Not Just A Number: Why Name A House?

If your home address is number 42, it might be significant to you if you have seen the movie,  “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams. In the movie, 42 was the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Although this was a symbolic number in the movie, it might not resonate with you. Numbers, however, can have a lot of meaning for different people. When it comes to your dream home, having an ordinary number amongst the masses might not be the answer to the “Ultimate Question of Everything.” How do you make your dream home a place symbolizing your family story, values or significance for many generations to come?

Let’s start with looking at the significance of the house number. Numbers can have a Spiritual meaning. For instance, the number 5 represents the elements; earth, air, water, fire, aether according to the Greeks. Or it could mean completeness such as the number 3 or 7 from the Bible. The number 6 means good fortune in the eyes of the Chinese, but 666 is considered by the book of Revelations the mark of the beast, Satin. Your house number might also be your lucky number or a number known for being unlucky, 13. Although you cannot generally choose your house numbers, they are only part of your home’s story much less the entire address.

Perhaps you are fortunate enough to have a catchy address. We once lived at 1111 West 42nd Street which sentimentally reminded our family of the movie, “Miracle on 42nd Street.” Or fictitious addresses like 84 Beacon Street from the sitcom “Cheers” might bring back nostalgic memories. Maybe the street name you live on has some noteworthiness. I grew up on a street called Park Avenue, but you might be honored with Rodeo Dr, Broadway or Pennsylvania Ave. Or you might be unfortunate to have the street named “Nimrod”, “Needmore Rd” or my favorite intersection, “Grinn and Barrett”. The point is, typically the home you live in already has an address associated with it, significant or not. Of course you can decide not to buy the house because of the number or street name, but you could also try creating a meaningful name to change the story.

Naming a house was typical of the British wealthy who often had more than one manor, hall or castle. Customarily it would be named after their ancestry, location or family titles. Tradesman eventually started to name their property such as Mill House, Wood Hall, Forge Cottage. Soon the masses began to name their house from a distinguishing characteristic: Rose Cottage, Meadow View, Oak Hills. This trend came to America with the pioneers. Our ancestors, the Howe’s, named their farm “Sunnyside” since it was located on the side of a sunny knoll. Hayfield which is the neighboring property, was named by James Mayo Hoge because it reminded him of the pastures in Fredrick County where he moved from. He also named Back Creek for a similar reason. As more people began to name their homes, although mostly estates, they used animals, birds, trees, plants, location, historical or even fairy tales in their homestead’s name.

Some famous named homes include The Biltmore, George Vanderbilt’s vision in Asheville, NC. He combined the words of “De Bilt” derived from an ancestral place in the Netherlands and “more” meaning open land. Fallingwater was Frank Lloyd Wright’s name for a home he designed in Pennsylvania highlighting the house cantilevering over a waterfall. The Breakers, Cornelius Vanderbilt’s opulent home on Newport’s Gold Coast, was named because waves continuously crashed on the cliffs below the property. Famous partly because of the movie “The Big Chill”, Tidalholm is the name for the Beaufort, SC former home of James Fripp. According to family legend, when Fripp came back from the Civil War the house was being sold at auction for taxes. A sympathetic Frenchman of the Southern affliction bought the home and gave the title to Fripp free and clear. He now had the “Title of his Home” creating “Tidalholm” Mt. Vernon, George Washington’s estate, was originally named Little Hunting Creek Plantation since it was by the creek. When his brother Lawrence Washington inherited it, he renamed it Mt. Vernon after his commanding officer Vice Admiral Edward Vernon. These are only a few creative names for inspiration.

Our family has named many homes over the generations. As mentioned before, Hayfield and Sunnyside named back in the late 1700’s has lasted for over 250 years. Wheatland, Waveland, Blenheim, Rockwood, Glencoe and Halwyck were also some of the historic names for properties around us in Southwest Virginia. We live at Belle-Hampton, formally Hayfield. When Gov. J. Hoge Tyler added to the structure in 1879 he renamed his family homestead after his daughters Belle and Sue Hampton thus changing their family story and creating the Belle-Hampton brand.

Hopefully these stories inspire you to think about naming your home, big or small. Creating a name not only establishes a living history, it can create value for your home for current and future generations. As a realtor, I used established names as a marketing edge, but also would invent a name based on a key feature of the home if a name didn’t exist. During a Homearama, a showcase of homes, we created the name Bella Noelle which was named after the builder’s beautiful daughter’s middle name “Noelle”. We designed our dream home on the hill called Hayfield Homestead to bring back the original name of the property. The creativity to naming your home has no limit.

To start thinking of names for your home, do some investigating. Research your property to determine if there is some historical significance, important owner or interesting story. Maybe George Washington didn’t sleep there, but the former owner might be a distinguished businessman, lawyer, pioneer or just the person who built the house. If you were the first or newer owners of the home, list all of the good times, family memories, important events that have occured over the years. We named my parents home “Camp Cadillac” since the grandkids would spend time there during the summer. It was derived from our son confusing my mom’s Cadillac with the word Kayak thus establishing the camp (house) name.

If research isn’t stimulating some ideas or if you just built a new home, there are still plenty of options. Look outside to highlight an intriguing feature. Oak Hill, Apple Cottage or Back Creek come to mind looking at a home’s surroundings. But reflecting on the structure might bring some inspiration too: Seven Gables, White Pillars, Painted Lady. For a truly unique name, humor might be your inspiration: Kuminside, Allmine, House in a Hole. If literature or fantasy is more your style, think about Rivendell, Neverland or Valhalla.

Hopefully you are intrigued by some names, but may not be convinced about the purpose. Real estate agents say the right house name can help sell a house. Surveys even say people would be prepared to pay more for a house with a name. I, however, believe that having a story for your home which you branded with a name not just creates value to a potential new owner, but is a living story about your family which can live on for generations.