All of us who grew up in households headed by children of the Great Depression are no doubt familiar with the proverb waste not want not. It basically decrees that you should make do with what you have.

And so it is with Amish names.

Over these past 500 or so blog posts, I’ve mentioned more than once that Farmer Gary is enamored with the Amish.

It was only today, though, while recording this story, that I tied together that old efficiency chestnut (the proverb, not the husband) with the non-wastefulness of Amish names. (Gary told me he read that seven surnames cover about 80 percent of Amish families nationwide.)

And speaking of Amish names …

When James was a little fellow, he absolutely delighted in the surname Yoder. When we picked out new cabinets for our kitchen, Gary was happy to order them from an Amish woodworking shop, to be delivered by an employee with his son’s favorite of all Amish names.

For about a week during the kitchen redo, James repeatedly shouted out the name Yoder, nearly bursting with glee. Gary and I still smile when we see the name on a sign or in the newspaper. We want not for sweet memories of our sons.

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