Baby Boy Presley ~ written by Janet Bostic 

I’m pregnant she says, and from the moment those two faint blue lines first make their appearance, like shining strobe lights of a Broadway musical opening night – the two lines shown to others who squint and nod in agreement that yes, they possibly see them too, her life abruptly changes. There is an immediate shift from the here and now to infinity and beyond.

Those mesmerizing and blinding lines point the way to a brave new world, one which previously held court in the back of one’s mind but had only seemed like a someday fairytale of make believe. Parenthood is suddenly large on the horizon, full of crocheted baby booties and tiny pastel clothes and soft blankets and snuggles and giggles and joy. It was no different for those welcoming motherhood in 1935, except for maybe an earlier announcement now of what is to come.

Expectant parents are promptly faced with a loss of control. They’re on the yellow brick road to the land of baby Oz. A path is set before them. As the arrival nears, there is only one very crucial aspect in which they have total jurisdiction and authority – choosing the all important name by which that child will be forever known.

Meaning & History

Elvis: Meaning unknown. It could possibly be a derivative of ALVIS or ELWIN. More likely, it is from the rare surname Elvis, a variant of Elwes, which is ultimately derived from the given name ELOISE. This name is also used as an Anglicized form of Irish AILBHE.

Since gender was not known beforehand in those days and no thought of twins, Gladys and Vernon likely had a girl’s name and a boy’s name on hand. Firstborn son Jesse Garon, named for Vernon’s father Jesse, was surely the chosen name and the tiny lifeless body of their stillborn son carried that honor. With the unexpected arrival of boy number two, was there a scramble to decide who to call him? I wonder if it was a quick decision or if Elvis Aron was pulled from their short list of pre-chosen boy’s names? For those who aren’t aware, Elvis is the middle name of his father Vernon.

Many years ago, knowing I was expecting triplets and barring any mistake on the ultrasounds that two boys and one girl were expected, time was a premium and names were decided long before their birth. I have known many twin and triplet moms who chose not to know the genders beforehand and had a long list of first and middle names, male and female, and all sorts of combinations with many decisions to make when their tiny ones appeared. One of my sons is easily teased and I’ve often told him I almost named him Jared Elvis. “I wish you had Mom!” He’s not overly fond of his middle name, but at 21, it’s finally grown on him.

When I was growing up, my classes were filled with Debbie’s and Donna’s and David’s and Don’s. Several years later Jennifer’s and Michelle’s and Jason’s and Mark’s were in abundance. Popularity of names come and go. My 21 yr old daughter is named Lisa. When introduced, she very commonly hears “oh, that’s my mother’s name.” I won’t divulge why I named her Lisa but I’ll give you a hint, my second choice was Presley. My criteria for names were twofold, easy to spell and pronounce and no gender confusion. 

Elvis’ first billed performance July 30, 1954, was held at 8 pm at the Overton Park Shell in Memphis, a Hillbilly Hoedown and he was the opening act for headliner Slim Whitman. He was mistakenly billed as “ELLIS PRESLEY.”

What if our guy had been named Harold or Kevin or Archie or Kyle? Would the screams still erupt for Joe Presley? Would “Steve has left the building” have become a common phrase?

His good looks and charisma and exceptional voice were God given but what if he had been named something else? How important to his success and stardom was his very unique and memorable name? How did it contribute then to his originality and how much does it still contribute today to his mystique?

Did having a highly recognizable and unusual name accelerate the career of Elvis Aaron Presley? Would you feel the same abiding love for Presley, whatever his first name, truly? 

What say you, Elvis fans?