Celebrating Jennuary with Bedford’s Jennifers

By Jennifer Goldman

Hi I’m Jenn Goldman, and  I’d like to tell you about the Jenns I know. {Sung to Dave’s I Know by The Kids in the Hall}

Jennie G. was the first Jenn I met in town.  She was the room parent in my son’s class.
I thought,” I was surrounded by Jennifers in high school, I wonder how many Jennifers Bedford has amassed.”
The next year, there was Jenny D. who was a room parent along with me.
Two Jens in charge of class parties, I knew what a fun year that would be!
Jennifer K. was a mom in that class too and then lo and behold!
The leader of all room moms was also a Jenn.  How many Bedford citizens were born from this mold?
These are the Jenns I know, I know.  These are the Jenns I know.
Some of us are Jennifers, but most of us are Jens.
We gathered this month to unite us all and captured it through a photo lens.

While I am no Kid in the Hall, the uncanniness of the number of Jennifers that live in Bedford is quite intriguing.  Combing through school directories, Facebook, and asking friends of friends of friends, I discovered 34 Jennifers living in our town.  Some are close friends, while others I had never even heard of.  Thus the “Jennuary celebration” was created as a way of getting together with the amazing Jennifers I already know and allowing the opportunity for all of Bedford’s Jennifers to get to know one another.

Eight Bedford Jennifers met at Waxy O’Connor’s on January 26 and had a fantastic time sharing their stories of life as a Jennifer.  While our ages spanned 15 years and we come from all walks of life, we all shared an instant connection being a part of one of the longest running naming booms in U.S. history.  Jennifer was the most popular name for newborn girls in America every year from 1970-1984.

In the late 1960’s one of our Jennifers got her moniker because her mother thought she was being original.  Then came Love Story and the Jennifer craze began!  Another Bedford Jennifer got her name because her mother liked the song “Jennifer Juniper” by Donovan.  Bedford resident, Jennie Goldfarb was named after her great-grandmother, proving that the appeal of our name has really spanned over generations! While growing up in school, it may have been confusing to hear your name called and have a plethora of girls respond, so Jennie  chose to change the spelling of her name so she could stand out from the five Jennys in her 4^th grade class.

Bedford’s Jennifer Klein found there can also be an upside of having a name that so many other girls have.  “I have found having such a popular name is an ice-breaker.”  No, my phone number is not 867-5309.  I’m not Barry Manilow’s “only girl.”  The song references alone are endless!

So next “Jennuary” when we hold our 2^nd annual event, let’s work together as a town to include even more Jennifers!  Maybe if everyone catches on, we’ll do a regional Jennuary event in 2016!  Nationals in 2017?

To stay in touch, “Like” us on Facebook at Bedford Jennifers or e mail Jenn Goldman at [email protected] to be added to the Jennuary invite list.   Maybe the trend will respark causing a 21^st century Jennifer baby boom!  Hey, you never know.