARE Libby.  That is the perfect name for you".  I have noticed more and more parents calling their little girls "Libby" and it warms my heart.

I know my name will never make the top 10 list of most popular names and that's OK.  I don't want it to.  Why would I?

My name is sticky.  It is simple and unexpected for my generation.  People remember my name because it is memorable.

Professionally the lesson is this: when it comes time to name something think long and hard about what you name your business, your product, your service so that people remember it.  I spend a lot of time carefully thinking about what to name things so that they DON'T sound like everyone else.

A great example are law firms, accounting firms and architecture firms.  The typical line of thinking is to take the partners names and create a combination of letters so you get AMP and Partners, HKS, MNO, YSM etc.  Wow!  Why in the world would anyone do this?  It is what everyone does and you can't be like everyone else.  You have to differentiate yourself from the crowd, be memorable.

Do you think anyone forgets Gwyenth Paltrow's daughter Apple?  No.  Yeah it may be a strange name but in her preschool class filled with Madison's and Bailey's and Addison's there won't be another Apple in the room.

A company that really gets this concept in how they name their product is OPI nail polish.  Take a look at some of their best nail color names:

Over the Taupe                            I'm Fondue of You             Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not

Teal the Cows Come Home        Mad as a Hatter                  Curry Up, Don't Be Late

Bling Dynasty                             Tickle my France-y           Baquette Me Not

They understand that the act of naming is powerful. And no this doesn't apply just to "fun" things like nail polish.  The same thinking goes to everything we name!

Maybe a rose by any other name would smell as sweet but in the business world and the world of great ideas a name can make or break whether or not people buy/adopt/accept the idea/product/service!

Please apply to your future naming endeavors--kids, products, services, the name of your business.  Names matter!