Courtney wanted an unusual name for her second baby, and her first choice for a son was Arrow. She wrote in the blog wondering if Arrow was really too strange to use, as her husband Joel worried it was too different.

Most people who answered the poll seemed to think Arrow was the right sort of different rather than too weird. Courtney remained strongly in favour of Arrow, but in the end Joel couldn’t be persuaded.

Courtney and Joel recently welcomed their second son, and together they have decided that his name is

GABRIEL,

little brother to Israel.

Both Courtney and Joel love the name Gabriel, and Courtney thinks that the name works well as a brother for Israel. She also sees the name as a little nod towards the Christmas season, and I couldn’t agree more, as the archangel Gabriel so often features in Christmas pageants and Nativity scenes.

Congratulations to Courtney and Joel on choosing a beautiful name for their son! Even though Courtney’s choice of Arrow was vetoed, they were able to work together to find a name that was perfect for both of them. Courtney says maybe someone else will choose Arrow – who knows, maybe it is the right name for you?

(Painting shows a detail from Annunciation by Titian – 1522)