One in a...

It's the only one.

Waunakee.

That's what they say, and what they say is repeated on the internet, so it must be true.

It doesn't seem like that odd of a name - especially in Wisconsin.

Here we have Milwaukee, Pewaukee, even Okee (just north of Waunakee close to the Merrimac Ferry).

In 2009, this unique village was voted #78 on CNN's Money as one of the Best Places to Live (small town division).

It was founded in 1870, so there have been plenty of opportunities for somebody - somewhere to name another small burg, Waunakee.

Madison, the hub of Dane County, is just south, but the presence of Lake Mendota means without a boat or plane you really can't get there by taking a straight line.

Just in case you think the locals might be a little concerned about its singularity...

It's not.

Large signs at the edge of town in all four directions proudly announce that it's the only Waunakee in the world.

Yet, the question remains.  Why?

What would it be like to be only one in the world with your name?  There are rare names, to be sure.

Hazel is a rare name.  Most Hazels I knew were quite old.  Now, it's the name of a girl in a popular young adult novel.  A novel so popular that my son named his dog Hazel.  Any day now there will be kindergarten classes rooms with two Hazels in it.

There are names like Apple, Moon, and North that some celebrity parents chose for their kids because the tried and true just wouldn't do.  I don't know, I think they tried too hard.

Names can come with its own defined meaning, or take on its own definition based on the quality of the people who answer to its call.

Waunakee is a quiet Wisconsin community - where families worship, work, attend school, raise families, and seek their own version of the American dream.

That sounds like a name, and idea worth repeating.