"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name.
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I'll no longer be a Capulet."
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 2.2
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet"
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 2.2
In this scene of Romeo and Juliet - Juliet laments over Romeo's name while professing her love. Your task is to do some research and share the story of your name with us. How did you get your name? What does your name mean? Are you named after someone in your family? How do you embrace your name? or on the flipside - how do you rebel against your name? You should speak with family members and do some internet research on the origin and meaning of your name. You may talk about your first, middle, or last name - or all three. In your post you should also document where you found your information - personal interview with a relative; internet site; a book of names, etc.
7 comments:
My full name is Kristin Louise DeJong . I am not sure how my parents came to this combination of my first and middle names but both are French in origin and my mother’s heritage is French. I have been told by my mom, that, had I been born a boy, which I was expected to be, my name would have been “Christopher.” At the time of my birth, my parents also had a cat named “Topher”, short for Christopher, so apparently my mother had an affection for variations of these names.
The etymology of my name – Kristin - is German and French and in both cultures means “one who is consecrated to God.” It is most often used as a girl name.
The etymology of my middle name – Louise – is also French. It is a feminine form of the name “Louis” (Louey) and means “a famous warrior.”
I have explained that my last name – DeJong – is Dutch in origin. It means “ the younger son” and is one of the oldest Dutch names in the culture. The “J” is pronounced like a “Y” and it is very typical for Dutch names to have a prefix in front of it – which would stand for a preposition in their language. In a Dutch phone book the two sections would be separate by a space and you would look under “J” to find my listing.
When my grandfather and his brother arrived in Ellis Island to enter the United States, one brother changed the spelling to DeYoung and one brother, my grandfather, kept the original Dutch spelling. Throughout my hometown I have some relatives with a different spelling of their names.
I have always liked my name, although the middle name may speak to my personality more than my first name. While I believe in God and have had an elastic relationship with God, more recently in my adult life growing closer to my faith; I think that my overall personality is “warrior like.” I fight for what I believe in passionately. I fight for those I love endlessly and will defend something I believe is morally right to extremes. I fight for what I want and have always demonstrated much perseverance in the face of adversity.
I think the combination of the meanings of my first and middle names would be like a “crusader” – referencing a warrior fighting for God in the Middle Ages. I think I have always been a “crusader” of sorts, fighting for a good education for all students and trying new and innovative strategies in my classroom.
I have all to often related my middle name to famous people and when I was young the most famous “Louise” was Tina Louise who played Ginger on Gilligan’s Island. Also, a famous song, “Louey, Louey, Louey, Lou – I” would cause my dad to drive along in the car and singing loudly to the lyrics…hence my nickname was often “Louey”
Overall, I feel my name does suit me and that I have grown to embrace its meaning without even fully realizing it.
Sources: Personal Interview with my mom; Wikipedia; House of Names.com; Meaning of names.com
Debbie said...
So my name is Deborah. It means "bee" or "Queen bee" depending on which definition you find. It is a Hebrew name that is found in the book of Judges in the Bible. In the Bible Deborah was by God to be a Judge for the Israelites. My family says I live up to the name because I'm always trying to solve problems between people ( Just keeping the peace :)). My parents decided to name me Deborah pretty much because it was in the Bible. All the information above was taken from my parents and the dictionary.
My names Katherine, It comes from Greek origin and means pure, virginal. My parents decided to name me Katherine because they liked the name.
name-meanings.com
My name is Maame Kissi, it comes from a twi name meaning peace,responsible,reserved, and dignified nature. i lived up to my name by being a doctor or a hairdresser.My parent didn't decide to name me this it was my grandmother that chose to name me that,first my dad's step mom name me Maame Serwaa it means very quiet,practical nature and a clever and inventive mind,and then my dad's real mom came to change my name cause she didn't like the name she gave me so she changed it and named me after her mom which is my great grandma.So i think that i know have two different name but the name people call me is Maame Kissi and some of my family call me that and the rest call me my original name which is Maame Serwaa Kissi.My English name is Paula Kissi it also means seek change, travel,new opportunities and new challenges. i seek this name by being a doctor.i was named by 2 different grandmothers.
Robert said:
My full name is Robert Tamele Johnson. My father named me Robert, I am named after him and my grandfather – this is family tradition but I won't be naming my own son Robert. Robert means: “fame” and “bright”. I think I live up to my name – I would like to be an actor.
My name is Courtney Lee Hackett it has created contrasting qualities in your nature. My desire changes and varies experiences and i am capablace in many areas, but i dont excel because of my scattering, impulsive desires. I can also be creative and artistic in a practical way , but basically this name is a plodding influence, though i have a desire for greater expression. Although i desire to avoid monotony , i seem to be attuned to system , order , and attention to detail. I also can be very analytical, exacting, and patient as as their is a challenge holding your interest, such as in the field of computers with its technical callenge. Although the name Courtney created and active mind and a restless urge to explore new ideas , i emphasize that it limits my versatility and scope, tuning me to technical details.
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