| What’s in a Name? By Scot R Stone So many fans have asked what my middle initial stands for. The answer is Robert. But behind what seems like a simple name is actually a funny story. My father, who was a history teacher for over twenty years, always wanted to name the middle names of his children after famous historical figures. With my brother Mark, my dad wanted his middle name to be Anthony. Unfortunately, that is not what he ended up with. You see, my mother had other plans. She wanted to name the middle names after other family members. My brother’s name eventually ended up to be Mark Eugene. Sorry, Mom, I have to agree with dad on this one. To be named after a great Roman general would have been pretty neat, but they would have had to change the k to a c in the first name to really get it to work anyway. And what about Robert? Well, after my dad lost on the first round, he came back very cleverly when it came to my turn. They both agreed on my first name being Scot, and that it should be spelled with only one t. I guess my mom just wanted my first name to be a little different, too. That one I can live with. My dad suggested Robert for my middle name. Now, my mom thought it was a great idea because her father’s name was Robert. Actually, my grandfather’s name was originally Albert. He hated it and went to the courthouse to have it changed. Back to the point, she liked Robert since it was a family name. Her brother was also named Robert. And, I have another uncle named Robert and a cousin named Robert. Yes, there are a lot of “Roberts” in the family. With my dad, however, one of his favorite historical figures is Robert the Bruce, who was a Scot. For those of you who don’t know much about Robert the Bruce, he secured Scotland’s independence by besieging Stirling Castle, the last castle under English control. The battle of Bannockburn was the worst defeat in English history. Bruce died in 1329 and was recognized as the king of Scotland by Pope XXII. Pretty cool, huh? So, hence the name Scot Robert Stone. It’s not every day someone gets to be named after a king. I am sure there are many more names out there like mine that have a good story behind them. People will go to great lengths to come up with whoppers, and it makes you wonder, “How did they come up with that?” All I know is, if there is a little effort put into a person’s name, it makes that person all the more unique, in my opinion. For those of you who know me, I use many of my fan’s names in books -- sometimes with altered spellings to make them sound more out-of-this-world. If I say I will use your name because I like the sound of it, then I most likely will and probably will ask you how you got it. I’m always up for a good short story. |
 |