Definition Essay: My Name Alyssum

     Then there’s me, Rosalind or Rose or Ross or Rosy, whatever. If you haven’t noticed that all my brothers and sisters names even my parents start with a “J”? Well if you didn’t I did it makes me feel like I don’t belong. Mom tells me she wanted to name me something special so that I would be different because when

Kaitlin Rose Mockaitis is who people would like to think I am but they were wrong. Kaitlin never felt really like me. When people said my name I cringed and thought there has to be a nickname for me. Finally, one day one of my coaches in fifth grade called me Kate out of nowhere and it stuck. Kate suits me it defines who I am. Names identify who we are and if we are not really our names who are we?

What is in a name? Writer Milan Kundera says, “We don’t know when our name came into being or how some distant ancestor acquired it. We don’t understand our name at all, we don’t know its history and yet we bear it with exalted fidelity, we merge with it, we like it, we are ridiculously proud of it as if we had thought it up ourselves in a moment of brilliant inspiration.” (goodreads) Before I began my research, I already knew why my mother named me Sarah, but I did not know anything about my middle and surname. I always desired to find out when it comes to my family, why although my surname is Hampton I am not related to anybody else with that same surname besides my Father’s sisters and brothers. To proceed in the research of my first name, I had to look for information on the (Behind the Name) site, (Biography) site, The Name Book, and administer an interview with my Mother. Next, I searched the (seven reflections) site, and held another interview with my

Most people have a story about how their parents decided on their name, especially those of us who have less common ones. Mine is fairly dry; my parents looked through a book of names and decided that “Maizie” was charming and sweet and would fit me well. My sister’s story, however, is slightly more intriguing. Cleo Arden Seidl, born on August 3rd of 2001, was named by me, Maizie Regan Seidl, when I was just two years and nine months old.

She told me how one evening, the news were on and the reporter was interviewing a teenage girl-who looked to be around sixteen or seventeen of the African American race- who witnessed a murder. As the interview started, the teenager’s name appeared at the bottom of the screen and my mom decided that she should name her child that with it spelled the same (K. Walker). She even included the continuous pattern of I’s. Timsiha means “ram” and its origin is of African (Our Baby Namer). My mom was very skeptical into giving my dad the opportunity to give me my middle name but she went ahead and did it. My dad gave me my middle name, La’Tale. He felt as if it sounded good with Timisiha, so he settled for my middle name to be La’Tale (C. Walker). He never gave a solid reason as to where he got the name La’Tale from but I am pretty sure it was from a strange place. Walker is derived from the Middle English name walkcere which means “a fuller of cloth”. The Old English word for Walker is wealcan with the meaning of “to walk or tread” (About

I was given the name Chase Andrew Miner. My mom had liked the name Chase and Chance, but she finally decided on Chase. While that decision wasn’t too hard for her to make, (at least she said it wasn’t) my last name, Miner, was an even easier decision. My mom was married to my dad and she took his last name, so the obvious last name would be Miner. My mom told me she had a really difficult time figuring out a middle name for me. She couldn’t find a name that fit in well. One day my aunt, Lori, called my mom and asked about the name Andrew. My mom had thought about it and she decided that that name fit. So from that day I was Chase Andrew Miner. The joke my mom says now is if she knew she’d have to chase me so much, she would have named me Slow. But word got around of what

My mom was a reader. She was a slow reader, but a reader nonetheless. Her favorite book to this day is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty White. The main Character’s name is Mary Frances Nolan. My mom decided then that my name would be Frances. Well, that didn’t work because my dad didn’t like that name. So anyway, my mom also loved a set of children’s books about a badger named Frances (she is an elementary school teacher), and the badger’s little sister’s name was Gloria. I was named Gloria after the little sister, or I was named after Gloria Estefan if you ask my dad.

When I was six, I went to a summer camp where there was another girl named Rachel Li. To tell us apart, the counselors called me “Rachel Li Star” and her “Rachel Li Heart”. Because I loved the sound of “Rachel Li Star”, I called

Do names really define a human being? I believe a person should be original, however that does not mean having a unique name. In my opinion, names are useful to acknowledge a person not label them. The above quote by William Shakespeare is symbolic to my beliefs. The poem’s meaning is a rose smells as sweet even if it was called any other name. That is conclusive to my thoughts because the rose is sweet from being a flower not because of it’s name. Your name doesn’t characterize you, but you personalize your name to fit your traits.

A name is not just what you’re called, it is who you are. It is what you stand for and ultimately defines you as a person. Growing up, I used to think my name did not fit me and that nothing that my name stood for had anything to do with me. Now that I am older, I understand the real meaning of my name and how the traits that are connected with my name relate to the person that I have become and continue to develop into. My name represents who I am and who I plan to be.

    Names are a terrible way to understand someone’s identity because names are regularly replicated. In my sixth grade class, there were three Mollys. We all had different backgrounds, different religious affiliations, and different personalities. If our names displayed who we are, wouldn’t our identities all be the same? Instead of staring at names and trying to understand their meaning, one should focus on a person’s personality, for personality depicts our identity. In fact, I have learned from experience to not infer one’s identity based on their name. For instance, in middle school, I was mutual friends with a girl named Kassidy. One Tuesday afternoon, my friend, Katy told me that Kassidy was going to sit with us at lunch that day. I shrugged my shoulders and replied with a casual “okay”. Before Kassidy walked in, I had a whole image of her in my mind: blonde hair, cute pastel colored clothes, and religious, all stereotypes that I thought a person with an innocent name like Kassidy

For every person ever created there is meaning behind there name, and I am not an exception. Names clearly define the characteristics of a person. Studyings someone's name can give insight into the personality that one might posses. Parents are drawn to certain names that will help continue their legacy for years to come. Sydney Katherine Weber has specific meanings and origins, but like all other names it has a story behind it that leads up to who I am as a person today.

Alcestis is a myth that is "the most touching of all the Greek dramas to a modern audience" (Lind 213). It is a tragicomedy by the playwright Euripides and it centers on the king and queen of Thessalia. Admetus, the king, has been fated to die yet, due to his alliance with Apollo, is given the chance to find a replacement. His wife, Alcestis, volunteers for the position claiming that she cannot imagine life without her husband. After Alcestis submits her life, Admetus discovers the pain of loss and even determines that Alcestis is the lucky one in dying.

Hey. My name’s Gaby and I hate it. When I was born my mom was going to name me Alyssa which means sweet angel in Indian, but when I came out she looked at me and called me Gaby. Anyway this isn’t a story about me hating my name, it doesn’t have anything to do with my name. I just figured that if you’re going to listen to me for however long you decide to keep reading this you’re gonna want to know something about me. There is another thing you should know everyone on earth has gone completely and utterly insane.

What’s in a name? Names define us as individuals. We as people have a first name, a last name, sometimes a middle name, and also perhaps some nicknames used by different people. Names are important, but not just for people. In the Bible, there are dozens of different names used for God throughout the Scriptures. Many people might wonder why God needs so many names. I believe one of the primary reasons why God has so many names throughout Scripture is because they have to do with His nature and character. I feel that each of God’s and Jesus’ names in the Bible emphasizes a particular facet of Their character. As we understand how each of God’s names reveals another aspect of His character in the Bible, the more we will learn about Him. Let’s look at some names that were used to identify Jesus in the New Testament.