Sunday, October 7, 2007
"A Rose By Any Other Name..."
I was thinking about names just the other day, probably because of the RRL for "My Name is Margaret," but also because it is something I tend to think about every so often. Shakespeare, through the voice of Juliet, asked us to consider: What's in a name? Well, what is? How many of you were named for other people, specifically, family members? Does being named after a beloved relative heap unfair pressure on you to be a certain way--act a certain way--love certain things--just because the person you're named after did? What about those of you who were named for favorite actors or actresses, literary characters or anything that your parents thought was cool at the time? Do you love your name? Does it suit you? Would you change it if you could? To what? Do you ever think you might be a different person if you were named something else? Do you know the origin of your name? How did you come to be a Felicia or a Devon or a Darrell or a Jonathan or a Mister? For example, my name is Cassandra, which comes from Greek Tragedy, Agamemmnon by Aeschylus, but my mother and father didn't know that. So, I have no idea really, where they got it from, but I often wonder if I would be a completely different person if my name was something simple like Lisa or Diane or something like that. When other people shorten your name does it make you angry? What about when people mispronounce it? There are a lot of questions here--make sure you hit all of them. (400 words/40 pts)
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My full name is Hannah Frances Johnson. My first name comes from the Nancy Drew series. My mom was a complete bookworm when she was younger, and her favorite books were the Nancy Drew books. Hannah was the name of the housekeeper, and my mom loved that name ever since she was little and always wanted to have a daughter and name her Hannah, so I got stuck with it. My middle name comes from my grandfather's name, Francis or Frank for short, who died before I was born of a sudden heart attack. I really don't have much pressure from being named after my grandfather, because after hearing so many stories about him and learning about him through pictures and old home videos, I am already like him. He loved baseball and I played softball since I was 8, he loved macaroni and cheese with ketchup and so do I, and he was very involved with his family like I am. In some ways, I feel like I have a special bond with him that my cousins and siblings don't have, even though I never met him. I think I wish I would have known him more than my siblings and cousins, because I am really the only one who ever talks about him (other than my grandmom, my dad, and my aunt and uncle).
I do like my name, maybe more so now than when I was younger. But when we were kids, who didn't play fairytale games in which they made up cooler names for themselves? I was actually thinking about if my name suits me or not the other day. The meaning of my name, grace of God, suits the story of how I was born. (It's kind of private, and my mom would probably get really mad if I told anyone.)
I don't think I would change my name if I had the chance. I think a person's name can attribute to their personality traits. We are all identifiable by our names, and it is something that makes us unique. If we were all named the same name followed by a number, everyone would be the same.
My name is Hebrew, but I'm not Jewish. It's also in the Bible a lot, but I don't know this from reading the Bible. Because I don't read the Bible. People have always asked me if I knew the significance of Hannah in the Bible, and I still have no idea who she was. My mom just liked the name.
My name can't really be shortened, so that doesn't get on my nerves. But I have been called Heather, Harley, and even Harriet before. I have no idea how you get any of those names from Hannah. And it really gets on my nerves when people don't just say the first "a" in my name short. Some people elongate it when they say my name, and it is SO irritating.
A name by definition is “a word or phrase that constitutes the distinctive designation of a person or thing b : a word or symbol used in logic to designate an entity”. My full name is Jeanne Marie. My first name comes from Celtic origins and means “God is gracious” and is the feminine form of John. Neither of these two things had any influence on me getting my name, but I thought it was an interesting fact. My mothers name is Dorothy Jane, my aunt’s name is Betsy Jean, and my Grandmothers name is Barbara Jean. I was originally going to be an Amanda, but at the last minute my mom changed her mind and decided to name me after my aunts and grandmothers’ middle name. She did not however, want it spelled the same so she took the traditional French way of spelling Jeanne which has the “ne” suffix. I do not think that being named after my grandmother or my aunt has any pressure attached to it because I am my own person with my own likes and dislikes.
My birth name is Jeanne, and I don’t particularly like it. I don’t really know how to explain it, but I just don’t like it. When I was first born and my cousin was writing my cousin Andrea, who coincidently is now looking for three baby names to be given to her soon to be born triplets, thought that Jeanne (jeen) was pronounced Jeannie (JEE-nee) because of the “e” at the end haha. So ever since the name Jeannie has kind of stuck. I sometimes like my name because it’s different and not many people have it, but at other times I hate it because I can never find my name on anything when I am looking for souvenirs on vacation. I have thought about changing it, but just for fun. After living 16 years of my life with this name its hard to imagine me being called anything but Jeannie. I don’t think that if I was named anything else I would be that much different of a person because the name doesn’t make you, you make the name. It doesn’t make me mad when people shorten my name, it just annoys me because then my name reverts back to Jeanne which I have already mentioned I am not too fond of.
When people mispronounce it I tend to get quite aggravated because it is so often mispronounced. I have been called Jennifer, Joanne, Janie, Jamie, Jessica, Janay, Joanie, Gianna, Gianni, the most common G’anne, as well as many other weird pronunciations that I don’t even understand how someone can form from Jeannie. Its not that hard.
I'm anticipating reading the responses from the 3 other Emilys in this cohort, because I wonder if they feel the same way about their name that I do. My name and I have a love/hate relationship. As you know, Ms. Bunje, my name is Emily Ida Brill. I love the Ida - it's original, it's different. The Ida comes from a great-aunt, but there are actually two Idas in my family, and I don't know which one I'm named after. Whenever I ask, which admittedly is not often and is only when I have to do some sort of school project on it, I get some long tirade from whoever I asked and I just tune them out and stick with my correct presumption that there is an Ida in my family, and yes she was a great person, and because of her I inherited my fabulous middle name so for that I will be eternally grateful. My middle name stands out from an otherwise quite uneventful name.
My parents didn't know that Emily was the most popular name the year I was born. In fact, they weren't going to name me Emily at all. I was supposed to be a boy, and my name was to be Samuel Hunter. (I love that.) My parents didn't do an official hospital test, but they did do a couple superstitious tests, like the one where you put the pencil on the pregnant woman's pregnant belly and whichever way it rolls represents the sex of the baby. Anyway, why I'm getting into this I don't even really know, but all those tests pointed to boy, so even though my dad wanted a girl they resigned themselves to thinking mostly of boy's names. However, they still had girls' names on reserve - Anna, Hannah, and Summer. Summer. I always loved that name, the uniqueness of it. Imagine being named Summer. Whenever someone called you "Summer" in the hallway, you would KNOW who they were talking to. But anyway, my parents just thought I looked like an Emily. Perhaps the shock of having just given birth to a girl despite the fact they had already painted her room baby blue with a realistic woodland creature border (deer, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons - I know because I am looking at them right now as I type this) contributed to the spur-of-the-moment choice of name. But i do think Emily is a beautiful name.
I agree with Hannah. I love my name. My name is me. It suits me completely. I have grown into it and accepted it, and now I love it. But looking back on when I was younger,I feel a special closeness to that whole fairy-tale game where you change your name that she mentioned. Whenever I was playing a princess make-believe game, my name would always be the most exotic I could conjure up. Aurora, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Summer. Emily was something I had to come to accept. But now that I have, I wouldn't trade it.
One thing that does bother me now, though, is that people don't feel like calling "Emily" and having 4 of us turn around like, "Yes?" So they get lazy and call us by our last names. Arrgrgghhgghhh. People have stopped doing it this year, thankfully, but there are some people that cling to calling me Brill, and I am pretty easygoing, I'd like to think, so I'm just like (wearily), "Yes?" So, to answer that portion of the question, I hate it when people don't call me by my name. I like my nicknames, Em and whatnot, but I feel like if you want to talk to me, at least give me the courtesy of not shouting my last name at me like I'm some slacking football player. And to hit the last question, the only person that really mispronounces my name is my grandmother (my own grandmother) who calls me Em-ly. Like she can't say the I. "Emly! Would you like some dinner?" "No Grandmom, I just ate." "Emly! You can't be that full, here, I will fix you..." So it goes.
What’s in a name? Well there’s letters, there’s lines, there’s prejudice, there’s expectation, there’s connection, there’s emotion, there’s respect, or there’s question. Along with thousands of other things. A name is not just a title but an identification. But do the characteristics of the named determine the name or does the name determine the characteristics? Well, that wasn’t really a rhetorical question. Juliet said, “That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet,” which is true, so names really are just words given to determine who’s who. I think that whole spiel was pointless but it is 11:30 and I’m tired. Sleep was seriously lacking this weekend. I blame the dog.
I was named after my dad, exactly after him, and have the suffix Jr. after the Gary David Carlson. There are some pressures to be like my dad, but not because of my name, simply because I’m his son. But I love my name. I hate that suffix though. Gary isn’t all too common but it isn’t rare. I know at least five other Gary’s other than me and my dad. But when someone calls my house and asks for Gary and I don’t know who it is, I tend to ask, “Big Gary or little Gary.” The people who I know are like, “Ha ha, big Gary please.” But the ones who I don’t just sit there speechless for a second and either say, “I don’t know,” like they can’t tell that I’m the younger, little Gary and the one who needs to pay his bills is the older, big Gary.
But anyway, I think my name fits. I was originally going to be named Samson. Imagine that. I’m still glad my mom changed my dad’s mind. I’m sure I would be fine with it if I lived with it, but it just seems so awkward now. And Sam doesn’t really fit me, in my opinion. I would love to change my name, not because I don’t like this one but because I like more bizarre ones better. Like Brill (ha ha I said Brill not Emily, she hates that) said, whenever I played using a pseudo name I would conjure up the most exotic names, alien names sometimes also. Like who wouldn’t want to be named Gorbluck or Liprov or Xan or Nunchuck. You legally can change your name so if my name isn’t big and famous one day (or if it is and I can’t stand it) I might become Xan Norpluck Jicovia one day.
I love my name on google. There’s a Gary Carlson who does 3-d illustration of biological stuff. There’s a Gary, Indiana. There’s even a picture of UltraGirl. Man my name is cool. I once read that my name meant a “gentle farmer” or a “mighty warrior.” I love how names contradict like that. And also, on thinkbabynames.com, it says, “he boy's name Gary \g(a)-ry\ is pronounced GARE-ee. It is of Old English origin, and its meaning is "spear". Famous since the 1930s due to actor Gary Cooper.” I guess I was a gentle farmer that found a spear and used it to become a mighty warrior. Awesome.
Finally, nicknames. Or better yet, incorrect spelling and pronunciation. I don’t give a hoot about either. You can call me Grary or Grarance or Gairy or Geary or spell it Garry or Gray, it doesn’t bother me one bit. Just make sure there’s a g in it. I have nicknames like Garbear (pronounced gair-bear like carebear) and Gurry and G-man. I like them all. A name is a name is a name. I also like being called Carlson because I am some football player (soccer player as an American would call it) and the Carlson family is awesome. Some things are meant to be exact and correct; I don’t believe a name is one of them. Getting the gist of it is all that matters, to me.
My full name is Rebecca Marie Irwin. My middle name is after my great grand mother on my father’s side. I know so many people with the middle name Marie, yet they all aren't necessarily named after a relative, they're parents just thought it was pretty. But just because I'm named after someone in my family doesn't mean I have to live my life like them. It's more of an honor and I personally cherish that. But my first name is interesting. It really does have so many nicknames like Becca, Bec, Becky (EW!), and Becca Boo, which is what Leslie calls me. Becca and Bec would have to be my favorite. I think it’s because my Dad calls me by Bec a lot and it’s like that father-daughter relationship thing. Well anyway, I really do hate when people call me by a nickname that I hate and I think it’s rude to shorten someone’s name when you don’t even know them. For instance, my computer teacher Mrs. Anderson in like fifth grade always called me Becky, but since I was little and a lot more timid than I am now I didn’t correct her. I actually regret doing that because if I ever see her I’m sure she’s going to call me Becky. I think my name is pretty and suits me well and really I can't picture myself with another name because Rebecca is all I've ever known. It was actually being considered that my name was going to be Samantha. Now don't get me wrong, but I seriously don't like it and I can honestly say I don't even know why.
But really when you think about it you have no control over what your name is. I think that people, in a sense, grow into their names and develop a personality for it to make it their own and that's how it should be. I don't believe in changing your name, for any reason, because someone picked it special for some reason or another, whether it represented the Queen of England or an old friend from High School, it still means something.
Commenting on Brill's blog, I actually wish that I had a more unique name. I always get, "Hey Rebecca, ya know from Sunny Brook Farm" or the popular, "It's quite a shame about your Uncle Steve, that sting ray was an awful shame." If I had a unique name like Ida none of those stupid comments would even be uttered. But I still have to stick with my first opinion that I love my name and would never ever change it. I've made it my own and I'll always live up it to.
I agree with a lot of what Gary said. A name, to me, is pretty much like an identification tag placed upon us at birth that we either learn to love or learn to hate. Personally, I don't mind my name, but I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm in love with it or that I passionately hate it. My name came from a variation of two names on my mom's side of the family- my great-great grandmother, Johanna (I am so glad I don't have that name), and my grandmother, Joanne. My mom had one of those posters made for me about what my name means and framed it back when I was young and it hung over my bed. Joanna means "grace or a gift" and I always thought that was pretty cool. With all of that said, I think more people call me Jo than Joanna. It all started back on swim team days- when my team would cheer for me they would always yell, "GO JO!!!" (cute, right?) My mom and dad always called me it too. I swam with Rachel Carlson and when she brought it to middle school and started calling me it, EVERYONE did. I liked it because all of my close friends called me it. When I got to Oakcrest, it got weird. People that I didn't even really know were calling me Jo and I was just surprised by it I guess. Fast foward to this year, and I always know to turn around when someone says it because it's sort of just like a cute, short name. Even though everyone knows my full name, people just stick to calling me Jo and I think it suits me. Actually, a lot of people only call me Joanna when they're trying to be serious with me and that's when I know to be worried. My mom once told me that if her and my dad didn’t name me Joanna, they would have named me Rachael. I definitely don’t think that suits me. Maybe it’s just because it’s hard to imagine having a new name (nothing against the name Rachael, I think it’s pretty, just not for me I guess.) Or maybe it’s because I associate faces with names and don’t think I’m a “Rachael” person because of the people I know who do have that name. I don't think I would want to change my name.. too much confusion with trying to convince someone my "new" name. And who's to say you should be allowed to have a court change your name for you? I don't think it should be like that. Well, maybe if my name was Henrietta or something like that I would change my mind.
