BABY NAME
Unique, yes, but no relation to David
October 31, 2009
Kristin Rushowy
TORONTO STAR
They swear it wasn't planned.
But maybe because dad is in the business – he's a part-time deejay – it's only fitting his daughter's first and middle names have a musical connection.
Years before Andrew and Johnna Puusa had children, Johnna saw a decorating TV show with a woman named Bowie.
"There was nothing really memorable about the show," Johnna says. "But I thought to myself, `If I ever have a girl, I like that name.' That's how Bowie came along."
Pronounced the same as singer David Bowie, most people automatically think he's their inspiration.
"I've never really heard of a girl named Bowie before," Andrew says. "I thought it was unique and cute and I pretty much said yes instantly."
Bowie was born July 24 at the family's Toronto home. Middle name Jolene is a combination of Johnna's parents' names, John and Darlene.
"There's no particular connection to the song `Jolene' – we like the song and we've seen Dolly Parton in concert, but we're not huge fans," Johnna says. "I loved the sound of Jolene and thought it was a happy name."
Older brother Augustus (Gus), now 3, shares his first name with reggae musician Augustus Pablo.
As for Bowie, "we batted around some other names, more feminine-sounding ones, but we couldn't agree on anything but Bowie," Johnna says.
"I'm named after my dad and nobody gets it – no one knows how to spell it and it's a pain in the bum – and I didn't know if I wanted to do that for Bowie, but I guess we did!"
Did you recently have a baby and choose an interesting or unusual name? Email krushowy@thestar.ca.
Toronto Star