John and John

John Allison and John Lucien are two examples of name stories which got cut short in the editing room due to space shortage (though not by that much.) I have a few friends named John and even though most of them are named after a relative, there always seems to be an interesting and unique fact or story to go along with their namesake. When putting my 'zine together I'm always on the look out for both common and exotic names as I've found they can both have equally intriguing histories.

JOHN ALLISON

My formal name is John Allison - Allison coming from a guy named "Allison Battle Humphries," a great grandfather of mine who was involved in early college football somehow. My dad wanted me named after someone in his family, my mother demanded I be named after someone in hers. So, I was named "John" (my dad's name) with a common name of "Jack" (my maternal grandfather's name.)

JOHN LUCIEN

I was named to honor both of my grandfathers. John is my mother's father and Lucien is my father's father. When I was born, the first child and a son, they must have been thinking "An heir! An heir!" Or, maybe they just weren't very creative.