A lot of these questions don’t pertain to my name, not even my middle name. I wasn’t named after a relative, and my name doesn’t take after a famous person or some historical figure we all look up to. My parents didn’t even think it was cool they had hardly nothing to do with it, my father at least! In a song called loving you by Minnie Riperton, was a song my mother liked a lot. At the end of the song she says Maya, Maya my mother liked that name but since her initials are NSG she changed the M to an N and spelled it N-I-A-H. All of my cousins on my father side all have the initials JDG and its ashame I am the only one that doesn’t, but it’s ok because my mother has me! My middle name was given to me by my grandmother on my mother’s side it is Shaylin. I absolutely positively love my name Niah Shaylin Grimes, especially when I was younger like Hannah (whose name I also love cause Hannah spelled backwards is Hannah how cool!!!). When I was little I swore I was they only girl named Niah spelled N-I-A-H until I had two little cousins named Taniah. I was mad that I was no longer different but really I should’ve been flattered. Really a name doesn’t make you who you are.
I have nicknames that include Ni, Niah Biah, Niah Shay, and Shay. I don’t mind when people give me nicknames as those listed I think they’re cute and can be sort of intimate. One problem with my first name is its not very familiar and people tend to call me knee-yah and random names that start with N. When I was younger I wouldn’t correct people so my mom and my aunt would call me Norma Gene Wilcox’s so I started correcting them by saying “My name is Niah!”.
I wouldn’t be the same without my name I look like a Niah not an Ashley or a Susan so it’s only right that I be called Niah. Its like people named Shaniqua or Becky, they have to go on defending their selves because of the name they were given. I think its ashame but then again a name isn’t what defines you so whether you’re a man named sunshine you should be able to over come that name to reach your full potential.
What’s in a name you ask? It is an endless list of descriptions and meanings. This may apply to the person or may not. But usually a name has a unique way of describing everyone with that name and always comes to different meanings. And if you don’t know specifically what it is, it can always mean where you came from. For example, my name is Daniel Arthur Lang. This name means to me my identity as Walt and Vicki Lang’s son and also the brother to Walt Lang. My first name was a name my mother and father agreed on together and then follows my middle name. My middle name was given to me after my grandfather or my mom’s dad. And then my last name represents my father’s side and my loving family. And no my middle name does not make me act different just because it was given to me after my grandfather. I’m sure being named after him makes him happy and I'm glad it does, but still it won’t change me but at the same time I will not disgrace him. I am who I am and that is what my name Daniel Arthur Lang is going to mean. Many people I know were named after famous people or any other characters or heroes. However I was not and I am perfectly fine with that. I do love my name and can not imagine what I would be called otherwise. The actual meaning of Daniel is [Hebrew D n ' l, D n y l, God is my judge : d n, judge; see dyn in Semitic roots + - , my + ' l, God; see l in Semitic roots.] Other meanings are a Hebrew prophet of the sixth century B.C. and (Old Testament) a youth who was taken into the court of Nebuchadnezzar and given divine protection when thrown into a den of lions (6th century BC). Even though I may not be a prophet or god my name does fit me. I am who I am and that is all that can be said. The definition of Arthur is a legendary British hero, said to have been king of the Britons in the sixth century A.D. and to have held court at Camelot. Even though I am not a king I am still who I am. And the meaning of Lang is a nickname for a tall person, from Older Scots, Middle English, Middle Dutch, Middle German, and Danish lang meaning ‘long’. And this is just representing my ancestors and I am still who I am. I know the regular origin of Daniel which is Hebrew or Irish and Arthur can be British. Lang I was told by my family that it is German, but online is said to be multiple things. I would not change my name if I could because I have lived my whole life with it and I like my name and would not disgrace my family by changing it. If I wasn’t named Daniel Arthur Lang I don’t think I would act any different. A name doesn’t change someone to me it is how the true person acts. And my name is described above and I also don’t know where my family got my name from but I will live with it and have no problem with that. When people shorten my name it doesn’t bother me. You can call me Danny, Dan, and anything else you can think of as long as it isn’t insulting. A lot of my friends call me many different things relating to my name and also completely random things from things I do. And when someone miss pronounces my name I could careless. It’s really not that hard to say, so most get it right. But if they do say it wrong just try again and remember it.
I agree with Gary on a name being thousands of possibilities of uses, but mainly a personal ID. And also how he is named after his dad, my brother is named after my dad. And from what I can tell things can get a little tricky sometimes. He also tells of how he couldn’t imagine being named another name. I also feel the same because my Mom wanted to name me all these weird names and I could never imagine myself as them, but I don’t think this would have changed me. However the only thing is I wouldn’t change my name like he would to extreme names. I think this would put to much pressure on me in many different ways. And overall I am who I am and my name is just there to be my own and identify me.
My full name is Erin Elizabeth Bridget Hall. My name adds uniqueness to my personality. It’s different from a lot of my peers, which I like, but it is also very common in the world. It just so happens that there is another Erin Hall in Oakcrest, which I find very creepy. Growing up, I hated my name and even tried to change it to Lily. I didn’t find it beautiful and I thought that everyone else’s names were so much better, but of course the name change didn’t last long. As I got older, I started to learn things about my name that I never knew before. For example, “Erin” used to be the name of the country Ireland. How many people can say that their name used to be the name of a well-known country? The Celtic originated name also is the poetic name for peace, which my mother finds completely hilarious because I am not peaceful at all. The name was chosen by my father because my mom wanted an Irish name and of course all the names she picked out, my father hated. I almost became a Mary-Kate and Bridget, so I am very glad they settled on Erin. Being catholic, I had to pick a confirmation name, which is where Bridget came from. It was also the name one of my relatives, as well as my middle name, Elizabeth. I was never pressured to live up to any expectations because of my name choices. My relatives died many years ago and they were not close to my mother, she just liked the names.
I always wondered that if my name had been Mary-Kate or Bridget, if I would be the same person. Jeannie had put in her blog, “the name doesn’t make you, you make the name.” I totally agree with her. Whether my name was Waldo or Erin, I could still be the same person. Our names are only a title to distinguish one person from another so to say that a name could change the way you turn out is completely wrong.
It bothers me a lot when people mispronounce my name. It is not like it isn’t common and it is only four letters. Another thing that bugs me is that my father fought for my name to be Erin and, of course, he calls me by my nickname, Ernie. I hate the name more than anything! I’m not a boy or a character on Sesame Street. I am Erin, a girl of peace. As I have gotten older and started to understand my name more, I have come to a compromise with it. I learned to love it and I think it suits me just fine. I don’t need a name to define who I am, I am the one who defines my name.
My full name is Allison Kathleen McCarthy. It's 18 letters long, and that's all I really think about it. It simply a long identification my parents picked out so they would be able to call for me when they needed to. I am named after my Aunt Kathy though, well my middle name. I don't feel like that makes me obligated to act a certain way though. Just because I share a name with someone I love doesnt mean I have to be just like her. There are many other Allisons and Kathleens in the world, I might not be named after all of them, but I still share the same name. Since people don't expect me to act similar to them, they shouldn't think I should act the same as the person I was named after. Some people may say that you should "honor" the name you were given if you were named after someone else, and be respectful to it. I say that is ridiculous, just because you were named after someone doesnt mean that if you mess up in life you are disrespecting that person's name. I don't love my name, but I dont hate it either. I'm kind of in the same place as Joanna. I like my name though. I think my name suits me. I usually associate names with faces, and I think I look like an Allison. Some people say I look like a Nicole too, and I guess I could see that also. So I think I would change my name to Nicole if I could. But I would definitly not keep my middle name the same if I changed it to Nicole, I think it would have too many hard c's in it. ha.
When I was born, my one brother was five. When my parents asked him what he wanted to name the baby, he said Tree Climber if it was a boy and Flower Love if it was a girl. If my parents were crazy and decided to agree with him and name me one of these names, I do still believe that I would be the same person today. I dont think having another name would change a persons personality and all of their experiences. I think I would still have the same friends that shape me into the person I am.
No one has ever mispronounced my name. It's pretty simple. But SO many people have spelt it wrong. It doesnt get me mad, but I do get annoyed. I mean, it is my name. I don't have some off the wall name either, its pretty simple. So for people to not even get take a second to check how to spell it sometimes makes me a little annoyed. So, if anyone is reading this it's A-L-L-I-S-O-N. And, if you are going to call me by my nickname, it's A-L-L-I. Two L's, no I-E or Y.
I guess that brings me to the nickname part of this question. I have 2 nicknames, Alli and Al. I like both. I don't usually like when people call me Allison, I feel like they are yelling at me or talking sternly. But some peole make it sound welcoming. I'll usually tell you which one I like better.
Katherine Elizabeth. It is quite powerful don’t you think? My total opposite. I feel as though my name is meant for someone very important and successful. Not me. I do not like it one bit. It is one of those names that your parents or your friends can call you just to aggravate you. Some people can get away with calling me Katherine though. My Uncle John is one of my favorite people and he calls me that with no problem. My grandmother on the other hand gets me very upset when she calls me that. In the past two years or so, she has seemed to forget my family and I are here. She no longer calls me or invites me to stay with her. I feel that she no longer knows me well enough to call me that. It seems weird because most people feel that if someone doesn’t know them well enough, they can not call them by their nickname, but for me it is a different story. Though I loathe it terribly, I would not change it. My mom thinks that it is beautiful, and she obviously named me that for a reason. I don’t mind when people shorten it, as I go by Katie, but I don’t really like being called Kate. The only people that can call me that are my brother and my cousin. I was named after my aunt Kathleen Elizabeth. I do not feel any obligations to being as amazing as she is. It would be quite nice to have a beautiful house and be a successful dentist, but I don’t feel I HAVE to. I plan on becoming Dr. Lolla as she has, to keep the tradition in my family (I would be the fifth if my brother becomes a doctor before me.) My name is Greek and means pure. I don’t quite know if the meaning suits me, but I don’t quite know myself yet so I don’t think I need to decided now. I doubt changing my name would change who I am. For example, a great deal of people call me by my last name and that has had no impact on me except having a cooler name. As for my last name, what a great name. I LOVE it. Not only does it sound cool, but it’s unique. There are a few other people in the United States that have it, but other than that, the only others are my family in Italy. I do get quite upset when people mispronounce it and say Lala, but I have learned to get used to it after the years. All in all, I don’t think a name will make or break you, I think it is just a way for your parents to call you down for dinner.
This is an interesting blog and I am anxious to get started. The essence of the name can be for so many things. People are named out of honor, respect, a love for something or someone, or something else. I know that I am Darrell Russell Johnson Jr. After my father. My middle named is after my grandpa, but since he didn’t have a middle name, I am not a third. I feel somewhat honored to be named after my dad and grandpa. I feel no pressure to live up to the name because everyone in my family does not see it as that, they see me as an individual person. I have my own personality and character traits that I think had a minor influence due to my name. If my name was Wills, or Chatsworth I might have more British influence in me. However I have had many people ask my full name and say, “Wow, why aren’t you black?” I always laugh and say its just who I am, my name has no ethnic intentions it is just me. Names are unique even if there are three Emily’s in my AP class, even if there are 500 hundred million Johnson’s in the phone book. I am actually glad my name gets such comical inclinations like, “where is your other brother Darrell?” or my personal favorite nicknames. The whole story behind the name d-rell came from a friend Rich Rocap. One day Robbie Kisby made a joke while playing some video game, to the tune of, “Did you see that killer c-rail!” Or something like that. Then Rocap said, “dude we got our own D-rail here.” From there on out it morphed to d-rel, and I think it is a pretty cool nickname. Overall it is fun to hear what other people think of their names and nicknames.
Becca said that people somewhat grow into their names and embrace the qualities that come along with the essence of the name. I sort of disagree with her a little bit. A name is a name and people place too much emphasis on it. It is possible for someone to be name Glory and believe heavily in god and church, or after a saint like Mary, Luke, or John and have religious background. Nicknames describe a person better than their full name. D-rell shows the sense of humor and non-serious side of me. Names are fun to talk about but hard to put a finger on what they mean. To place a thumbtack to a name and attach it to a corkboard is impossible because names allow for the fluctuation of personality and characteristics of a individual.
A name doesn't mean anything. I think the person makes the name. I was always told that I should have been named Bridget because Meghan means quiet and soft spoken, which I am not. However, I am Meghan, not Bridget and therefore I do not exemplify the meaning of my name, which is why people create their own meaning of a name based on their own personality. Being named after someone else, such as a specific family member or someone famous, is different. If I were to be named after a beloved family memeber would put pressure on me to uphold the value of their name. And if I were to mess up I'd have to live with the burden of bringing disgrace to the name. However, my middle name came from my Aunt Kathy. A famous person, I'd probably feel like a poser or a wannabe. Anyway, I have no idea why my mom chose to name me Meghan Kathleen. She said I just looked like a Meghan Kathleen when I was born. Speaking of my mom, she constanly gives me nicknames. I personally don't mind having nicknames or having my named shortened. When someone calls me Meg or Megger, or whatever they chose, it's kind of like a personal connection between two people. If someone I didn't know really well, for example, and decided one day to call me Meg or Megger wouldn't go well with me. Calling someone by a shortened name who isn't in your "inner circle" is stepping a line. I also think that when someone who is in my "inner circle" spells my name wrong it's a personal diss. I get that a lot, so I hve gotten used to it unfortunately.
