What is the meaning behind your name?
I don’t know that there’s anything special about my name. I was born in 1977 so I guess that had something to do with it. By ’75 it was the third most popular name in the US. Only Jennifer and Amy were more popular. In 2017 only 219 girls in the US were named Heather.
I wasn’t teased because there wasn’t much about it that was funny. When people would ask me if there was a meaning to it I would always just say that it was a flowering evergreen bush and shrug my shoulders.
It’s a pretty name and I especially loved the way it sounded when my grandmother used my middle name with. “Heather Marie”. She used it both to express her distaste for something, but also as an endearment. It all depended on her tone. It’s why I use Heather Marie in my business name. Besides, no one can pronounce Schiefer!
Something else, I hardly ever capitalize it. I haven’t capitalized it (except on business stuff) in probably ten years. I don’t know why. Maybe I just like the way a curvy lowercase looks better than those three straight lines.
Bring me a shrubbery. One that looks nice… And not too expensive.
I got curious about the actual meaning (and apparently I can’t resist a good bit of research) so I did some Googling and here is what I found out about heather.
Heather is an evergreen plant known for it’s white, pink or purple flowers. Heather is common in the moorland and heathland of Brittain and Scotland. Heather flowers symbolize good luck, admiration and protection.
Scottish lore claims that heather has the power to grant protection and luck in battle and it is still common for Scottish brides to carry a sprig of white heather in their bouquet for good luck.
Robert Louis Stevenson even wrote a poem entitle “Heather Ale“ about a Pictish King who was so unwilling to relinquish this priceless recipe to the Vikings that he throws himself from a cliff into the sea below rather than give up the secret.
It’s also been used throughout history in healing sores internally and externally and it’s been noted that heather tea could be used to dissolve kidney stones and is still used by some to aid in relief from urinary tract and digestive issues.
I like my name even more now. Tell me about your name.
