by Beks
Since we discovered we are having a boy, my husband and I have been arguing over names. We have agreed on precisely…
None of them.
My dad is my hero so naturally I wanted to name the kid after him… or after my brothers… or after my grandfathers. Something to honor the truly great men in my life.
Despite my best suggestions, my husband shoots down my ideas and keeps coming back to one name – Cash.
Is it because of our newfound lifestyle of paying cash for everything? After our promise to remain debt free forever?
Nope.
The guy is seriously obsessed with Johnny Cash.
I called my sisters for some support on the issue and they meekly said they happened to like the name. Thinking my husband had somehow poisoned the well or bribed my sisters, I asked the TSA officer at the airport while she was giving me a 20 minute security pat down. She, who named each of her kids after band members from the Beatles, supported my husband.
I’m losing the battle and, don’t tell my husband but… Cash is slowly starting to grow on me.
If I ever meet Dave Ramsey, I’ll swear Cash is after the lifestyle, not the singer.
As an afterthought, my husband said, ‘At least I didn’t suggest we name him Sue’
“A Boy Named Sue” by Johnny Cash
My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn’t leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don’t blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me “Sue.”
Well, he must o’ thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a’ lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I’d get red
And some guy’d laugh and I’d bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain’t easy for a boy named “Sue.”
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I’d roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I’d search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I’d stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me “Sue.”
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother’d had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: “My name is ‘Sue!’ How do you do!
Now your gonna die!!”
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a’ gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.
I tell ya, I’ve fought tougher men
But I really can’t remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin’ at me and I saw him smile.
And he said: “Son, this world is rough
And if a man’s gonna make it, he’s gotta be tough
And I knew I wouldn’t be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you’d have to get tough or die
And it’s the name that helped to make you strong.”
He said: “Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn’t blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I’m the son-of-a-$&%*$ that named you “Sue.'”
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I came away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I’m gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!
Beks is a full-time government employee who enjoys blogging late into the night after her four kids have gone to sleep. She’s been married to Chris, her college sweetheart, for 15 years. In 2017, after 3 long years working the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps, they paid off more than $70K and became debt free. When she’s not working or blogging, she’s exploring the great outdoors.
Cash is VERY cool right now. Your little guy wouldn’t be the only one. Dash – as in Dashiell, from the Disney Pixar flick The Incredibles – is equally popular.
You could also name him Cassian, Cashel, or Cassius and use Cash as a nickname.
Best wishes!
My friend wanted to name her son Johnny Cash, her husband said no. They now have a Joey Cash in their lives. Make sure you love the name you give your son and remember your son will have a personality that Cash may fit more than you think. If you must, let him decide when he makes his way into your world. Good luck!
Cash? Really? You would do that to a little kid? Sorry, I don’t like it, although admittedly I don’t get a say on this! 🙂 Why not use Cash as the middle name and find a first name that is a bit more “normal”, as in a few others have named their child that name?
Just a suggestion, but my cousin named her son Cashton because her husband loved Johnny Cash. She couldn’t bring herself to just name him Cash, so Cashton it was.
Tebble
I am not pregnant yet but while at a rodeo, and after too many beers, a cowboy was introduced as Cash and my husband and I both looked at each other and said ‘great name’. Now, a few years later when we are trying for a baby and not under a spell of beer I keep waivering but he is adamant that Cash is our agreed upon name for a boy. I feel your pain, I really do!
I like the name also. It is a name that has been around for a long time but seems to have grown in popularity over the last 10 years.
My husband wants to name our future son Mack…as in Mack trucks. At first I was completely against it but then I realized if we spelled it Mac the name would work for a young child and a grown man. When picking names I have tried to remember that the child has to live with it for the rest of their life.
Maybe you could name him John (or some other name) and nickname him Cash? That way he can choose when he’s older whether he wants to use it or not?
P.S. Boys are so much cheaper than girls! At least for me. There is too much cute baby girl stuff in this world.
Wow – hate it. Sounds like a thug nickname!
My brother & I have a deal – 1st to have a boy can name him after our great grandfather. 2nd has to name their son “Sue” (particularly awesome bc in addition to Johnny Cash fans, our mom is named Sue).
I like the name Cash. It’s cute for a kid and studly sounding for a man 🙂 It’s unique!
Cash?? Not my cup of tea. There are way too many other names out there.