In reality, a name is so insignificant. We all have one, whether we like it or not, for one central purpose-to be identified. It’s strange though, how people can look like a Chris or a Ben or a Jill. And what with stereotypical idea that people named Jane are plain? I wasn’t named for any family members, but I can understand how it would stick unfair pressures onto the person. There would be certain footsteps to fill, certain character traits to inherit, and a certain lifestyle that may be expected. I was not exactly named after a movie star, but my mom told me that there was this one soap opera that she used to watch, I believe it was General Hospital, where she got the idea for my name. When she told the people at her work what she was going to name me, they told her not to. You see, their boss at the time was named Emily and she wasn’t the nicest woman. My mom stood up to these trivial preconceptions. She merely liked the name Emily and that’s how I came to be named. I wouldn’t say I am totally in love with my name. It’s run of the mill, I guess. My name is quite popular for my age group as you can tell (there have been four Emilys in my class the past two years). However, I did not always feel this way. I used to think I had a rather unique name. This was back at Port School, when I was naïve and where I was the only Emily in the school. This changed in sixth grade when we got a new student. The teacher informed us that she had the same name as somebody in the class and I was appalled to find out that it was my very own name (ironically, we became best friends). I honestly cannot decide if it suits me or not. I think that’s up to someone else to decide. As for changing my name, I know that it wouldn’t do much. One of my mom’s high school friends changed her name junior year, but everyone still called her by her old name. As simple as it seems, it is very difficult to call someone that you’ve known for a while, and called them by their name countless times, a different name. I am secretly jealous of those people who have truly unique names. I know of a girl named Star (now that’s an awesome name) who has two best friends named Autumn and Montana (what are the chances of that?). In another life I might be named such as this or maybe a name like Skye or Teal. If I was I named along the lines of these names, I feel like I would be different. In reality, I probably wouldn’t be any different, but names like those seem like they would come with a sense of individuality. Sometimes I can’t get past meeting someone with a name of someone I have known before that had a distinct personality or distinct traits. I’ll think to myself, “Wow, you do not look like a Dan”, and then I will subconsciously come up with a name that I feel better suits them. I have no idea what the origin of my name if from and nobody ever pronounces it wrong. I am however, annoyed when people call me Emmy, especially adults. It makes me feel like a little kid and I just hate the sound of it. I may be an Emily but I am certainly not an Emmy. The only person I ever let call me this was my little brother when he could talk until about five or six years old. Hopefully that part of my name is extinct.
Megan Rose Cockburn. That would’ve been the name on my birth certificate if my mother hadn’t forced my father into dropping the “ck” from his last name before tying the knot. Simply because of that fact, I really don’t think it would be fair for me to complain about the Megan Rose part. As long as my name doesn’t have the word cock in it, I’m happy.
My parents named me Megan because it was the only name they could agree on. My mom wanted to name me Sara or Kelsey. But every time my mom would say Kelsey, my dad would say Kelsey’s nuts, which really doesn’t make any sense at all but it was funny to him. I can see why my dad disagreed. He had such better names in store. He wanted me to be Samantha or Nitro (I obviously didn’t get my brains from him). Since they disagreed, they each made a list with their top 5 girl’s names and top boy’s names. Megan was the only name that they agreed on. I got the middle name Rose because it was my great-grandmother’s name. All of us inherited it. Not only is it my middle name, but it’s also my grandmother’s and aunt’s. It doesn’t put pressure on me because I didn’t know her at all and my grandmom rarely, if ever, talks about her. From what I’ve heard, she was extremely poor and picked cotton for a living. The only pressure on me is to have a girl so I can continue the tradition.
I googled the meaning of Megan and the first link took me to a site that said “strong and capable.” It’s not what I had expected. I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting, but that seems sort of like something that would come up for a boy name. I’ve grown to love my name, just like everyone else has. Over the years, it’s become a part of me and I wouldn’t change it for the world. When I was younger I always wanted to be a Sara (because of The Little Princess) or Jessica (I’m not sure why I picked that one).
My outlook on my name has changed a lot over time. When I was younger, I absolutely hated when people would call me Meg, similar to what Becca was saying about how she hated when people would give her a nickname. Once, I even screamed at one of my friends because he kept calling me Meg and I only let my family and best friends call me that. Now, almost everyone calls me Meg, even if they don’t know me that well (like how Joanna said everyone calls her Jo). All in all, my name is a part of me and it’s not going anywhere.
I actually anticipated answering this question after I was told by numerous people that it was fun to do. So here it goes. I was named Dumebi Annette Emetanjo by my father, My name which if you glance at it looks like (dumb-a-be) which I get a lot is really pronounced (du-may-be) was a name given to me by my father and originates from Asaba a state in Nigeria. In my opinion I think my name carries a substantial meaning compared to others which don’t have one or have a meaning of irrelevance. My name means “God is with me all times”. The meaning of my name carries so much meaning to me because when I am in trails and tribulations that I think I can not do or when I am scared I think of the meaning of my name and it gives me a sense of serenity. As far as my middle name goes my mom named me after a common name people where getting during the time of my birth. So my middle doesn’t hold much relevance at all to me and I could do without it. You will never hear anybody calling me it and sometimes I even forget how to spell it. My mom even forgot what my middle name was until I just asked her how I got it. As far as me accepting my name its something that I am learning how to do. Sometimes it can be embarrassing, sometimes it can be frustrating but it is who I am. It can be embarrassing when my name is being called out and it is said wrong and the whole room fills with laughter. It can be frustrating when I have to repeatedly correct someone on how to pronounce my name when I really don’t think its that hard. As far as my name suiting me that’s one thing I really cant answer because I don’t know if someone can look like a Dumebi, Becky, or Shanquia, but one thing I wouldn’t do is change it because people know you by your name and as far as my name is it is unique and uncommon so there for I stand out. When a teacher or somebody reads it on a list its always the one they go back to and pause for a second.
As far as nicknames go I get plenty of them. The most common is Du. Which everybody calls me I even feel weird when someone calls me Dumebi because thats how much I have grown onto people just calling me “Du” .As far as getting angry when people shorten my name I don’t because I rather them shorten it to something they can pronounce correctly instead of saying it wrong. Another name I get a lot from the guys is Dubaby and I constanly hear it when I am talking to a guy and they all seem to think they came up with something brilliant which I don’t understand.
I totally agree with Gary when he says a name is just and Identification. I don’t think a name plays a role on who you are, how smart you are or what you stand for. Your name can be Shaniqua and you can be the most outgoing smart person there is and your name wouldnt even matter it would just be an identification.
It’s kind of funny that we have this blog since I’ve had a ton of people tell me how much they liked my name this school year. Mr. Martino asked me if he could name his next kid after me, Ms. Bunje told me she loved my name everyday for the first few weeks of school (Laina Lusk I love that name) and just a few days ago when I went to sign up for the PSAT the lady told me my name sounds like a movie star name. My dad actually picked my name. Apparently he had known someone names Laina and liked the name. My parents thought that my name was unique and different without being too different and out there. Apparently my name is a variant of the English name Laine which mean a path, and it also means loan or credit in Finnish. My parents only thought it sounded good. Although my parents’ families’ had histories of naming children after ancestors, I certainly wasn’t. My grandma does think I should name one of my kids Parthena after a great-grandma. At least my name is better then Parthena.
I’ve met one person in my life that had the same name as me, with the same spelling. I’ve met a bunch of people with similar names (which is actually really annoying), such as: Alana (who goes by Lanny), Lina, Alaina, and Alayna. I think I should have the longest list of ways to mispronounce my name, except for Dumebi. I’ve gotten Lainy, Lana, Elaine, Elaina, Layena, Alana, Lenay (rhymes with Renee), Luana, Lena, even Laura and I’m sure many others. I guess it makes more sense for my name to be mispronounced, although I don’t understand how Jeannie or Hannah are hard to proounce. I’ve learned to respond to pretty much any weird name that starts with an L and has and A in it. My friends get more upset about people mispronouncing my name than I do. I don’t care too much unless the person knows me pretty well and still doesn’t know how to say my name, or just calls me the wrong thing anyway.
I don’t like my name as much as other people seem to. It starts to get annoying when every time you meet someone new or have a substitute your name gets butchered. I don’t expect to find my name on one of those souvenir things. When I typed my first and last name into google I only found an article in the Current, which happened to be about me. Although I didn’t like having such a unique name when I was little, but now I kind of like it. I don’t feel like I have to be a certain way or like there’s a need to fit the common “Laina” mold. I’m not just another Caitlin or Emily or Courtney, etc. I get to make up my own mold. When I was little, I wanted my name to be Jennifer because I just liked the name. Now I don’t think I’d change my name, just because I can’t think of a better name. Plus, what other name would Ms. Bunje be able to love everyday. I don’t know if my name suits me though. I doubt I will be a movie star, and I don’t think I’m so unique to deserve such a different name. I don’t think I’m exactly a variant of a path or a loan, either. When I was in elementary school, I thought my name suited me, especially since there was an Alaina and it made me fit in more. Maybe the different perceptions of my name are a symbol of my changing perceptions of myself.
I usually don’t mind nicknames, especially if they’re a personal one from a specific person. For example, Frank calls me Lains. I like it from Frank but I would hate it if anyone else just started to call me that. A few friends (and Mr. Tobias and Ms. Palermo) like to call me Laina Lust. I have an uncle who calls me Lain, and my aunt and brother call me what ever nickname comes to mind.
I love my name and i take pride in it. there's nothing special behind it. my dad's first name is fredrick and he hate's his name. that is the origen of my name. him hating his name he named me mister that way if i didn't like my name than i could go by carlton like he does now. instead of being fredrick carlton he is carlton carlton. My name has no real meaning but the reason i like it so much is because it shows me that my dad was thinking about me when he named me and not about himself. My name helps me be more open to people that i might think i might not like and give them a chance. Seeing that i'm a real loser i like to make freinds with people that not everyone likes. i have no middle name but a cool thing is that my dad's last name should be samochwal but he took my grandmother's last name carlton. some my real name should be mister samochwal. My mom wouldn't name me just mister without having a name to be called in school. So she chose the name from the main charector from the show dynasty. I have had lots of people give me nicknames for blake and their pretty annoying trying to rememper them all. the most annoying thing ever though is to have some one call you a play off fo your name like lake, flake, snake, cake. it really makes me angry espesilly when it's someone i don't know.
commenting on rebecca's blog. I also in band have had people call me alot of different nicknames using blake and most of them are really annoying so i know how she feels.
In Romeo and Juliet the last name of the two families is what the entire plot is about, but does the name really matter? A name is a huge part of your everyday life. It’s kind of funny, since you don’t actually get to choose your name, yet it’s such a big part of your life. You’re name is associated with your face. It directly reflects your identity, because without a name no one would be able to refer to you in a verbal manner. You’re name is an adjective. Michael replaces whatever adjectives that would be associated with me.
According to the Social Security Administration, Michael is the second most popular baby name for 2006 and has been since 1999. Prior, Michael was the most popular baby name going back to 1954 with a small hiccup in 1960 where Michael was the second most popular baby name.
My full name is Michael Anthony Matthew Henry. Michael is my father’s name, but I am neither a second nor a junior because he has a different middle name. Because of the first named nature of my name, spelling and pronunciation are never a problem for other people. Anthony is the name of my grandfather on my mother’s side of the family. Matthew is a confirmation name, picked because of Saint Matthew. However, being named after people of importance does not directly apply pressure on myself. I do not feel like I am falling short of my family’s expectations, whether they are associated with my name or not.
I love name for the fact that it is simple. It’s just Michael. I think it fits me well and I cannot think of a better name. However, I do think I would change it to something less popular and more unique if I got the chance. I cannot come up with examples at the time. My nickname, Mikey, suits me even better. I feel like by using Mikey and not Mike, a playful childish side is shown of me. I will be ripening into old age and everyone will still call me Mikey.
I love Googlism. Googlism is a way of finding out what your name means on the web by cross-referencing Google search results. The format of a googlism is “Michael is” which makes it perfect for Facebook status updates, hence where I get my weird updates from. Examples would include:
Michael is one hot papi chulo
Michael is a full member of the market research society
Michael is not about flashy miracles
Michael is suffering over human evolution before the time of his earthly activity
Michael is the kind of guy some people love to hate
Michael is excited to finally be combining his talents in the areas of dance
Michael is ?
Michael is a nice looking boy who is profoundly deaf and communicates through American sign language
Michael is now living on the outskirts of a tiny village near the ocean
Michael is entitled to voice his views on tony blair
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I agree with Rebecca Marie Irwin. Names are something that you associate personalities with. You grow into your name. People will associate my personality with the name Mikey, because that’s all they ever knew. I wouldn’t be able to change my name to something else and be able to keep that same name association.
Christine Patricia Scannell. Well, it's a pretty long name, to start off with. But does it really mean anything when not associated with a certain person? I don't think so. A name is just a combination of letters that helps you identify and individual within a group of people, whether it be just at your lunch table or the entire school. As for my name, it is not very common. There are a few other Christines in Oakcrest, but that is just it. A few. People don't find a need for a special nickname or a last letter such as emrow or meghan b with the name Christine. Within my group of friends, I am it. The only Christine that I actually know are me, Christine Cheatham, and the origin of it, my Aunt Christine. My Mom's older sister's name is Christine and I guess that she looked up to her so much that she wanted me to be her namesake. I think it is pretty cool to be named after someone so close to me, but I don't feel any pressure. We are both good people, but our personalities are relatively different. I don't think I need to be like her to share her name. However, it does get confusing at family parties and dinners because someone says Christine and we both turn.
This is where the nickname card is played. In high school, I don't have a nickname. It is simply Christine. Yes, it is a tad long, but it isn't very complicated and I am the only one, so there isn't much need for it. I might as well put in here, however, that lately I have been called Wayne because apparently I look like this person named Wayne. I don't know, Ms. Bunje, but that's what I have been told. Also, when I was in elementary and middle school, my family and a few close friends called me "teeny" because it was chris-tine and then teen and then teeny. My being about 8 inches shorter than everyone else might have had something to do with it also. It has stuck with my family mostly and I still hear it on and off, but seeing that I am about average height now, it has died off with my friends.
As for my middle name, Patricia is just another Aunt. Another one of my mom's older sister's was named Patricia and I guess it was only fair that her name be included, too. I don't mind it too much because not many people know it and I don't have a need to use it very much. It is just there mainly to be a middle name, I guess.
