The Thin Yellow Man by the Dark Stream (and Other Name Stories)

Thursday Blog Question:
Where did your name come from? For me, it’s not just one name—it’s three. And each has its own story.

Last name – DeBolt
This one’s complicated. The family line traces back to the Alsace-Lorraine region, where German and French influences collided. From what I can tell, it started as Diebold (very German), but over time the French influence softened it into Debolt. Then, my great-grandmother from Quebec decided that the “B” really ought to look French, so she capitalized it. Since then, it’s been DeBolt. And yes, I insist on the capital “B.” It doesn’t look—or feel—right any other way.

The thin, yellow man by the dark stream—otherwise known as me, according to my name’s meanings.

Middle name – Blaine
Ah, Blaine. A name I’ve never loved, and sometimes actively disliked. To me, Blaine is either the pudgy kid in kindergarten who eats paste, or the sweater-draped prep-schooler who calls everyone “darling” and waxes the yacht with a baby’s diaper. And of course, let’s not forget the immortal Pretty in Pink line: “Blaine? That’s a major appliance, not a name!” Mom saw it somewhere, loved it, and saddled me with it. Add to that the meanings—“yellow” or “thin”—and I’m basically carrying around the color of jaundice as a moniker. Thanks, Mom.

First name – Doug
This one I can live with, even if it means “dark water.” Combined with Blaine, that makes me the “thin, yellow man by the dark stream.” Not exactly heroic. But here’s the redeeming part: the name mattered to my mom because of her uncle. His first name was Charles, but everyone knew him by his middle name, Douglas. She loved him enough to pass his name on to me. Uncle Doug passed away before I really got to know him, but that connection still makes my first name meaningful.

So that’s me—Douglas Blaine DeBolt. A little French flair, a little prep-school mockery, a little family honor, and one very stubborn capital “B.”

Now it’s your turn: Where did your name come from?

About Douglas Blaine

Capnpen is a writer who was a newspaper and magazine journalist in a previous life. A college journalism major, he now works as an English teacher, but gets his writing fix by blogging about a variety of topics, including politics, religion, movies and television. When he's not working or blogging, Capnpen spends time with his family, plays a little golf (badly) and loves to learn about virtually anything.

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