Michaela\Michal\Michael Bates

[Ridiculous]

Can anyone give a run down of the name-changing saga for Michael Bates? It seems like every time I turn around she has a new name variation and I haven't been able to find anything on the Bates blog to explain it.

[Cone]

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=15747

:)

[Ridiculous]

Oh geez, I'm sorry. I didn't realize there was a thread already.

[sunshine]

Can anyone give a run down of the name-changing saga for Michael Bates? It seems like every time I turn around she has a new name variation and I haven't been able to find anything on the Bates blog to explain it.

Michal originially but changed to Michael or even Michaella. The reason is they got the name from the bible Michal was married to King David. Apparently, afterward they have named her they read that Michal scolded David for dancing out of his clothes. So, they changed that spelling of it without actually correcting it on a legal document...apparently.

[marmalade]

Actually, they MEANT to name her Michal, but it turned out as "Michael" on the birth certificate. They were too lazy to make the change, then found out that Michal was not a "good person" (they went to Bible college and didn't know this before they named their daughter?), so they left it. Others started calling her Michaela; she answers to both names, but the family calls her Michael. HTH

[singsingsing]

The version I heard was that they named her Michal, then realized that the Biblical Michal was not someone they wanted their daughter to be named after (how you can call yourself a Bible believing conservative evangelical Christian and not know anything about Michal is... well, interesting) - they wanted to change it but it was too expensive. BUT they were allowed to change just one letter for free, so they changed it to Michael. Supposedly she's always answered to Michael and Michaela, but has been going by Michael lately.

[Ralar]

That makes perfect sense! Almost as much sense as it is not okay for females to wear garments intended for males (pants), but it is perfectly okay for a female to have a name intended for a male (Michael).

[Ralar]

The version I heard was that they named her Michal, then realized that the Biblical Michal was not someone they wanted their daughter to be named after (how you can call yourself a Bible believing conservative evangelical Christian and not know anything about Michal is... well, interesting) - they wanted to change it but it was too expensive. BUT they were allowed to change just one letter for free, so they changed it to Michael. Supposedly she's always answered to Michael and Michaela, but has been going by Michael lately.

It was too expensive to change child #2's name, but it was not too expensive to add eleventy more children to the brood. Didn't Gil study accounting?

[Scribber]

I don't have a problem with not legally changing it. (I got a nickname as a child - slightly different from my birth name.) No one ever bothered to change it legally. My family has never called me by my birth name, and the only time I ever use it is on legal documents. (I had to show my drivers license at the bar a few weeks back, my friend was bar tending but his boss was there, and he was shocked at my name :lol: )

That said? They are complete idiots for not knowing the story of Michal BEFORE naming their kid. And it drives me nuts that even they spell it differently at different times.

[DomWackTroll]

I don't have a problem with not legally changing it. (I got a nickname as a child - slightly different from my birth name.) No one ever bothered to change it legally. My family has never called me by my birth name, and the only time I ever use it is on legal documents. (I had to show my drivers license at the bar a few weeks back, my friend was bar tending but his boss was there, and he was shocked at my name :lol: )

That said? They are complete idiots for not knowing the story of Michal BEFORE naming their kid. And it drives me nuts that even they spell it differently at different times.

It's always been so interesting to me that Tim Bayly-- who no doubt always knew the story of Michal-- named his daughter Michal.

[Elinor]

Here's the comments from Kelly:

Dear Nan,

She is not courting. As a young Christian, I wanted to give her a Bible name. I read a list of women’s names in the Bible and saw David’s wife (spelled “Michalâ€). Unfortunately, when she was less than a year old, I read through my Bible for the first time and discovered Michal wasn’t a good role model. We legally could change her name for free if we only slightly changed the spelling while she was under a year old. We changed the spelling to Michael, which means “Who is like the Lord,†which she has certainly tried to live up to!! Love, Kelly

Yes, we did start calling her Michaella when she was around 5, because on cards people didn’t realize it was referring to a girl. Zach picked Lawson’s name; he had been praying for a brother. Judson and Jeb were picked for their meaning. Judson was after the missionary Adoniram Judson and the hymn writer Judson Van DeVenter who wrote “All to Jesus I Surrender.†Judson means “Son of the praised one!†Jeb means “Beloved friend of God.†Love, Kelly

[yewnique]

Here's the comments from Kelly:

Dear Nan,

She is not courting. As a young Christian, I wanted to give her a Bible name. I read a list of women’s names in the Bible and saw David’s wife (spelled “Michalâ€). Unfortunately, when she was less than a year old, I read through my Bible for the first time and discovered Michal wasn’t a good role model. We legally could change her name for free if we only slightly changed the spelling while she was under a year old. We changed the spelling to Michael, which means “Who is like the Lord,†which she has certainly tried to live up to!! Love, Kelly

Yes, we did start calling her Michaella when she was around 5, because on cards people didn’t realize it was referring to a girl. Zach picked Lawson’s name; he had been praying for a brother. Judson and Jeb were picked for their meaning. Judson was after the missionary Adoniram Judson and the hymn writer Judson Van DeVenter who wrote “All to Jesus I Surrender.†Judson means “Son of the praised one!†Jeb means “Beloved friend of God.†Love, Kelly

I have never understood how a parent can intentionally give his/her child a Bible name but then not check out who that Bible character is! Michal is really just the feminine form of the name Michael, so they could have gone with that reason.