I think that my name suits me. There isn't a name that I have always wanted to be because I don't think that changing my name would change people's perception of me. A name is just a name. If my name was Angela or Lynn or Briana or Kristen, I don't think I would be thought of differently. It would just be something else to call me. There is one exception, though. If my name was Emily, I would also be one of the 4 AP Emily's instead of the 3 there are now.
Lastly, I decided to google my name. The first response that I got said that it is a Latin female name meaning the follower of Christ. Yes, I am Catholic, so I guess it suits me in that aspect, but it doesn't really exemplify any specific traits or quallities about me.
So, all in all I agree with Meghan Brennan that a name is just a name. You can choose to love it or hate it. You could even change it. But your name is just letters and a means of identification. It doesn't reveal anything special about you. You won't be President because your name is George and you won't be a star just because your name is Madonna. Christine Patricia Scannell, that's just me !
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose would still smell as sweet." What's in a name? Letters. And sometimes hyphens. (little drum fill) Seriously, what is in a name? Why aren't we all called "Boy", "Girl", or "Ugly"? Actually, that's what happened in the beginning of nomenclature. Think about it- Darrell and Hannah, Gary and Rachel- your last names are Johnson and Carlson, right? That derives from one day long, long ago, one of your ancestors was the son of some guy named John or some dude Carl. My Emily Capille's last name actually derived from a misspelling somewhere down the line of the Italian word capelli, meaning "hair", which I can only assume means that you, Emily, have a very hairy ancestor. Stephanie Lee had lazy ancestors, as she told in her blog her name was shortened at one point in time.
But what does my beautiful last name mean? "Well, Courtney", Mr. Olivo once shared, "Tomasello" means "little Tom."
Little Tom. LITTLE TOM?!?!?! WHAT ON EARTH?! Little Tom. Well thank you, Mr. Olivo, for telling me that I once had a very small ancestor.
...Little Tom.
At least my first name is a bit better than that. What exactly does Courtney mean? It better not be another short ancestor. "Parents.com" tells me that Courtney means, "Sorry, none of our names meet your search criteria." Oh, ok then. How about "Behind the Name.com"? "From a surname which was derived either from a French place name meaning "domain of CURTIS" or else from a French nickname meaning "short nose".
SHORT NOSE?!?!?!?! OH COME ON!!!
Now I am a very little person with a very short nose.
...Short Nose. Psh.
So, what were my parents thinking? With two boys already home, my parents were getting desperate. Dad really wanted his little girl. He had a name all picked out: Short Nose. Just Kidding- he doesn't know Courtney means that. He just really liked the name. And that is the only reason I am Short Nose. It sounds nice.
My middle name, Marie, is a different story. As fate would have it, I was born on my godmother's birthday. Her name is Marie, hence, the middle name.
So Shakespeare, what is in a name? Don't ask me, I'll just say letters.
I got very excited as I was reading this question because this has been something I have been meaning to explore for a while now and have never really found the time to think about it, or remember to ask my family about my name. I was pretty sure that my name was just chosen because it was a name that both of my parents agreed sounded good. Then I began reading everyone else’s responses and the interesting ways they got their names and I began hoping that my name did have some significance. So I asked my parents where they came up with my name and they simply said “We just picked it, it sounded good.” Turns out, my name has absolutely no symbolic meaning. I’m not named after anyone in my family or after a famous actress or character, nothing. Brittany was simply a name that caught my parent’s name in a baby book that they liked. My mom claims that it was a fairly popular name when she was thinking about names, so my parents chose it.
So I looked up the meaning and origin of my name, Brittany Ann Schmidt. Apparently, one source claims it is Hebrew for a boy or girl’s name meaning “covenant”. Most of the sources said it was of Latin origin but its meaning came from Great Britain. The name originated from a region Northwest of France called French Bretagne named after the British people who fled there during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of England, which later became known as “Britain”. The spelling “Brittany” is now the most popular way to spell it. And my middle name, Ann, derives from Hebrew meaning the Grace of God, which was originally “Hannah” but has now been mixed with other names to mean the same thing, including Ann, so I guess Hannah and I have something in common. =] My last name, Schmidt, I have recently found out in German class, is completely German and means a smith. All the German names were after your occupation, you were named after the occupation you held. I googled Brittany, and apparently it is an ilk of dog, and well yeah, that doesn’t help me any.
I’m not named after anyone so I can not accurately comment whether I feel like I need to live up to the way that certain family member acted to keep on the tradition of their name. I’ve at times wished however that I did have someone’s name because I feel like that would make me more interested in that person and form a special bond between us and feel a more direct connection with my ancestors. I wouldn’t say that I love my name, but I feel like it suits me. As a young child I always wanted to change my name and said once I was old enough I would change my name but now I can’t imagine myself as anything but a Brittany. I wouldn’t change my name now, I think it’s a tradition that every parent gives their child a name, something that sticks with them throughout their lives, and I can always remember my parents when thinking of the origins of my name.
My nickname has always been Britt for pretty much anyone. People interchange Brittany and Britt all the time and it doesn’t bother me. Also, Britt Schmidt because it rhymes people like to call me that, any of the above are fine by me. People really don’t mispronounce my name, except for my third grade teacher she used to always make it a point to say Brit-tan-ee cause that’s apparently the correct pronunciation of my name because of its spelling. I think it should be pronounced Britt-knee because the other way just seems weird to stress different syllables. That’s really the only thing that bugs me about the pronunciation of my name. My last name is mispronounced from time to time, but that doesn’t bother me as much. The one thing that really annoys me is when people spell my name wrong, which with the many different ways to spell Brittany I guess it’s inevitable.
Since I’ve already talked about Hannah’s response, being that her name and my middle name mean the same thing, I will continue to comment on her response. I agree with her when she says that our name can attribute to our personality traits and as Mikey said in response to Rebecca’s. I think that you will always associate certain qualities with a name because of the way a person named that acts. For example, if you hate a person, you are likely to think of that name as not something you would want to call your children, while your best friend’s name may be more appealing when choosing your own child’s name.
Deanna is a Latin based name that means heavenly and divine. Depending on whom you ask, that does not describe me at all. A lot of people are named after family members. I got my name simply because my mom and dad liked the name “Deanna Marie”. A lot of people, including myself like my name because it is different. You don’t hear too many people named “Deanna” and that makes it more unique. I don’t think I would change my name if I could because of this. When people ask you how to pronounce your name, you know it is not too ordinary. A lot of people shorten my name to Dee. This doesn’t bother me at all because I find myself shortening a lot of my friend’s name. Ber instead of Amber, Ky instead of Kylie, Ni instead of Niah, etc. Nicknames are always fun. My best friends call me Betty. Every once in a while, I’m called Banana, mostly by Dumebi, which by the way has a very very unique name. Actually, if you search “Dumebi” on MySpace which is world-wide, there are only about 15 people with that name, and you already know how everybody and their mom has a MySpace page. When it comes to names, I don’t think it makes us who we are because the meanings of names usually have nothing to do with how the person is. We don’t even get to choose our names, our parents do and how can you ever know what a baby’s personality is going to be 10 or 20 years from the time they are born? Names are just something that help classify people so it doesn’t get confusing,
My comment on Meghan B.’s blog is that I agree what you are saying about the person makes the name. Actually, there are some names out there that I would never name my kids because of the simple fact that I don’t like someone with that name already. It kind of messes up the whole name and what I think about it. The prettiest name can be messed up by someone that already has it. That is cool how you were named after your aunt. I wouldn’t want to be named after someone I didn’t like. Unlike you, I don’t have a problem when people shorten my name that’s not in my inner circle. But then again, everyone is different. You are right when you said that names don’t make us who we are and that we make our own meanings for our names.
Teasing, jokes, tears, laughs, and random memories are all filled in my name. Leslie. Leslie is a name I have literally grown to love. Have I cared less about it? Yes. Have I hated more than anything in the world? Oh yea. Have I cried numerous times over it? Uh-huh. Have I begged my mom to let me go to a new school and go by my middle name, Christine? Yup. Have I felt different and proud of having a name not many other people I know have? Sure. Have I enjoyed hearing “Leslie” being called from behind me in the hallway and never had to second guess if they were calling to me? Definitely. Have I proved that throughout my childhood my name has stuck by me, causing numerous emotions, lessons, and memories? I hope so.
My middle name, Christine, comes from the character in the “Phantom of the Opera.” Leslie, however, was just pulled out from my mom’s high school memories because she had two best friends named Leslie.
Apparently, according to my elementary, middle school, and still high school peers, the name Leslie comes from the lovely term, Lesbian. This connection between the two has luckily become a joke to me. I now am I able to join in on the laughter and make fun of how similar the two words are in sound, and spelling, though, unfortunately, this was definitely not always the case. Even if I tried, I would not have been able to keep count of how many times I came home crying because people made fun of my name. I know it seems silly and drastic to get so worked up over an ordinary, though semi less common name like Leslie, but since 5th grade this name I went by was the cause of almost all my pain. Whether it was stupid, pointless jokes, creative (and catchy) raps, or annoying, ridiculous accusations and judgments, Leslie was the worst name in the whole entire world.
In a way, it is ironic how well I feel this name suits me now. I love it. I honestly was thinking about a month ago what names I could name my children that are similar to “Leslie.” Not in the sense of the sound or meaning, which by the way is meadowlands (who knew), but in the sense that it is pretty, feminine (and masculine), not very common, and not too rare and strange.
I 100% feel that I would act or present myself differently if my name was not Leslie. Spending all those hours complaining and crying about my name only made me realize that if people have nothing better to do than come up with songs or weird nick names about my name to make fun of me then obviously, I can’t be that bad of a person if making fun of a name is the best they can come up with. This boost in confidence made me slide right through the tough, painful comments some people may have been hung up on and scarred for the rest of their life. If my mom was to have my first name be Christine I would have probably not felt any reason to make myself stand out. I love the name Christine; however, I do feel that it’s too plain for my personality. All the jokes I was able to shrug off and even learn to join in on have helped form my sense of humor.
When people shorten my name to “Les” and pronounce it “Lez” it really used to bother me, only because I mean hello: Lezlie, Lezbian- that’s just asking for it. However, I literally just found out last year that I have been pronouncing my own name wrong my whole life, and with this misproununciation, I wonder if all these jokes would have ever formed. My name is “Lessssslie,” not “lezzzzlie.” I call myself “Lezlie” though, so obviously, it really doesn’t bother me at all anymore.
Overall, Leslie is the perfect name because, through out all my academic years in school, I have come across some pretty interesting, creative, and just plain funny nicknames thanks to numerous people, and of course Jo.
“Lesler”
“Leslie the Lesbian”
“Lesbian Pinerho”
“Les-bean”
“Lez”
“Lezzie”
“Les-lie”
“LP”
Being named Leslie is a lot more interesting than some people think.
*(con't) Going from what Hannah said, I never really thought of how a name shared with a relative you don't even know could leave that much of a special bond between two different people from two different generations. I think it's very sweet and unique to feel that bond just through a name. ps-my mom was obsessed with the Nancy Drew series too!
Felicia: language of origin, Latin, meaning happy one. I believe that I’m happy almost constantly and my parents had a gut feeling that I would fit that name. Just kidding, they really were going to name me Maggie, Amanda, or Carrie Jeanne (I’m super glad this one was crossed off the list). Amanda is known, Maggie is not really popular and I always wanted to name a puppy Maggie. Felicia Jeanne is different, I know of only two other people who do not, by any means, fit the meaning of my name. They both are gothic kids who seem like they hate themselves. I on the other hand enjoy my life and love my rare name.
I was named after my great-grandmother Felixa, who changed her name after emigrating from Poland to the states. Every so often my grandmother will say, “My mom was always happy like you, and she would have done the same thing you did.” That always projected happiness into my attitude because I knew then that I reminded my grandma of her beloved mom, who I keep hearing was an amazing woman. I’ll ask my grandma every once in while what her mom was like, and she’ll tell me stories of how Felixa “Felicia” once saved my grandma from drowning in a lake and how her mom was her best friend and always gave the best advice to people that need it. I guess I see some qualities in me that were in her. If any wants to talk, I’ll listen and I’m said to give the best advice, I wish I could only use the advice I give to people to help me out sometimes.
Any way, I have been called Felickiya (Fel-lick-y-a), Felasha, and my favorite mispronunciation, Feloshicka. How? I have no idea. Sometimes hearing my name misspelled angers me, but because my name is uncommon, I can forgive and forget. Feloshicka, on the other hand, will never be forgotten. Even though my name is proven to be hard to pronounce, I would not change it for any reason. My name defines me, and if I happened to be named Maggie, I’d probably have a different attitude because the definition of Maggie is pearl and it comes from the Greeks. When my mom repeatedly told me what my name meant, I’d say, “Wow, the people knew how I was going to act before I even did.” Of course, I received laughs from that statement, but it’s true. I fit my name perfectly and I love it.
Of course I have nicknames, Fee Fee, Fee, Fee lee, Fee Gee, Felicia Jeanne the Jelly Bean (thanks to my dad), Beanie, Feef, Feefster, Feefer, and Feloosh. I love every one of my nicknames because they can all be traced back to my name somehow and not many people can say they have nine nicknames. Sure I have other nick names as well, but these are the ones that come from my name.
Like many people have said, they agree with Gary. I however disagree. I believe that name is not just a form of identification, but a basis of what a person is. Like I stated before, if my name meant something like dark cloud or stormy skies, or something along the line of that, then my mood would be different. Since my name means, happy one, I guess I decided from the get go that I would fulfill that meaning. So what I’m trying to say is that a name is a powerful thing; it’s not just a label.
