WHAT'S YOUR NAME?
Baby name is for the birds
March 27, 2010
Kristin Rushowy
TORONTO STAR
Baby name books, for sure. Websites, absolutely.
But a field guide to the birds of North America?
That's the source Laura Reinsborough and Chris Eaton turned to for help in finding a name for their son.
"I used to work in a park, for the protection of birds, mostly waterfowl," says Reinsborough says. "It's not like I've continued being a bird watcher but I definitely have a fascination with birds. I do environmental work (now) so maybe there's a connection there."
Reinsborough founded Not Far From the Tree, a non-profit that picks and distributes fruit from trees in people's yards and on private property, with permission from the owner. Eaton is a musician with indie group Rock Plaza Central.
They had thought of using an old family name and when they began looking through the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America, they saw Eider (pronounced eye-der), which reminded them of Eaton's great-grandfather Idris (pronounced eye-dris).
"We'd also been thinking about different Latin names of birds. So, after looking through the field guide, we came across Eider, which is the common name of a few birds.
"The only time I've ever seen the bird, the eider, I was really taken aback by it. So Eider is what we call him, though his name is Idris."
Idris Eaton Reinsborough turned out to be an early bird – born Feb. 7, a week before his due date, at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces.
Using the name seemed even more fitting because the elder Idris was father to Eaton's grandmother, who lives on the East Coast and turns 100 this year.
Lord Idris was an astronomer and poet in Welsh mythology and the name also has Arabic roots, Reinsborough says.
"There's a mountain in Wales (Cadair Idris) that's said to have a throne cut out in it. The myth in that is a bit romantic as well – he can take the name in various directions."
Did you recently have a baby and choose an interesting or unusual name? Email krushowy@thestar.ca.
Toronto Star