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March 11th, 2015

3/11/2015

6 Comments

 
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In English my names means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, song like sobbing.  
– from "My Name" by Sandra Cisneros

A slice I read last week got me thinking about names. My mother’s side of the family was not very creative with names. My grandparents were Margaret and Michael. They had three children – Rose, Mary, and Edward. Margaret’s grandchildren were named Margaret Mary, Rosemary (my cousin and I both received that name), Edward, and James (named for his father). Irish influence to be sure. There were lots of “names we were called” by the adults and nicknames we called each other in order to distinguish those with the same name. At various stages there was Maggie, Margy, Little Rose, Rosie, Rosemary, RoseMARY (emphasis on the Mary), Eddie Peter, and Ed. When I was in college my first roommate wanted to call me Ro. I didn’t think I was a Ro, so thankfully that didn’t stick.

My father’s side of the family was quite different. With Polish-Russian roots, his parents were Emilia and Karl. They had Emil, Florence, and Ludwig (my father). Florence’s children were Lorraine, Evelynne, and Karl. She wanted the girls to have eight letters in their name as she did.

When my children were born we went through the process most parents go through of picking a name. I wanted to be sure my children had middle names since I never had one and most of my friends did, so we had Brian Allan and Ann Elizabeth. Probably not very creative either. Now, there are more modern names like Madison, Ethan, and Jackson, although we probably would still have Brian and Ann. Those names fit.

As I write this I am reminded of “My Name” from House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. The way she describes her name in the beginning is like poetry and reminds her of her roots. I think it is important to be comfortable in your name. It may become how you think about yourself.

I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees. Esperanza as Lisandra or Maritza or Zeze the X. Yes. Something like Zeze the X will do. - from "My Name" by Sandra Cisneros



6 Comments
Jill DeRosa
3/10/2015 08:44:07 pm

We sometimes underestimate the importance of a name. I always wished that my name was different and more than 4 simple letters. Wouldn't it be great if there was a time in our lives when we would all rename ourselves!

Reply
Aileen Hower link
3/10/2015 10:14:23 pm

I remember you sharing about your "nickname" - this is a great reflection. Names are so complex. We sat around trying out Kieran's name by reading off a list of Irish names (Aileen, Liam - just had to keep it going, even Michael (my husband) can be an Irish name), saying, "Love, Michael, Aileen, and Liam, Sean. Nope. Love, Michael, Aileen, Liam, and Aiden. No." Until we finally rested upon a name we had never heard of and no one else we knew had. Maybe I should have learned from my own experience of never finding a key chain with my name on it, not to go in this direction. But, we love the name. And Meaza (our daughter's full name), means "fragrant" in Amharic. Could not change that for the world.

Reply
Rose
3/10/2015 10:22:26 pm

It was your post that inspired this one Aileen. I love the way you tried out names for Kieran by how they sounded with the rest of the family's. And you are right - Meaza's name and its meaning are perfect!

Reply
elsie
3/11/2015 07:51:26 am

Names are tricky, you are stuck with them for a lifetime. But I don't think parents think about that when they select names. I did not enjoy having a name that was unusual. So when I was naming my son, I made sure he had a name that was not off-the-wall.

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Adrienne link
3/11/2015 09:34:22 am

What a fun way to trace back through the past to discover who you are in your name, and how it "fits" your family

Reply
Kristine Williams
3/11/2015 11:41:49 am

Our names are so important. What a wonderful window into the history of your family!!

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