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Is anyone else named after a character on this show?

posted 8 years ago by jarrodmcdonald-1
9 replies | jump to latest

When I was younger I asked my parents why they had given me my first name. My father said it was because he and my mother liked this show and they liked the name 'Jarrod.' I was born after The Big Valley went off the air, so they must have watched it in reruns.

I didn't first see an episode until the 1980s when I was about ten or eleven years old. At the time I was visiting my grandparents in Chicago, and it was being rebroadcast on WGN. It was exciting to see my name on screen, when Richard Long was billed in the opening credits. Until then, I didn't know anyone else had ever been called Jarrod. I never met anyone with my name until a bit later, and usually it was spelled differently (often 'Jared'). I felt unique.

Anyone else share a first name with a character on this program..?

[–] spasek 8 years ago

That's pretty cool. I wasn't named after a character.

However, a few years back, I went to an ashram in Escondido, CA to work for about 9 months. Unfortunately, and for reasons I don't understand, you couldn't have the same first name as someone else who was already there, and someone already had my first name. I was asked to pick another name.

I picked, "Nick."

[–] DrakeStraw 8 years ago

Nick is my nickname also. I took it because I play poker with a guy with my same name. It fits me, because I look like Santa Claus and I'm no saint!

DrakeStraw
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[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 8 years ago

Interesting you picked 'Nick.' Surprised there wasn't already someone with that name.

[–] elvisforever-633-689384 8 years ago

The name Heath which is usually rare did go up in popularity when the show was on tv and then went to syndication. I also read a story from a lady who named her son Nick for Nick Barkley and yes even Audra. Your spelling is a little rare as Jared seems to be more common today.I have heard stories as I rove around the internet of people named after a Barkley character

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 8 years ago

The name Heath which is usually rare did go up in popularity when the show was on tv and then went to syndication. I also read a story from a lady who named her son Nick for Nick Barkley and yes even Audra. Your spelling is a little rare as Jared seems to be more common today.I have heard stories as I rove around the internet of people named after a Barkley character

Yes, the spelling is unique. I am sure there are lots of people like my parents who give their kids names that are used on TV shows. As for Heath, the female version would be Heather and that's always been a popular name.

[–] mlbroberts 8 years ago

I was a teenager when the show first aired. I never knew anybody named Jarrod, and then all of a sudden there were Jarrods (Jared) all over the place. I checked the statistics once, and the popularity of that name zoomed like lightning when the show came on. It's a good name. Congrats on having it.

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 8 years ago

I was a teenager when the show first aired. I never knew anybody named Jarrod, and then all of a sudden there were Jarrods (Jared) all over the place. I checked the statistics once, and the popularity of that name zoomed like lightning when the show came on. It's a good name. Congrats on having it.

Thanks! I am wondering why the creators of The Big Valley picked that name and why they spelled it so uniquely. There has to be a story behind it.

[–] mlbroberts 8 years ago

I'm not sure. I remember that at the time, it was a little-used Biblical name. Maybe the writers spelled it the way they did to ensure how it was pronounced "Jaaah-rod) (not "Jair"-ed). Of course, these days you might have to be careful they don't start calling you "Jay-rod."

So, fess up - how do YOU like being named after a TV character? Given that my last name was the name of a famous radio and early TV character, it wasn't like my parents had any choice in the matter and it dogged me until I was well into my 20s and people started forgetting. I never run into anymore, thank goodness.

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 8 years ago

Thanks for asking. LOL You're right-- it's a biblical name, Hebrew in origin, from the Old Testament. It means 'one who gains an inheritance.'

I have had people mispronounce it. It was not very common when I was growing up, at least in the region where we lived. And then later, when the name seemed more widespread, it didn't have this particular spelling. So when people read my name, like at jury duty or at Starbucks on the side of a coffee container, they usually didn't pronounce it right. The most common mistake is people like to add an 'L' in front of the 'D.' I'm older now so I shrug it off. I just gently correct them and say it like it should be said, and they usually repeat it correctly.