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My favorite aunt was named Joan. So it's a name that is very dear to my heart. But it fits with other names that I love like Jean, Myra ("MIE-ruh"), Sibyl, Freda, Margaret / Marjorie / Margot, Anne, Vera, Enid, Cora, Ada, Lynn, Clare, Adele, Sylvia, Carole, Hope, Wren, Hazel, Bridget, Glynis, Maureen / Maura / Miriam / Mary / Marion, Beryl, Virginia, Bernadette, Nora, Maud / Maude, Audrey, Helen / Lena / Eileen, Veronica, Agnes, Louise, Imogen, Judith, Cornelia, Gilda, Edith, Imelda, Pauline, Beatrice, Elsa, Lenore, Ingrid, Martha and Leda. They all share a down-to-Earth, sensible shoes, WWII austerity that I find very chic. It's a nice alternative to the usual sugary sweet names we come across. Don't get me wrong. I have a sweet tooth and love them too. But Joan and her cardigan-clad sisters are much rarer. So when I come across them I'm extra tickled pink.

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As for Joanne, I've always been more drawn to Johanna. Then again, my Aunt Joan was named after her grandmother Johanna so I'm biased. We use the pedestrian pronunciation of "jo-HAN-uh." Sue us.

This message was edited 7/30/2010, 6:14 PM