Amber Kapri Cruse. First off, the name Amber wasn't anything special. In fact, my grand mom was in the hospital with my mom and dad after I was born. They were thinking about names. All of the sudden my grand mom on my dad's side blurted out "Name her Amber." And that was that. So wonderful, right? How about not. I have no problems with the name Amber, I like it. Amber is Arabic and it means precious jewel. I wonder if my mom knew that. In a way, whether she knew it or not, my personality is kind of the meaning of Amber. I think. I look at myself as a precious jewel. When I think of it, most of my family has names nothing like mine. When I was younger I felt kind of left out, only because my very own cousins made fun of my name. In actuality, there was nothing wrong with my name, it just seemed too common. My close family member's names are Hikima (Hah-key-muh), Halima (Hah-lee-muh), Naykeemah, Tiffany, Shauneen (Shaw-neen) Amayah (Ah-my-ah), which makes the name Amber seem too plain. Because of what everyone else said, I believed them when they would call it a "white-girl name." What ever was what I thought about it after a while. I love, love, love my middle name. K-A-P-R-I... (cah-pree), like the pants. Yes, I was teased, but I always liked the name Kapri, so I never paid much attention to it. People would say "capri pants, capri sun" and things like that, but I just laughed with them. My last name, something that couldn't have been prevented, is just fine with me. Although many people ALWAYS spell it wrong, it's not a big deal because I don't know any Cruse that spells their name the same way my family does. I mean, how could I expect people to spell it right, when the most common way is Cruz. Every body thinks I'm half Dominican or something before I tell them, all because of my last name, but I am not.
My name does suit me, though. If it wasn't for my grand mom, you would be calling me Maximillianah (Max-ih-mill-ee-ahn-uh) (I know, ghetto as hell) or Jasmira (Jazz-meer-uh) or even Micaela , no, not (Mih-kay-luh), (Meek-ah-eel-uh). I know, I know, thank God I'm Amber, or I would have had trouble in kindergarten. I couldn't see my with another name, even though people always tell me that I don't look like an Amber. For some reason, even though racism is pretty much over with, it seems like people judge others just by their name. For example, if my name was Bonsheequah (Bone-shee-quah) and I applied for a college and another black girl named Alice applied, and there was only one spot left, it seems like Alice would get the spot just because of the name, or even with something as simple as a job. Wow, right? It's my truth. That's how I feel when it comes to names.
I wouldn't change my name unless I was changing it to something unique to become like a star! Maybe just Kapri! (I love that name) One day, I looked up Amber Cruse on Google, and it was a white girl. She was a model. Maybe Amber Cruse's are supposed to be pretty models! (That's funny to me) People shorten my name even though it's only two syllables and five letters. My mom calls me Pria from Kapri; other people call me names like
Ber Ber
Gerber
Burberry
Am
Am Am
Ber
Burger
Berman
I like these names because each one that I have are from people special to me. These names are so cute when I think about it. No one ever mispronounces my name, it's so simple, and that’s a plus.
In conclusion, I believe Amber Kapri doesn't define me, but I am Amber Kapri because I define my name. A name is just a title anyway, I'm glad I like mine though!
666 words (CREEPY)
What’s in a name? Hmmm… a name is just an ID for everybody. Our names our meant to separate us from the crowd so people can quickly identify us. My full name is Stephanie Mae Lee. I think it’s a very pretty name. My mom had my name picked out since she was in eighth grade. This is what my mom told me about why I was named Stephanie.
A girl named Stephanie was a little Italian girl who had very pretty long black hair. She went to school with my mom then left then came back in eighth grade. She was the only Stephanie because, unlike now, it was not a common name. She had a very charming personality and my mom loved the name. So from that year on, my mom decided that her first little girl would be named Stephanie. She tried spelling it all kinds of different ways. My mom told me that if she thought about it, she would have spelt my name with two F’s to be Steffanie. That would have matched by dad’s name which is Jeffrey. See the similarities? Then my little brother, Jeffrey Jr., would have matched too. My first name is sometimes misspelled but not that much anymore. People still ask me how to spell it just to make sure. Only my little brother Jeffrey mispronounced my name. He couldn’t pronounce the ‘st’ so he called ‘Bethany’ for a while. My dad would always joke around with me and call me Bethany and I would always get so mad at him because he didn’t have trouble pronouncing my name.
My middle name Mae is often misspelled because everybody thinks it is spelt M-A-Y like the month. I love to see who messes up spelling my middle name. It’s only three letters yet it is rarely spelt correctly. Mae was my great-grandmother’s middle name. She didn’t like her first name so everybody called her Mae or Maisy. My mom realized how pretty that sounded: Stephanie Mae. Later on, my mom and grandma found out that Stephanie is feminine for Stephen. My great-grandmother Mae was married to a Stephen. What a coincidence. My last name Lee is obviously from my dad. This is the only thing he had anything to do with when it came to my name. Somebody told me in my family that the name Lee was shorten from a long Polish name, I think. It is actually a very common last name. There are four Lee’s in my homeroom and only the twins are related. Lee is a very famous last name. Does General Robert E. Lee ring any bells? Some people think I’m related to him because our last names are the same. Lee is my step-grandfather’s last name. No blood relation at all. My dad was already 18 when my mom-mom divorced my grandpa Lee, so he was able to keep his last name.
I love my name. I would never change it even if I could. Stephanie Mae is so pretty. I never want to give that up. I really don’t care if people do shorten my name. I’m used to people calling me just Steph. I don’t think you can really mispronounce my name unless you have a speech impediment. I don’t think I would be a different person at all if my name was different. I would still be the same. My name has no real effect on how I live my life. My grandma always tells me how much I am like my great-grandma and how much fun we would have together. We are, according to my mom and grandma, very mellow and quiet and like expensive things but we both know how to spend money wisely. I think my name suits me perfectly, at least my middle name does. My name is Greek for crown. I don’t really know why it means crown in Greek but it does.
I agree with Danny on how a name doesn’t really change who you are. Like, if I was named Maria or Emily, my personality would be the same. It wouldn’t change. A name just helps people quickly pick you out from a crowd. I don’t think it has any affect on a person’s personality. I know my name has no affect on my life.
My mom heard my name on a soap opera and liked it, so I really don’t have any pressure to be like the person I was named after. I like my name because I don’t know a lot of other Haleys. If I was named something that was a common name I think I’d die. I don’t really know if my name suits me, but it’s what I’m used to. I wouldn’t change it because I don’t see a reason to. I’m used to it and people are used to calling me that. I don’t think it would feel right if people called me anything else. I think everything would be different if I had a different name. The question made me think of what it would be like to be called something else, and I really think it would change everything. Haley is of Old- English origin. It’s funny actually how I came to be a Haley. My parents didn’t know what they were naming till the day I was born. The argued over many names. My mom originally heard the name Haley on a soap opera where Kelly Ripa played a girl named Haley. I’m definitely not named after her though. When people shorten my name it does make me angry. I mean. Come on, it’s not like I have a long name. When people shorten my name to Hale it just sounds retarded. It makes it sounds like the weather or something. I can see people shortening long names but not my name that is short to begin with. There isn’t a lot of ways to mispronounce my name. People pronounce it like they do the girl in the Parent Trap but that’s about it. It’s funny though when I go to Myrtle Beach though because everyone pronounces my name with an accent and it sounds like Hay-ley.
I agree with Michael Henry when he says that is he ever changed his name he would want to change it to a less popular one. If I had a very popular name I think I would in fact want to change it as well. I also agree that Mikey fits him better than Michael or Mike. There are a lot of Mikes, but you don’t hear of a lot of Mikeys in high school because people think it’s childish. I think that Mikey just adds more character and personality to his name. It makes him different and not like the average “Mike.”
Your name is the first label you recieve. By naming me Emily, my parents labeled me as "industrious", at least according to thinkbabynames.com. I'd like to think I live up to that meaning, but sometimes I know I don't.
Okay, so back to answering questions. My full name is Emily Gail Mehler. The Emily part was given to me because my older brother had a girl named Emily in his class (and he was in love with her). The Gail part came from my grandmother. She was my dad's mom, and she died a few years before I was born. The funny thing is, is that when I was little, my parents would talk about my Grandma Gail, and I would talk about things she liked. They never told me these things, and I knew them because "I talked to her in heaven before I was born". I always wondered if maybe it was the name that caused a connection between the two of us.
Just like Emily Brill said, I love and hate my name. I love the name Emily. I think it is very pretty, and I'm glad it is my name. Yet I hate it because of course there are like 10 other Emilys! Okay, so maybe only 3, but still it is very irritating when you hear your name over and over again, and no one is talking to you. My parents claim that they named me Emily before it became very popular, which was apparently 1991 (I was born in 1990).
I don't mind in the least when people call me other things beside my name. I am used to hearing people call me Mehler because growing up, my dad was a cop, so I was always Mehler's youngest daughter. So when I finally became Mehler myself, I felt grown up. I also have a countless number of nicknames. I have M Squared, Mailman, Emilio, New Girl, Em of course, Emma Lou, Emmy Sue,and even Gum Ball Machine (Thanks to Emily Capille) I really don't mind it at all.
I don't know if my name suits me. I mean what is it supposed to suit? My personality? My looks? My goals? I guess maybe it's looks because I always hear people say "You don't look like a Joe, you look like a Dave." But I've never had someone say that to me. I've always just been Emily. And I'm always going to be Emily, because I would never change my name.
My full name is Jonathan Craig Henry. Quite commonly, people will call me Jon Henry for short. I’ve never been quite sure of why people often end up using “Jon Henry” rather than “Jon.” Most likely it is just a typical symptom of having two first names that when put together only adds up to two or three syllables. Some of my friends, the Ralphs, have a similar situation. Their names are Dave Ralph, Matt Ralph, and Mike Ralph, and to call them anything shorter seems almost blasphemous.
Contrary to popular belief I was not named after a steel driving man, born with a hammer in his hand. Neither was my name derived from a They Might Be Giants cd, DC Comics super hero, or a champion racehorse that died the other day. In reality, I was named after my grandfather, John Adam Henry.
Personally I do enjoy my name quite a bit. Not many people get to have the same name as a Bruce Springsteen song. When people realize that I have the same name as the folk legend, John Henry, it can cause some interesting conversations. Even without noticing that similarity, some people find some sort of comedy in someone having “two first names.” I still don’t get why that’s so funny.
I feel like the name fits me in some ways. Of course, I’ve never worked on a railroad, and if I were ever to compete against a steam drill I would most likely fail miserably. I am on the other hand, very strong willed, and unwilling to give in, like the classic hero. Had I been given any other name though, I doubt my personality would be any different. The only real effect a name really has on one’s life is how others perceive them. Certain names have general affects on people’s perception. For instance, anyone with a name like Irwin will automatically seem like a nerd.
A person’s general nature depends a lot more on their upbringing than on their actual name. The only reason I believe that people’s names seem quite often to fit their personalities is that both are ultimately a result of the nature of their parents. A parent who is willing to name a child Irwin, most likely, is also more likely a household that is more likely to produce a supernerd.
So given the same upbringing and circumstances I believe I could have the same general personality even if I had been named something odd like Mister. I would miss having a folk song named after me though.
A name consists of a lot of letters stringed together to make a title. My name is Michelle Nathaly Martinez (Garcia) but I don’t use Garcia, I don’t know why but I just don’t. I wasn’t named after anyone, but I think my name suits me well. If I was named after anyone I would be pressured to live up to that name because that’s what would be expected of me. It is an unfair disadvantage because what I do has to be equal too or better than the person I was named after. I love my name because my initials are MNM!!! My favorite candy happens to be peanut mnm’s. They are colorful like me!
I know that my mom named me Nathaly and my dad named me Michelle. They were a young couple madly in love (and still are) who gave me the 1st name that popped into their heads. It just so happened that it sounded good. At this point in my life I do feel like I have to live up to my name sometimes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. People expect good things from me.
I wouldn’t change my name. I have a very common name. It is a little annoying however to have 4 girls in the same homeroom whose first name is Michelle and whose last names start with MAR too, but it’s okay. I can deal with it. I wouldn’t mind having a different name though. Niah has a very different name. I don’t think she should change her name because her name doesn’t define her it only gives her that much more character. When I first read Niah’s name I said NEAH!! Then I heard someone say her name and I thought wow that’s different. Then I got to know her and…well her name suits her (love you Niah boo)
When I get married one day I don’t know if I’ll change my name. I spent my whole life up the moment I get married to live up to being Michelle Martinez. I’ve created a reputation for myself under this name. If I change it it would be like starting all over.
I don’t think that I would be a different person if I had a different name…unless I had a ridiculous name like Dunglaphia or something and people made fun of me forcing me to be mean to people. Having a different name doesn’t really change who you are. Changing your environment, meaning the people around you, does. :)
My name is Hebrew and it means “One who is like God.” I think that’s’ pretty cool. I’m guessing if someone compares you to God it means you’re wise and benevolent. Many adults have told me that I’m wise beyond my years and I do try to be benevolent. Nathaly meaning Christ's birthday… Yea, my birthday is in April… :)
I would say that I’m not an extremely analytical person, but I do like to analyze things and learn from them to experience growth. I came to be Michelle through growth.
I don’t get mad when people shorten my name. I like it. That means people are comfortable with me, Shell, Micky, Shelly Belly, Shelly. I HATE WHEN PEOPLE CALL ME MICHEAL OR MITCH!!
According to babynames.com, 'Emily' means 'to strive or excel or rival' and while this fits me almost perfectly, I regret to inform you that this is not why my parents named me this. I remember asking my mom a couple years back why she named me Emily, and I remember her answer exactly. "It was the only name your father and I agreed on. It wasn't the same name as a relative or one of our friend's dogs, and it sounded alright with Rheault." (They stayed away from 'Skid' and 'Death' for THAT reason.)
I have to admit, immediately when I read this blog, the first thing I did was search for what the other Emily's said. I completely agree with what Emily Brill said, though. She has a love/hate relationship with it, as do I. Don't get me wrong, I love my name. Emily. It's actually really pretty. But I think the reason that I feel it doesn't neccessarily suit me is because I've never actually been called Emily.
Almost my entire life, Emily has sort of been my last name, and Rheault has been my first. But even that has just been shortened to Row, and I find it hilarious when people come to realize, even after months, that my name is not spelled R-O-W.
