Day 7: A Name to Live Up To…
When I was born, my parents named me Duke Arthur Clarke. I didn’t really like the name Arthur as a boy, but I did appreciate that it was my Granddaddy’s middle name.
Daddy’s father, my paternal Granddaddy, was named David Arthur Clarke. A lot of people called him “D.A.” especially Grandmama. In fact, he used to sign things Rev. D.A. Clarke. After I was ordained, I wrote him and told him that I signed every wedding license as “Rev. D.A. Clarke” for Duke Arthur Clarke…he liked that a lot.
I never met anyone named “Duke” as a real first name until I was about 25 years old. There were several kids named “Mark”, “John”, “Mike” and many other standard names, but no one had my name and that was special to me.
As an adult, I started to look at my name. Duke comes from the Latin “dux”, meaning “leader”. As I looked back on my life, it was interesting to see that just about everything I was involved with, at some point, I became a “leader” or “influencer”.
In the early 80’s, when I was an ordained clergyman and overseeing a major part of the ministry’s work in the United States, I got tired of everyone standing every time I entered a room. I went down to a local Martial Arts Studio and signed up for lessons. No one knew me there and I was at the bottom of the totem pole…so to speak. But three years later I earned my black belt and after that, every time I entered the Studio students would stop, bow, do a formal salute and call me “Shifu”…Chinese for teacher. So, there I was, back in the lead.
Arthur is believed to be derived from the word “artos,” meaning “bear.” As experts differ on its exact origin, the name can also mean “Thor, the eagle” and “strong man.” Arthur became a popular choice during the Middle Ages, as families named their boys after King Arthur of 6th century England. Both Duke and Arthur were noble names, so I was happy with that view.
The name Clarke is one of the common surnames throughout England, Ireland, and Scotland, and has the same remote origin in all cases to the Latin clericus, originally meaning “clergyman” and later “clerk” or “scholar”. I found this out through a friend of mine in Scotland and thought that was pretty cool.
So I was, Duke Arthur Clarke…the Leader, Bear/Strong man, Clergyman. Now I had to live up to that name.
My wife and I were VERY particular about naming our children. Grantland McIntyre Clarke was our first son. Grantland means to believe a promise. McIntyre was my Mama’s maiden name, and it means “son of a Craftsman”. The family crest for McIntyre translated means, “Through difficulty to victory”, which Grant has tattooed on his back shoulder. Kristin Catherine Clarke was our daughter’s name. Kristin means “Christ in” and Catherine means “pure”. Our third child’s name is Christopher David Clarke. Christopher means “Christ-bearer”. David means “beloved”. They have all lived up to their names and I am very proud of each of them.
I said I would commit to writing for seven days and I have. It’s been fun and I am going to commit to another week and them probably another week. Hope you are enjoying this journey and perhaps reflecting on your own life. I’ll be back on Monday…enjoy your weekend.
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