Picking a Blog Name, Part Three
(To read Part One, click here)
So, I finally decided to use my own name as my blog site name. Not a lotta sizzle in that, but at least it was safe, and after my Mitchellaneous misadventure, safe was starting to sound pretty sweet! Also, since I’m literally the only Mitch Teemley on the planet, it was a guaranteed dot com. The only problem was that it didn’t say anything. Or did it? I decided to do some research on my name.
Mitch is short for Mitchell, which according to every baby book in existence, except one, is a variation on the name Michael (“godlike”). The one exception says it’s Old Syrian for “little loaf of bread.” Hmm, Godlike + Bread = “Spiritual Sustenance!” Whoa! How profound can you get?
Teemley isn’t in the name books because it’s made-up. Well, sure, all names are made-up. But Teemley only goes back to the 1800s. Why? It turns out my great-great grandfather, the first Teemley, was, ahem, illegitimate. For awhile, he used the name Dimler, which was probably his (untraceable) mother’s last name.
Interestingly, Dimler is derived from the word tumlen (lit. to “tumble”), medieval German for “traveling entertainer.” So we’re descended from a tribe of traveling entertainers! (The Dimler family tree never intersects with Daimler, by the way, which is German for “traveling in a really expensive car”—damn.) But somehow, herkily-jerkily, those showy Dimlers evolved into salt-of-the-earth farmers, and the name Dimler evolved into Teemley (which is close to the way Dimler is pronounced in German).
So my search for meaning resulted in this rich definition: “A Godlike Little Loaf of Bread That Has Traveled All the Way from Medieval Germany to Entertain You and Maybe Grow a Little Corn on the Side.” Talk about originality! Talk about pregnant with meaning! Talk about—
Nah, I don’t buy it either.
Nevertheless, I decided to stick with my name for the blog title. Which meant I would need a more thematic subtitle. We’ll talk about that next time.
Signing off for now, your friend Mitch,
a.k.a. the Godlike Little Loaf of Bread
To read Part Four, click here.
Mitch Teemley 
This is a fun read. I have often over-thought my own decision to just stick with my name for my blog, so it was helpful to read of your similar “journey”. But a fun anecdote on the other point of this post. I inherited my last name from my husband, and it is a rather made-up name too, derived from a common name, “Tawil”. Mine is Ta-wel. Once I explained to people how to pronounce it, (TWO syllables and not like a towel) and that they could remember it by “Ta” as in “Thank you” in British-speak, and “Well” as in “it is well with my soul”. Unfortunately, these people (parents of students!) began to introduce me and say what my last name meant. Oh, dear…..awkward! All “Tawil” means is “long” or “tall”. But having to explain has always been better to me than all those years stating my boring, standard maiden name of “Cook”, which no one ever mispronounced or got wrong. hahahaha
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Ah, the stories behind our names!
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I think you are wise to stay with your name. My blog has gone through a few changes before I decided on Penny Wilson writes. Simple, but it works. Thanks for the smiles, Mitch. 🙂
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I agree with Jane, this is a delightfully fun read! And, Jane, I like your ‘tale of woe’ – which, hey!, also sounds kind of like your name! 😉 You wouldn’t know it from my screen name, which has been around for a quarter of a century, but my ‘real’ name is Ed Boring. So, yeah, Jane, you may think the surname Cook is boring, but… I’ve been cookin’ with Boring all my life! Also, when it comes to naming a blog, I have been down that dark alley a time or two, too. Here is the opening post of my first attempt at blogging – https://postponderance.blogspot.com/2006/01/ok.html
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Dear “Godlike Little Loaf of Bread That Has Traveled All the Way from Medieval Germany [in an expensive car!] to Entertain You and Maybe Grow a Little Corn on the Side,”
Interesting piece! I’m thinking now, since my name is Ann Aschauer, I could have called my blog “Luke 2:36,” which is the verse in the Bible introducing Anna, of the tribe of Asher. 🙂
I think I’ll stick with my original name, though, as you did, because I continue to be “seeking divine perspective,” and always will, until I’ve found it completely. (Likely not in THIS life.)
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Amen to that, Annie.
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I am betting your article will send people scurrying to research their names.. Mine is not an interesting story, but I feel compelled to share it (lucky you!)…My maiden name (Packer..a Norman name meaning wool packer) caused me to wear the nickname “Green Bay” throughout much of my young life. Then I became a Zang ( a Saxon name derived from Zengerlin/Zengle meaning lively). I guess, with a stretch of the imagination, the union of Packer and Zang could be considered
a sort of Ivanhoe with nationalities reversed. Maybe I should rename my blog Rowena writes.
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;>) “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance).
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Thought I was the only one to agonize over my blog’s name😂 Finally went with my own name, too, but I think I’m currently on my third subtitle/tag line.
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Birds of a feather…
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Always a giggle! Before I started my blog, I read Kristen Lamb’s book, “Rise of the Machines,” and she suggests using your name because that’s your brand. It seemed like a good idea at the time!
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Didn’t realize Kristen recommended that–it’s certainly worked for her!
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Fitting!
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I got a good chuckle out of the origin of your name. I don’t know where my last name came from, except somewhere in France at some point in time. My dad gave me my mother’s middle name as my first name and her twin sister’s middle name as my middle name so as not to put other family members’ noses out of joint. (Or that’s the story he told, anyway.)
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Hi Mitch,
It’s fun to do a name search. Jesus is the bread of life, so you are in good company.
In Christ,
Gary
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It’s 05h30 and I’m trying to catch up with you before I have to get ready for work. Blog names are hard, I changed mine 7 times and settled for 90’s Kid out of frustration, hahaha. Fortunately though I like it. This is such a fun read so Mr Godlike little loaf of bread thank you for sustenance. Your story telling and writing make me weep, truly inspiring and that is why when I grow up, I want to be a Godlike loaf of bread!
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Aw, thank you, my friend. I’m honored.
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Godly loaf of bread sounds good to me. I use a pseudonym which is actually a misspelling of my real name.
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Well, however you choose to spell it, good to meet you Jan!
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I don’t have anything profound to add to your fun post other than I so dig your blogs!!!!!
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Thanks, Kimber!
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Well, there are certainly worse things that being a God-like little loaf of bread…..
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;>)
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