Emrow. It's what everyone knows me by. Everyone. Even my parents, who named me Emily, call me Emrow. As do my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, even teachers. I like it. Actually, I'm not gonna lie, I love it. It's the most unique thing about me. People caught on to it so much that in 8th grade people were calling Emily Brill "EmBrill" and my friend Emily Ramirez "EmRem". I didn't like THAT so much because, obviously, I was the first "Em-" anything, but it was fun to see people want a name like 'Emrow'. I've thought about how much I'd want to change my name from Emily to something prettier, in my opinion, to Lauren or Madeline, but then I realized that if I was named anything else besides Emily, I wouldn't be 'Emrow', either.
Actually, as weird as it sounds, I think I WOULD be a different person if my name wasn't Emily. Since Emily has led to Emrow, I think I'd be totally different if I was never Emrow. Emrow has become sort of an ego thing for me. I was once told that it's hard to walk down the hallway with me and keep a conversation going, because all you hear the entire time is "EMROW ! HEY EMROW ! EMROW !" just people saying my name over and over. And I'll admit, I like it. I mean, just like what Emily Brill said about the name Summer, you know who people are talking to when they say that name. Everyone knows there's only one Emrow.
As for the mispronouncing thing, no one mispronounces 'Emily', although lots of people mispronounce Rheault, which is the reason why I just cut off the entire "heault" and replaced it with "ow". I hate when people mispronounce things, especially my name, so it's just easier this way.
David Lawrence Mroz. The name “David” is of Hebrew origin. I don’t know why my parents chose “David,” because our family comes from a Roman Catholic decent. My middle name was chosen because it is my dads’ first name. Last but certainly not least is my last name, Mroz. Although my parents did not pick my last name, it still has a significant impact on my life.
Since there are no family members that have the same first name as me, it doesn’t put any pressure on me. I cannot say the same about my first and last name. All of the men in the Mroz family have either become professionals or have had good careers. Both my grandfather and father were optometrists. This creates pressure on me when it comes to school because I feel as if I need to work hard and become a professional too. Although I wouldn’t mind it and am interested in being some sort of doctor, I still feel pressured at times. Having my dads’ first name as my middle name adds to this pressure even more. At times it makes me feel as if I should follow in his footsteps. Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes I enjoy the pressure and the challenge to succeed. Hopefully one day I will follow in his footsteps and have the hard work that I put forth paid off.
I like my name and would never change it to another name. There are not too many “David’s” out there. I believe the name is unique and suits me. I am a unique person. Some say I’m weird but I prefer unique. “David” means “beloved.” I’d have to say, for the most part, that I am beloved. Do you agree? Many people shorten my first name and I actually want them to. I don’t like being called by my full name. As for my last name, everyone butchers it unless they know me. It doesn’t make me mad, but it makes me laugh at the different ways people pronounce it. Having a name that is not that common allows people to know me better. When someone mentions my name, people will know who they are talking about because there are so few. (At least that’s what I think)
I believe your name does play some what of a role in your personality and who you are. You develop your personality as you go through life and face challenges and have to make decisions. If you have the same name as your father or mother or any other relative, it may cause you to try to be just as good as them. It causes you to gain different characteristics about you that make up your personality.
I was very interested in reading some of the blogs and where people got there names from. For example, Hannah got her name because her mom was a bookworm and loved the Nancy Drew books and I was also very interested in Misters blog. I was waiting and waiting until I read his and I have to say I love his name too and he should take pride in it.
My full name is Peter Robert D’Amico. Sometimes I’ll add Anthony in there too, because it was my confirmation name, which would make my initials PRAD. Now that I think about it, I would like to be called PRAD…no wait call me P-Rad from now on if you wouldn’t mind my dear Ms. Bunje. Moving on now, I was named after my father, Peter Anthony D’Amico and I suppose in a way I feel some sort of obligation to try and strive to be of an equal or greater success in life. It is not as though they supply me with this pressure to strive to be like him, however they do wish for me to go to college and make an attempt to have a better career. My dad went to the Newark College of Engineering, but dropped out later on around his junior year. I suppose this was a regret he always carried, which is why he tries so hard o make sure I do not make the same mistake. Also my grandfather’s name is Peter as well. This is probably how I feel the pressure from my name if any. As for my middle name, Robert, that was the name of mother’s grandfather. She respected him very much mainly because he was like her father. Even though her real father was alive and well, my mom always loved to go to her grandfathers, which is probably why I ended up with his name. Do I love my name? Well I’d have to say yes to that question. I don’t really know too many people with the name Pete which makes it kind of cool to have. I also believe that my name suits me, because it means rock and everyone knows that I am a rock solid wall, and because I have a stone heart that has no feelings. If I had the opportunity to change my name I most definitely would not. The origin of my name involves Peter of the disciples of Jesus, who was called upon to be the rock, or foundation of the church. I believe that D’Amico means friend of when translated from either Italian or Latin. So I guess quite literally my name means Friend-of-Rock. When People shorten my name, well the only thing they can really shorten it to Is Pete, which is basically the same thing. So no it does not bother me when people shorten my name, and no one has really mispronounced my name before. To be honest I’m not even sure if I pronounce my last name correctly. As far as what is in a name, many years of ancestry can be involved, sometimes a meaning that makes our parents fall in love with it. Yet, no matter what our name will describe who we are and what we make of it, so use it with pride for it gives us dignity and the ability to differentiate between others.
Holy crap Emrow! I really think they should have named you Death! If your name were Death Rheault, you would seriously be the most awesome kid ever. Not to mention the fortune you could make in action films and video games. Skid Rheault wouldn't be quite as cool, it would remind me of Little Shop of Horrors too much. Personally, I believe in naming a child something that sounds like an action hero. With that sort of name you can easily create an impression that draws anyone’s attention. Honestly, if you saw someone with a name like Flash, or Snake, they would seem far more memorable than someone named Michael or Emily. Personally, I intend to name my future son something completely freaking awesome. Currently, I am considering the name, “Phoenix Danger Henry.” No matter what I choose, danger will be the middle name. That’s mainly so that if someone says that something seems dangerous he will honestly be able to say, “Danger? Danger’s my middle name!” I think having such a name could help a child NOT ONLY seem dangerous and heroic, but it would also attract all of the girls. Of course, in order for this plan to work, my future wife will have to be completely insane, but it really doesn’t matter because she would really have to be to get married to me.
JACOB - From the Latin meaning 'let God protect.' He has strength of purpose and character. A combative individual.
Jacob also has some biblical meaning, but I'll save the story and summarize by saying that Jacob also means 'the supplanter', and in the Bible, Jacob and his twin brother Esau were very different in appearance and behavior. Esau was a ruddy hunter, while Jacob (the awesome amazing person) was a gentle man who "dwelled in tents," interpreted by many biblical commentators as a mark of his studiousness and reserved personality.
While at times I do have a reserved personality (as I'm sure everyone does at times), I feel that more often than not I express how I'm feeling. However, I would say that I am a studious kinda kid.
But, my parents did not choose Jacob for those reasons. When my father, James, was young, his Austrian-born grandfather used to call him "Jakub." I guess it was kind of an Austrian nickname or something. But it just grew on my father, and, so, he decided to name me Jacob. Plus, my dad said that it was a name with "gusto." I would have to agree.
I love my name. If I could choose between it and any other name, I would still choose to be Jacob, or Jake if you wish. I have always been referred to as Jake, so I can't really picture myself being anybody else. I have a sort of indescribable connection with it.
Plus, Jake Taylor is the name of the catcher in the movie "Major League." And, come on, who doesn't want to be like that guy -- the hero, leader, seasoned veteran of the team?
And, finally, to be completely honest, no one has ever mispronounce my name, and I don't think anyone ever will. However, it does get me frustrated when some of my teachers call me Danny (Truax). I guess we have some sort of a resemblence in looks that we can't seem to find. I would much rather be a Jake than a Danny because, like I said, that is who I have always been.
My name is Devon Marie Schenker. There is no origin and my parents had no rhyme or reason as of why they named me what they did. My middle name though came from my mom’s mom, and so on backwards. Every girl from me all the way back to my great, great, great, grandma on my mom’s side had the middle name Marie. I too will carry on this tradition with my child. If I have a girl, her middle name will be Marie. Names to me are not very important but they are in a way important because I think they represent who we are. We obviously as a nation care because woman, not so much men, care what names they give their children. I know I would not give my child just any random name. It is funny to think about that our parents strive to pick the perfect name to give to their new born child. The names we all have today are the names our parents thought were perfect, the names that would one day change the world. I personally like my name, even though it is common. I don’t believe it defines me and don’t think my life would be different if my name was something else. My dad was the one who named me. He had no reason specifically besides that he liked the named and it seemed to be a popular name at the time, because there are many Devon’s in my generation, some even with different spellings (I.e. Devon, Devan, Devin), though all with the same sound. The only time my first name is pronounced wrong is when people say Dev-on, like the “on” and “off” switch. The thing that used to aggravate me the most when I was younger was the mispronunciation and misspelling of my last name. It has been spelled many different ways like, Schanker, Shanker, Chenker, shenkar, and so on and so on. The pronunciations are the worst of it all. Sometimes people say my last name in a way that I don’t even know how they got it. I once thought as a joke that someone messed up my name so bad during an assembly on purpose. The pronunciation was so bad that I didn’t know whether they were talking to me or not. Now as I have gotten older it just makes me laugh. It is now just a big joke. People all the time shorten both my first and last name. That does not bother me at all because the people that usually do that are my good friends. They usually shorten it like, Dev, Devy, Shank, and Schenker. Most of my coaches and teachers call me by my last name too though they don’t shorten it. I agree with Gary. A name is just a name. As long as you know what it is then that’s as good as it gets. I love being Devon Marie Schenker and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I was reading jeannie's comment and I thought it was pretty cool to hear how she got her name. Anyway, I agree with Jeannie in that even though she has been named after many relatives she's not pressured to act a certain way. Jeannie said that she has her own likes and dislikes, which is why she is her own person. Even though she still has that same name as relatives, she's not them and never will be. I totally agree with this because if we were all given the same name or didn't have a name, it would be our personality that sets everyone apart. There are no two people exactly the same, and I think a name is just a convenience to call someone.
Goodness gracious! That’s quite a bunch of questions. I’m afraid that I don’t have exciting answers for you though. My full name is Courtney Paige Sherman. It doesn’t have a special story behind it. I don’t harbor an aversion to it though; in fact, it’s rather graceful. My first name did indeed come from an actress. When my mom was pregnant and searching for a decent name for a girl, she just happened to be watching a movie with Courteney Cox in it. Voila! Courtney stuck. It’s just spelled different. As for Paige, that name was a childhood favorite of my mom’s. So there you go!
I guess I’m rather fortunate as compared to others. There must be a load of pressure to cope with for those who were named after, say, their great-grandmother. I mean, I may be Courteney Cox’s namesake, but there’s no way my parents knew her personally! She’s just an actress with a lovely name, one who embodies many different characters. I happen to think that I am an original. Perhaps my great-grandchild will be named after me.
As for being an original, I most definitely believe that it has affected my persona. I am Courtney Paige, and it suits me. If I were named something completely different for the satisfaction of my parents, ancestors, or deceased geniuses, I would be a completely different girl.
In any case, my name is something I cherish. It’s my identity. Otherwise, I don’t know what I would be called. I embody that identity, and it does not consume me. The origin of my name means “Member of the Court”. I certainly don’t plan on being part of a court, for one thing. And it never bothers me if my friends or family shorten my name. You can call me Court, or Courty, or even CP. Just don’t call me by my sister’s name. Then I’ll get angry.
I am going to respond to Emily Brill’s blog because she always has something very eloquent and insightful to say. Yet again, I agree with her! She expressed something that I didn’t think of saying. Of course, after reading her response, it entered my mind to change my answer a bit, but I figured that would be unfair and unnatural. Anyway, she mentioned how it would have been more exciting to have an exotic and unique name. When I find myself thinking about what I will one day name my girl (or boy..), it’s usually something very wild and imaginative. On the other hand, Emily also described that she loves her name and finds that it does suit her, despite the 3 other Emilys. So, I suppose I absolutely can identify with both of those points.
To start off, I like my name. I can't really picture myself being named anything else. I don't think many people know my full name, and if you do, congratulations. My full name is Nicholas Jiolio Michael Cincotti. I believe that the name Nicholas is Greek and it means victory. I like that fact that my first name means victory because i always strive to win in almost anything i do. The Name Jiolio is actually my dad's name. However, my Dad usually goes by the name Joe. I really like my middle name. Usually people don't believe me when i tell them that Jiolio is my middle name. But, they eventually believe me. The name Michael is my Confirmation name. I picked that name because i have a brother named Michael. He's pretty cool so i figured that i would just take his name. Finally, my last name; Cincotti. I really enjoy my last name, however, when ever people say it, the butcher it. It's pronounced (sin-cot-tea). Well in America its pronounced that way. It's a bit different if you say it in Italian. But the most common mistake with my name is kincotti. I really, really, really, really, really, hate when people say my last name that way. Something inside me just goes off and I get mad. I'm really proud of my last name and when people mess it up,(Falcon TV my freshmen year), i get annoyed. I have a cousin, who is a Jazz musician, who's last name is Cincotti. So whenever i see my last name on a CD cover, i feel like i'm famous, even though I'm not. Also in Italy, there is a department store named Cincotti. I thought that was pretty cool. I actually have seen a picture of it. Overall, I really like my name and i wouldn't trade it in for any other name.
After talking with my mom, I have come to realize that, she wanted to name me Christian. I'm really glad i wasn't named Christian. No offense to anyone named Christian but I wouldn't have a good nickname. What would they call me? Christ? Since I can't type "lol" or "haha" in these blogs, i figured that i'll just write that i thought that was funny. Anyway, I also found out that i was named after my uncle Nicholas. He died about a month or two before i was born, so i guess that I am sort of taking over the name Nick in the family until I die. Then someone else will be named Nick. Speaking of nicknames, I liked to be called Nick. Usually people say Nicholas when i'm in trouble or when a teacher is taking attendance on the first day of school. I just really hate Nicky. To me that's like a girls name so i would rather not be called that. This information should really be in the previous paragraph but oh well.
