Names are a funny thing. Growing up how many of us hated our names? I wanted to be something exotic (why I choose the nickname Raven. They are smart, clever, mischievous and even magical. Yes, a little dark, too…) Long story short, as a child my name and I had a love/hate relationship (I loved to hate it….) However, once I got older I learned the story of my name. I am named after a great-aunt and a grandmother. I would have been named Dominique if my mother had her way (probably why I always wanted something a little more exotic) but unfortunately, my father was unable to spell it. I learned what my name would have been if I was male (thank you XX genes!) and I learned to embrace my name. Sure, I still go by Raven from time to time but my name does fit me.
Like Alma’s name fits her. Alma thinks her name is too long. It never fits on the page (I hear you Alma! I’ve 16 letters in my first and last name alone and it never fit in forms and you can never find a fun bracelet with it, either). But when Alma’s father tells her about the people she is named for (and the very special reason she is named Alma) she figures she likes her name after all.
This is a very simple story: girl learns how she is special. It does not get preachy or into too many details, but just enough detail to keep the adult reading. The child reader who is a little more active might not gravitate towards it, but your more artistic child should.
My mom wanted to name me Nicole but after 28 hours of labor she was a bit out of it when it came time for naming. My first name is basically just one of the top girls names of the early ’80s but my middle name is after my great grandmother (first one of her great children to be named after her), and, like you, the boy names under consideration were horrible. I was lucky since I spent a decent part of my childhood in Germany so what was a common name in the US (as I discovered in 8th grade) was actually unique – even if there were some spelling and pronunciation issues to work through.