My husband wants to call our soon to be daughter Stella. Not cause he likes the name particularly, but because he wants to be able to yell STELLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA a la Marlon Brando. *sigh*
Love the singer and love the song. That song’s ending always makes me smile.
We had our first child 18 months ago. I always had a girl’s name picked, but not a boy name.
When we found we were having a boy (which made me very happy) we used my husband’s late grandfather’s first name and my mother’s maiden name. In that way, we honored both grandfathers.
When I was a kid in the 60’s there were twins on our street. A boy and a girl. The boy was Cash. The girl was Carrie. I think the parents should have been shot.
BTW: back then, Cash took a lot of ribbing for his name but then again, this is Canada where the connection with Johnny Cash wasn’t as immediately obvious.
Love the name, but my son is named Kash, so I might be kind of biased. My husband and I disagreed for the whole pregnancy, all our kids start with the letter K so we didn’t have unlimited possibilities when it came to names but we did finally agree on Kash David Lee. (David Lee after 2 uncles that have died) We do call him baby Johnny Kash!! Now he is convinced that if we have another boy we should name him Koin though!!
I love the name Cash! But then, we are huge Johnny Cash fans around here. When I told my teenagers about naming your baby Cash, they both said, “YEAH!” 🙂 And your bump is darling, btw! 🙂
Congrats on having a boy!
@ CanadianKate – that twin story is hilarious!
I personally think it’s an adorable name! haha Im on your husbands side, sorry!! =)
Conrgats on the baby boy though. Im sure whatever name you pick will be perfect.
One of the few things that I thought my family did right was that they never chose first names for any of us kids after family members. Each one of us had our own identity as our first name.
Middle names, however, were always after family members. Mine was a family middle name passed down through several generations. The oldest of my brothers got my mom’s maiden name. My younger brothers, who were twins, got my father’s first and middle name as their middle names.
It gave us a definite tie to family, but gave us something of our own – that’s something I plan on doing when I have kids. 🙂
The only other Cash I can think of is the guy who married Jessica Alba, lucky dude. So maybe Cash isn’t a bad name after all!
So, what you have learned is with your next child to keep the name a suprise…by the time you tell people the child is already named so people feel bad when they say they don’t like it. Instead they just smile and say “well, he’s very cute!” 🙂 I think Cash is great and I’m sure he’ll be cute!
have to ask cause I constantly wonder, but you don’t have to answer my nosey question 🙂 …what is the light band of skin on your arm in all of the belly pictures?
Marlena – I wish I could say it was a cool scar with a great story but… it’s just a reflection from our glass bathroom sink from the camera flash.
Even reading this….I just love the name Cash, sorry sis, but I think it’s sticking! No matter what you choose, some will like it, some won’t.
@Mar, it’s 2011, no kid has a “normal” name anymore. None of my kids have traditional names, some of their friends do, some of their friends don’t….it’s no big deal. The person makes the name :-).
I think it’s a great name. One of the little boys in my mommy’s group is named Cash after Johnny Cash.
I had to comment. My brother’s name is cash and he’s now 21. He hated it until he became an adolescent but has loved it since. . Get ready for little kid teasing but it wont follow him for life. By the way my other sisters names are hope and destiny, and you’ve guessed it, tiffany new york : )
I had a dog named Cash.
My son has a nickname and now that he has his first “big boy job” he goes by his given name which is very normal and adult sounding.
“A Boy Named Sue” was performed by Johnny Cash but was written by Shel Silverstein (wrote “Where The Sidewalk Ends,” and “The Giving Tree” among other books) in tribute to Jean Sheperd (co-writer and narrator of “The Christmas Story” movie)
My husband and I had our first (and only) baby girl in December. I regret ever telling other people her name until it was on her birth certificate in permanent ink! Whatever you name him, He’ll be precious and you’ll love him so much! Congrats on the new life that will change your world in so many wonderful and remarkable ways.
In that song and in the title Sue is supposed to be spelled Sioux like the Native American trube.
I think that Cash is a cool name but as others have said it will be his name for life so make sure you can live with it. As another has said when I was told I was having a boy I didn’t have a name because I wanted a girl. So I didn’t name him until he was born. I ended up naming him Marcus Allen I thought it sounded cute. I didn’t realize until someone asked me if I liked football that it was a football stars’ name. Thanks for the lyrics to the Johnny Cash song it brings back memories.