After reading many blogs, I would like to say that they were interesting. However, I agree with Alli M. Even if i was named Christian, or what ever name, I still think that i would be the same person. A name is just a title in my opinion. If you took a box of Coco Puffs and changed the name to Apple Jacks, the cereal on the inside would still be Coco Puffs. It doesn't really matter what you name it, the inside is still a delicious, choclately delicacy, with 12 essential vitamins and minerals. Nothing can change that. So i guess i'm saying that no matter what your name is, that doesn't change who you are on the inside, but it does get your attention when someone shouts it across the room.
Ah. Yet again we have a blog question that relates to a question I have been recently been thinking about myself. Shakespeare asks, “What is in a name?”, and besides letters and sounds, there isn’t much there. A name is only as important as the person that it belongs to. With that being said, I know some people become very impassioned when it comes to their name. I am also rather emotionally attached to my name, sometimes I love my name, but other times I hate it. My name is rather boring. I wasn’t named for any other family member; according to my knowledge, I am the only Caitlin in my family. I wasn’t even named after a famous actress or character in a book. My mother just picked a random name that she found in a baby book. My middle name has a little bit more significance than that. I was born approximately two weeks before Christmas time so the attending nurse for my mother suggested my middle name to be “Holly”, in light of the Christmas spirit. So because of that, I am Caitlin Holly. The most prevalent complaints I have about my name are that one, my name is far too common, and two, there are too many different ways to spell my name so everyone is misspelling it. I don’t really think that my name suits my personality all that well. Caitlin is such a common and regular name, and I am definitely not a common and regular person. Even though I am not too fond of my name, I don’t think I would be able to change my name. First off, it would be too much of a hassle to change my name, way too much paper work. Also, it would be hard to adjust and be responsive to a new name. Responding to “Caitlin” is second nature to me, and responding to any other new name wouldn’t be. If my mother had named me anything else, I believe I would still be the same person, although I would be a little less annoyed with people misspelling my name. I agree with Meghan B when she said that nicknames are only appropriate for close groups of friends. It always becomes awkward when some random person comes up to me and says, “Yo, Cait, how….”. I think to myself, “I’m sorry but we aren’t that good of friends for you to be calling me that.” A nickname is a sort of affectionate name to call a close and personal friend. Being close to a person allows them the right to call them by a shortened name, or nickname.
I was never really sure why my parents named me Danielle;however, my middle name, Marie, does have a meaning behind it. Since my mom's middle name is Marie, I was named after her. When I was born my name was going to be Jillian, but instead my parents just loved the name Danielle...so that became my name! I believe that your name helps to define you as a person. When certain people have one name, their characteristics and qualities always stick with the name. So if I see another person with that exact name, something inside me makes me feel as if they would have some of the same qualities. It is a bit confusing, I do realize, but name's are such broad and interesting topics to many people. I do not necessarily think that your name holds standards to it if it comes from another person, rather symbolism, honor, and rememberance. Although I always tell my parents how much I despise my name, when it comes down to it, I am almost positive that I would not be the same person if called something other than Danielle. My name and nicknames are simply who I am, and make up a big part of my character. I believe that this stands true for everyone else as well. My name suits me very well in my opinion, and as for changing it, I never in a million years would think of doing so. A name is given to you for a reason and holds many memories and rememblances of you as a person.
I agree with Amber when she talks about racism and how certain names are considered "white" or "black". However, I do not think that names should be attatched to a certain religion or race. Of course names hold different meanings and originate from various places around the world. Names are very diverse and should be accepted and not judged no matter who they belong to. And PS Amber, I remeber in like middle school we always used to talk about your middle name and how my grandmom knew someone with it=) I love it too!
Well as for does a name change who you are. I do not believe it does. Whoever I do believe that when people think of a name it does change their opinion of you. Like say your friend’s name is josh. You might associate the name josh with comedy, but then when you meet another josh he might not be the same way. So, techniquely your name can not make you who you are, but can influence other people’s reaction to other people’s names. (except for Pete because Pete’s name is fun either way if you yell it or just say it)
My name is Wayne Andrew Cain. Yea go head laugh, but seriously either way I have people say it, either with my middle name first or just by using my first name it does not change who I am at all. My first name is because I am named after my dad which has no great significance because it is just because I was the first born. My middle name is of great importance though because it is the name of my great grandfather who is the model of a family man and who my family tells me I should grow up to be like. Another aspect is nicknames which are really just names for the lazy people in the world that would rather say Andy then Andrew just to a half second of their lives.
I agree with Alli though because even though we are named for someone or something, we should not have to act like that person of thing. It is not needed pressure in an already pressure filled life.
Although I believe we all have one name this is important while at least Catholics because I believe my confirmation name is important. As my confirmation name I took Brandon because I wanted to honor my brother who tragically died when I was 7. The reason this weighs more on me is because I was the one who picked it and for a reason. Your confirmation name is the name of a saint and that means that you stand for the same things as the saint unless your real name where your parents could have named you Axel for the lead singer of Guns and Roses or something. It actually means something because you picked it.
Kimberle Michelle Watt is the name my parents gave me. Kimberle came from my father, he always liked that name, for no reason other than just wanting to call me Kimi (which he doesn’t), and so he decided to give the name Kimberle to his first daughter. No one has ever really called me Kimberle unless they do not really know me. Michelle came from my mom. Her best friend in high school was named Michelle, so she gave me that as my middle name. If my mom would have had her way my name would be Kayla Michelle, yeah not as appealing. There is no name dictionary definition of KimberlE, but KimberlY means from the Meadow of the Royal Fortress. Kimberly is not my name so from the Meadow of the Royal Fortress is not the definition of my name. This mistake is commonly made with my name. Like Alli, people are constantly spelling my name wrong. I do take some offence to this; I’m not sure why since it is no ones fault whether or not they can spell my name correctly, it just bugs me sometimes. It could possibly be because it is a mistake I constantly have to deal with, and most of the time repetition seriously ANNOYS me. Even computers spell my name wrong. I usually do not have to deal with the mispronunciation of my name so that is not a problem for me. I always used to think Kimberle was a boring name, well not so much Kimberle more Kim, which is what people call me. [It does not bother me that most people shorten my name]. Ever since I was little I always wanted a prettier more fun name, Teresa to be exact. [Just recently my dad told me he almost went out with a girl named Teresa instead of my mom... funny right?] I always used to name my Barbies Teresa so someone could enjoy the greatly desired name. Within the last five years, I have realized Kimberle isn’t that bad of a name at all. My main reason for this is Kimberle does not sound anything like a weird name. Which is very different form my best friend, Leslie, which people seem to think sounds like lesbian. Her name has caused us both to be called things for the stupidest reasons in the world... the things me and her have been through together. =) Another reason is Kimberle sounds very mature which could really help out for looking at a job. Kimberle can be shortened to Kim which is simple, just like me. I try my absolute best to complicate things as little as possible. OR Kimberle can be shortened to Kimi which is fun, just what I always wanted. So basically I think my name suits me, no matter how old or young I get. I can honestly say I love my name, Kimberle Michelle. I’m glad I was not completely named after some one else, whether it was a movie star of ancestor because then I think I would not feel like I can always be myself because a big part of myself was borrowed from someone else. As weird as this may seem being given a name I did not always like has helped me learn a lesson in life. Some things just should not be changed and need to be accepted for what they are.
=)
It’s not a matter of the name a person has, but what the person makes of his or her name. A name does not shape the person. The person and his or her characteristics shape the name. Whenever people hear a name they usually think of people with that name or characteristics of that person. For instance, whenever I hear the name Kelsey, I think of my friend Kelsey Dickerson and I think of this hyper, energetic, friendly girl.
Even though, I was not named after anyone in my family, I was named after people in the Bible. My whole name is Rachel Leah Carlson, and my first and middle name were two sisters who married Jacob in the Bible. Since my name is two people in the Bible it has forced me to want to read more about those chapters in the Bible.
I do love my name and would not want to ever change it but I always ask my mom the question; “If you didn’t name me Rachel, then what would have my name been?” At the time, she wanted it to be Julie, but thanks to my dad, I am Rachel. I do not think if my name was Julie I would have been a different person. I think people make his or her name special for his or herself. If my name was Julie, I don’t think my life would be any different; I would just have a different name.
I love when people shorten my name or come up with nicknames for me. I was reading in Joanna’s blog earlier and it mentioned that our swim team started calling her Jo. I remember when she hated it though. As time grew on and more people said it to her, she started to make it her own. I have several different nicknames which came from shortening my name or pronouncing it wrong, or spelling it wrong. But I have grown to like and make the best of any name. My nicknames are Carlson, RC, Rita, Rach, Ray, Ray Ray, and Raychal.
I do contradict myself in one way though. I hate it when people spell my name wrong such as Racheal or Rachael. That is just one strange thing about me.
Within a name is a series of letters strung together to form a persons semi-unique identification. My semi-unique identification is Joseph Henry Camp. The name Joseph finds it origin in the bible and was originally Hebrew. The name Henry is an Old German name meaning “estate ruler.”
Originally, my dad wanted to name me Kyle and my mother for some reason wanted to name me either Seth or Shea; I don’t know why. After they mutually disliked each other suggestions, they decided to name me after my late great-grandfather Joseph Henry Clinton. This man was like a father to my father and for that reason they called me Joseph Henry Camp. Personally, the fact that I was named after my great-grandfather puts no pressure on me. He passed away well before I was born and my mother never even met him, so the fact I was named after him doesn’t have any real effect on my life.
To me my name is just a name. I don’t love it or hate it. I can live with it though. I really don’t know if my name suits me, it’s all I have ever known, so how could I know if it suits me. It’s just who I am. If given the choice, I wouldn’t change my name; Joseph Henry Camp is who I am and who I’ll always be, unless I get a doctorate, than I’ll be Dr. Camp. That sounds pretty good to me.
I think to some extent a name could possibly change a person. If you have a really bizarre name and are made fun of, you could potentially become a different person from a different environment. Mispronunciation of my name has never been a problem for me; Joe is a pretty common name which is easy to pronounce. Everybody has a different name for me, some people call me Joey, some call me Joe, some call me Joseph, some call Joecamp, my family calls me something which I won’t repeat, and others still call me other stuff too cute to repeat. None of these really bother me that much anymore, but I don’t really like it when people who have recently met me call me Joey. It just feels like they are talking to a little boy and I don’t like that.
I disagree with Stephanie and everyone else who said that a name can’t change your personality. Although, I agree that the name itself doesn’t have anything to do with personality, I think that a persons name can have an effect on how a person is treated, which could affect a persons personality. So technically a persons name could change their personality.
A name is just a label. I was named after two people. These two people were my mom’s dad and my mom’s brother, who died while serving. It doesn’t make me act in any specific way, I just like being myself. I like my name because it is a three dimensional name. Michael Thomas Galli can be used in a couple of ways to show different moods of the speaker. “Mike” is just for hanging out, “Galli” is used during sports or by my sports friends, “Michael” can be used when someone is a bit more serious, “Mike Galli” is how most people know me, and I think this shortening of my name fits perfect because it separates me from everyone else, yet is still kind of simple, and the final names people call me are “Michael Galli” and “Michael Thomas Galli.” These are used when I’m in a serious conversation. People always say my last name wrong, but it doesn’t phase me. I laugh at these people, because they are only making fools of themselves. :-)
I think what Rebecca said is true, I do think that people do grow into their names. My full name is Rosy Le Vu, and I love it. My name is short and sometimes very French sounding. Like Rebecca, my middle name was from someone in the family, my mom’s last name to be exact. Now that I think about it, I really hate it when people pronounce my full name wrong. Rosy is easy to pronounce by itself and that’s why my parents chose it, but I’m not really sure where it came from, maybe a book describing someones cheeks? I would like to know the origin of my name.
I don’t think I can ever live with a different name, my name has and always will be my personality. What I don’t like is when someone else has the same name as me, no offense to those who do, but it annoys me when someone calls, “Rosy!” and it’s not me they want. Like everyone I also have nicknames, at home my name is Xi or Roxi and my eigth grade science teacher calls me Rose. I like those names, but it sometimes depends on when. Rose sounds formal and fancy. Xi is really short and cool, but in Vietnamese it can also be mistaken for blow your nose. Yeah, I really don’t like that, it’s embarrassing. When my uncle tells my cousin to blow her nose, my mom pushed me forward to him, because he supposedly called me. Because of that mistake everyone in the family, except my english speaking relatives, call me Roxi. I know for sure that when someone reads this it’ll be pronounced wrong, but it’s okay, for now because my Vietnamese name is much harder to pronounce. Today Courtney was trying to pronouce it and she ended up laughing because it sounded weird, I like seeing people try to pronounce it. For everyone who wants to know my Vietnamese name is Hong Huong Le Vu, the middle name and last name is the same of course. What I thought was weird is that my Vietnamese name wasn’t named after a certain somebody, but I do get compared to my third cousin who has sort of the same name, Hong. She’s older than me by a lot, she’s happily married and have kids of her own, she was a very proper version of a Vietnamese girl and I often get compared to her when I get seriously lectured. That part I don’t really like that much.
I guess my name is a significant part of my personality. I can hate my name sometimes but I I learn to love it, it’s one of a kind. I love my name and it makes me who I am, a wonderful Vietnamese girl who is taking AP English!
Since I was the first one to post (which will never happen again, I might add), I'm re-posting. I agree with Gary when he says a name is just an identification. You aren't viewed by people because of your name, you're viewed because of your personality and what you do for others.
CONTINUED! To comment on what Deanna said, I agree with what she said how names aren't a reflection of someone's personality. Parents name their kids when they are babies, before they even develop a distinct personality. So, she's right, once again!! Also, to conclude this, names do just classify people so things don't get confusing!
Alexander. Julian. Peralejo. My mom 1 week before my birth had a final in college. Part of her final was based on Alexander the Great. When I was born my mom decided Alexander will best suit me. Legend says “there will be no Alexander that will be as great.” I believe that I will one day be great and be an impact to lives, the lives of my future children and wife. I do not live in the shadow of this name. I live to fill my life with adventure and excitement. I will not change me actions just to because of my name. I am Alexander Julian Peralejo. This is who I am.
