Josh Lucas, star of Poseidon and Sweet Home Alabama, welcomed his first child with wife Jessica Enriquez, a son named Noah Rev Maurer. As you might have guessed, the name Noah is Hebrew in origin, meaning rest or comfort. And the name’s popularity is rising as fast as water in the proverbial flood. Starting to climb in mid-1980s, it’s currently the highest it’s ever been in the U.S., having jumped from #7 to #5 in 2011. It’s even more popular in some countries, at #2 in Canada and Switzerland. It’s also a hit among celebs, most recently with model Alessandra Ambrosio naming her son Noah this year. But what exactly is the origin of middle name Rev? As it turns out, Noah Rev’s dad comes from an unusual middle-naming tradition himself.

Lucas was born Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer. He was given his rather unique middle names because when he was born, his doctor said the birth was so easy, he hit his head on the bedpost. Folksy, no? His parents were living on a Native American reservation and chose to name him after “things that happened there.” An “easy dent,” indeed.

The popularity of Noah makes the middle name choice all the more interesting. Where does Rev come from? There is no entry in Nameipedia for the three-letter mystery, but it may be connected with other Hebrew-inspired names, such as Lev or Zev. Across the name landscape, V is one of the rarest name endings, trailing J and Q.

What do you think about Noah Rev? Any theories on the Rev origin mystery? How about the middle names Easy Dent?

--A.D.