[Elinor]

I have never understood how a parent can intentionally give his/her child a Bible name but then not check out who that Bible character is!

I have never understood that either! It doesn't make any sense.

Michal is really just the feminine form of the name Michael, so they could have gone with that reason.

Michal and Michael are not related names in Hebrew, so Michal is not the feminine form of Michael.

[Janes Heir]

The fact that Michal ( in the Bible) once spoke sarcastic to her husband is, after all, worse than all David's genocide, polygamy, rape/adultery, and order to murder Uriah. At least nobody ever names their son David. Oh, wait.

I've always been fascinated by the story of Michal. I've read she's the only woman in scripture described as 'loving' a man. Could be wrong though.

[roddma]

Michal also became barren . That may be another reaon they changed the name. A little bakcground-still I am not seeing her as a 'bad' example.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/Wome ... Michal.htm

[guidedbybobafett]

I've known quite a few Michal's, all of them Jewish.

[nelliebelle1197]

The fact that Michal ( in the Bible) once spoke sarcastic to her husband is, after all, worse than all David's genocide, polygamy, rape/adultery, and order to murder Uriah. At least nobody ever names their son David. Oh, wait.

I've always been fascinated by the story of Michal. I've read she's the only woman in scripture described as 'loving' a man. Could be wrong though.

Wow. That is an awful lot of trouble to go through just to get rid of the Maxwell's bus.

[yewnique]

Michal and Michael are not related names in Hebrew, so Michal is not the feminine form of Michael.

I got my information from here: http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Michal

Michal \m(i)-chal\ as a girl's name (also used as boy's name Michal), is pronounced MYE-kal. It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Michal is "who resembles God?". Feminine form of Michael. Biblical: Michal was King Saul's daughter, the first wife of David.

Read more at http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0 ... uxIMUYk.99

[artdecades]

I've known quite a few Michal's, all of them Jewish.

As do I. I think it is a lovely name. I doubt, however, that the Bates knew how to pronounce it at all when they gave her that name. I really want to hear them say it to see if I am right.

Edit: based on those baby naming websites above, most people don't seem to know how to pronounce it. My-kal?

[jaynie]

Behindthename.com, which in my experience tends to have a higher degree of accuracy than most name websites, has Michal as:

Possibly means "brook" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament she is a daughter of Saul who married David.

Michael is not listed as a related name. On that note, I really cannot fathom Kelly and Gil being surprised that people thought a child named Michael was a boy. As a boy's name, it hasn't been out of the top ten in the USA since 1943! I'm not sure how old Michael Bates is, but if she's in her early-mid twenties as I assume, Michael was the number 1 name for boys at the time.

[guidedbybobafett]

As do I. I think it is a lovely name. I doubt, however, that the Bates knew how to pronounce it at all when they gave her that name. I really want to hear them say it to see if I am right.

Edit: based on those baby naming websites above, most people don't seem to know how to pronounce it. My-kal?

It's always been uh, 'mi-cH*aal' I guess is a way to write it, when I and those I've known have said it. I can imagine being bewildered if suddenly an evangelical American chose that name with no ties to Hebrew or Slavic languages for reference.

It definitely has not historically been pronounced "Michael", but things change.

*you know, back of the throat, more guttural "ch" sound.

[Miggy]

Not claiming to be an expert but my niece Michal pronounces it My-kal. Her fundy multiple bible degree holding father claims the name was historically pronounced Mi-shall. Don't know why ge chose not to pronounce his daughters name that way. (Good fundy marriage so wife has no say in the baby names.)

[ILoveJellybeans]

Instead of Michael, why didn't they rename her Michelle? That's close, and at least its a girl name.

[fullmetalheart]

Instead of Michael, why didn't they rename her Michelle? That's close, and at least its a girl name.

Or officially Micheala? I was thrown off when they were saying Micheal-a, instead of Mikayla. At least that's a girl name, too.

[nelliebelle1197]

I got my information from here: http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Michal

Michal \m(i)-chal\ as a girl's name (also used as boy's name Michal), is pronounced MYE-kal. It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Michal is "who resembles God?". Feminine form of Michael. Biblical: Michal was King Saul's daughter, the first wife of David.

Read more at http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0 ... uxIMUYk.99

Maybe you ought to check with someone who knows Hebrew.