I love my name. For some reason Alexander Julian sounds like the strongest mixture of a first and last name. I would never change my name. If I were given a different name like Bob or David, I probably wouldn’t have the same parents. My parents definitely would have not named me anything else. I would definitely have a different personality.
I agree with Hannah about changing your name. Names make us unique. I have yet to meet an Alexander or Zander like me. You can be identified by your name and the personality that you have. If someone describes who I am then there is a good chance others will say “Zander” right away.
My name is the easiest name ever. There has never been an instance where someone mispronounces my name. I do hate it when people call me Alex though. I hate it so much. People have spelled my name wrong but it’s ok. As long as the person knows who I truly am.
If you know me, you would understand why I am called Zander and not Alex. My friends have always made fun of teachers who have called me Alex. Sometimes my friends of stood up for me and yelled at the teacher, “Call him ZANDER!” I find it amusing. Changing my name is like Changing my face. I am Zander. I am Alexander
I am Alexander Julian Peraljo.
My name is Monica Leigh Mackleer and I haven’t been named after anyone in my family. My mom decided to name my sisters and me all after saints. Every once in a while, during a fight about religion with my mom, she throws in the, “How can you not believe when I’ve raised you? After all I did name you after Saint Monica.” Perhaps that’s her way of convincing me to submit to her beliefs, although I know I never will. In order to answer the question about pressure due to being named after a family member I asked some friends of mine who are in that category. All of the people I asked felt that they were not pressured to act in anyway like the person they were named for, but they all thought that other people might feel pressure.
I’m not too sure if the name “Monica” really suits my personality; however, I couldn’t really picture myself being named anything else. I prefer being called by a nickname. It makes me more comfortable. Now that I’m thinking about it, I feel the name ‘Mon’ suits me more than ‘Monica’. The name Monica sounds too boring to fit the interesting personality I like to think I have. This blog is making me not even like my name at all. Saying it over and over again is making me little nuts. I’m not planning on changing my name. Although, if I could’ve have chosen my own name I probably would have gone with one capable of being shortened to a boy’s name; for example, Christina (Chris) or Danielle (Dan). I’m okay with my name though. I will always be Monica.
I was discussing with a friend how I was nearly named Danielle, and we were wondering the same question you just asked. One of my best friends is named Danielle, and so I wondered if we’d have been as likely to become friends had my name been Danielle as well. My friend and I realized that we are not close with anyone who has the same name as us. I think a change in name would only possibly affect details of our lives in that sense. A name cannot change our personalities. That would just be ridiculous. If I was named Mary I’d still be the same person at heart. If I changed my name right this moment to Elizabeth I would still value and believe the same things as I do with Monica as my name.
It doesn’t bother me at all when people shorten my name, I actually prefer a nickname. I’m a kid so there’s no need to be too called by my full name. When I start a career though, I’d like my bosses to call me Monica I think. I feel that would be a sign of respect. The name ‘Mon’ would just seem too informal for a serious profession. My name is not mispronounced often, but if it were I wouldn’t let it bother me unless it was mispronounced by the same person repetitively.
Well, now that I just had a wonderful reader read me A-L-L-I-S-O-N’s comment (Alli read it of course!) I think I’m going to comment on her comment. Sorry for that little tongue twister. Anyway, I could just imagine sitting next to this wonderful person, since names are so obsolete I’ll label her as “wonderful person”, and looking over my shoulder and saying, “Ay yo Flo, what up dog?” Unlike what she thinks, though, I’d imagine that if her name was Flower Love I would treat her just a bit differently. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t love some one named Flower Love? Don’t worry, I’m just kidding about that. I don’t think I’d treat her different, I just think there would be like 10,000 more funny things I could say to her to make her smile. Not that it is hard to do right now, but I think the message is pretty clear. I would treat her the same whether her name was Flower Love, A-L-L-I-S-O-N, or even Pituta. I agree with Alli that it doesn’t really make me angry when people misspell my name, but it is kind of annoying. I laugh at them, though, unlike she who usually yells and screams and throws fists of fury until the person begs for mercy and offers to use their entire white-out collection to fix this unforgivable problem. I have been lucky enough never to have done this, but I can just imagine her with her fists wrapped, a headband on, her sleeves frilled, and her game-face on. That would scare just about anybody.
I just wanted to add this since I was the first one to post. Actually, I commented on other people's in my first post, I just wanted to add this, so Kim, if you are reading this - when I was little one of the names I would always choose when I was playing make believe games was Kimberly because I thought it was the name of the Pink Power Ranger. :) And Jon, I've heard about your "Danger" idea in gym when you told like everyone so it was not new news to me, but still - reading it again refreshed my memory and I was reminded how much I love that idea. Really, I do. I love middle names. How cool is it going to be for your son/daughter to be able to honestly say that their middle name is Danger? I think middle names are a subtle way to throw something really cool into your kid's name, and if they don't like it, it's not what they're called every day. It's also going to force your kid to come out of his or her shell, because really, they would HAVE to take advantage of the opportunity to say in dramatic Henry-family style, "Danger? Danger's my middle name."
One more thing: Thanks, Courtney S. :) You are very insightful as well. Reading that made my night.
In my opinion names are just associations, faces are how people recognize you, but it’s the personality that really makes a person who they are. Although many people just go by associations. The thing about names, like associations, they always stick with you. There is probably some scientific back ground to my name, but my mother was never a scientific person. In all actuality my mother wanted to name me Crystallina or Amanda, not after anyone special; they were just names. Finally she came up with the name Ariel. Unlike Crystallina or Amanda, the name Ariel had a story behind it. Before I was born the movie “The Little Mermaid” came out, and as soon as my mother saw that movie she new what she was going to name her new baby girl. I have been told, by many of my aunts, that every time my mom watched “The Little Mermaid” she cried knowing that that’s what she would name her daughter. When I was little I always pretended to be a mermaid and many people told me I swam like a fish. I loved the water and still do, ironic huh? Although until I was about thirteen I was set on changing my name to Crystallina, which is my middle name now, but as I got older and became more comfortable with who I truly was I realized that there was no need to change my name. I realized that my name suited me. Ariel isn’t a common name like Krystina, Melissa, or Amanda; my name is original. Through out my entire life until now, I have only met two other Ariel’s, and I like that. The only problem with having an original name is that a lot of people will pronounce it or spell it wrong. I spell my name like the movie “The Little Mermaid” (Ariel) but I don’t pronounce it that way. When people pronounce my name wrong it doesn’t bother me, unless I’ve corrected you many times and you still pronounce it wrong. You can let your name define you, or you can define your name. I don’t think I’d be a different person but I do think there aren’t many other names out there that could suit me the way Ariel does. You may ask, how does one shorten the name Ariel, when it’s already short. Well it’s possible. Most of my cousins and some of my close friends call me Ari, or Air, and even though their weird I love my nicknames. To be honest I love my name and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I agree with Erin when she says that her name has uniqueness, the fact that a name is unique can define a person in a sense. I couldn’t picture Erin with any other name so I’m glad she didn’t change it to Lily. The fact that her name is the name of a country in Ireland takes it to a whole new level of uniqueness. I also strongly agree when Erin explains how names only distinguish one person from another. As I stated before names are really only associations. A name is just a name so would it really change a person personality wise, probably not. Definitions aren’t always correct so how one may define you because of your name doesn’t have to be true; you define your name and who you are, no one else.
Well my government name is Kylie Rae Brock. If you didn’t know this then obviously something is wrong with you because my display name for blogger and myspace is Kylie RAE. Unlike Emily who loved her middle name from the start I on the other hand absolutely hated my middle name. It’s real ironic that I chose to respond to Emily’s blog and both are middle names are exactly three letters long. As a matter of fact our full names have exactly the same amount of letters in it. Haha Em you and me have more in common than I thought. But anyway back to my name. My middle name came from my aunt (my daddy’s sister) Alicia Rae. Everyone always thought that would make me like my name better but it didn’t. The name Rae always used to make me think of a man. For a while I was really insecure about my middle. The summer before my sophomore year I used to mess with this boy Jamiel and when I told him my middle name was Rae he literally laughed for like five minutes. But as I got older I sort of embraced the name I guess that was part of me just becoming more secure with myself. My first name also had to grow on me. Kylie. It was such an awkward name to me I used to think why couldn’t I have a normal name like Michelle. I had to be a Kylie. Every substitute I had growing up must have been an idiot to because they would always call me KYLE BROCK and just as easily as the missed to whole Lie part I would very snippily reply its KYLIE! In the fourth grade all the kids went through a phase of calling me cauliflower broccoli, which was very annoying. But just like Rae, Kylie grew on me also. I think part of the reason is because it is so unique I don’t think that there is another Kylie in this school but there are a whole lot of Michelle’s’. Its funny how my parents got my name too. My mom was at work in the bathroom when she heard a lady talking about her niece named Kylie she asked how it was spelled and instantly my mom feel in love with it. My name was really suppose to be Paige but they dropped that name when my god sister who was born six months before me was given the middle name Paige after her aunt (her daddy’s sister). I never noticed that until just now that she also got her middle name from her aunt on her dad’s side.
Until this very day I never knew what my name stood for. It means boomerang in an Australian Aboriginal language. That’s nice to know. I think if I had a different name I would be a different person. I’m the type of person who believes that your name makes you but I also look at it like you make the name but if my name was something like Reine Sunflower seed I think I’d be a totally weird if my peers hadn’t already deemed me as one. If I had the chance I would not change my name at all I think its cute especially if you say it all together I love when people tell me I have a pretty name I bet if my name was Michelle I wouldn’t get that. My aunt tells me I have a country singer name and when she sees me after not seeing me for a long time she says in a sing songy voice, “Kylie Rae are you bugging”. Thinking about it now makes me laugh. I don’t mind when people call me Ky. I think it’s especially cute when Justin says it. I wear the name Kylie Rae Brock proudly.
My name is Jonathan Paul Miller. In my name is a combination of things. My name is a combination of both of my grandfather’s names. Jonathan represents my mom's father and Paul represents my dad's father. My name doesn't pressure me to act a certain way at all. It’s not a tradition to pass down that name; it was just more of my parents honoring them. My name is everywhere. There is always a famous sports person with the name Jon Miller. Having such a common name does add pressure though. It puts pressure on the fact that I have to make myself stand out from the other Jon Millers. I wouldn't say I love my name but I definitely don’t mind it at all. Although I could have had a much cooler and hip name but there are far worse names. I think the name Jon Miller works for me. It’s just a basic name for a basic person. I'd change my name just because I think having a good name can get you far. I think if I had a cool name it’d give me a different attitude. I don’t know why it just seems like the title can dictate the person. I don’t exactly where it comes from, probably something to do with religion. I know my parents just got it from my grand fathers. Mispronouncing my name is pretty embarrassing. My name isn't very hard to pronounce so it does upset me when somebody doesn't say it right. Overall my name suits me and I am happy with it. It’s a basic name that could probably suit a lot of people.
Ariel brings up a very good point about how people recognize you. I agree that some people do only recognize you by your face but there also is another half that recognizes by name. I know a lot of people that got their name like Ariel. Just because the parents saw something they liked or that was popular they pick that. I also agree that you can let your name dictate you or you can dictate your name. It's all about how you present yourself, whether you flash your name or hide it. Ariel makes some very good points in her response.
I totally agree with EMILY Brill and Hannah. I used to imagine having different names when I was younger just like most 5 year old. I think the most common was Crystal. I don’t know why I ever really liked that name, maybe because it was different. I love my name now a lot more than I did when I was younger and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
This question made me think of those name tag stickers that people put on to come into the school or go to support groups, the ones that would say “Hello my name is Tawni” if I had one. My name is indeed Tawni, spelled with an I, a lot of people like to spell it with a Y, probably because there is a color called tawny. I have been told it means fields of grass and/or brown? My mom picked it because she thought it was pretty and she’s the kind of person who wanted to have children with fairly unique names. My little brother’s name is Ethan and my little sister’s name is Maya. Our names are pretty and slightly unique to me and my family, and not many people outside our family find them to be ugly or freakish. I don’t love my name but I don’t hate it either, and I think it suits me because there’s just something Tawni-ish about me that I can’t quite explain. I wouldn’t change my name because it is a little different and I like to be different. If my name were something else, I don’t think I would have another personality or another life. My parents would have raised me the same way they did and I would have made the same friends and go about my life in the same manner as I do now. To me, a name can’t change who and what you are exposed to, so there’s no way it could prevent you or aid you in experiencing something different than what you were originally supposed to be subject to. Some people give me nick names, like T, or T-bird. My family sometimes calls me Tawni bear, I have friends who have called me Tawni boo, and one friend thinks it’s cute to call me Tawni Lynn. With all of these names, it seems like people like to make my name longer rather than shorten it most of the time, though I’m not sure why. I guess the syllables just flow together nicely. None of this bothers me because as Juliet asked “What’s in a name?” My answer to her, and the answer to why nicknames and such don’t bother me is; a name is something people have created so that we don’t get confused with each other. Instead of saying, that girl with the face, I could say Courtney. Last names and/or nicknames are there for even more clarification, so that we don’t get Courtney Sherman and Courtney Tomasello (Sorry, I hope I spelled that right) mixed up. Some think that names are of great significance in one’s life, but in my opinion, they are just a title and easy tool for humans to use, so that when we talk to each other, we aren’t all saying “Hey! You! With the eyebrows!”
Oh! And, I would like to join the party! I am also a big fan of the name Laina Lusk!
After reading Laina's blog and discovering that her last name is Lusk, I realized how much I like that name. It reminds of a name like Louis Lane, or some superhero. I also thought the history of Megan Coburn's name was pretty interesting. It's funny how some people are so affected by a name. After all, it is merely a name. But sometimes people feel it is more. They consider it a label that defines who they are in some way. I mean, why else would a couple spend weeks choosing a baby name or spend money on baby name books?
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