My+Name

My Name

In History, “Tiffany” actually derives from the Greek name Theophania. It was the name of a festival that celebrated the sun and the end of winter. Its Christian meaning is for girls who were born on the Catholic Epiphany celebration, on January 6, which commemorates the Magi, or three wise men, seeing Jesus in the manger. It carries with it the meanings of “revelation of God” (aka epiphany) or “manifestation of God”. My name “Tiffany” appeared at first as a surname as it was the name for a certain light weight silk and so the people who created it were named after it. It was this family who then grew into the company of Tiffany & Co. known today. Today my name means, thanks to Tiffany & Co. mostly, carries the implied meanings of upper-class, sophistication, and luxury. My parents named me Tiffany for a very simple reason: to them it sounded pretty. My dad named me Tiffany because he has always loved the name and always imagined if he had a daughter he would call her by that name. I have many nicknames that I go by due to my name being Tiffany. I am called, “Tifa” by my video game loving friends (final fantasy), “Tiff” (most common), “Tippy” (from when my little sister was little and could not pronounce f’s), “Tiff-sniff” and “Epiphany Tiffany” (because it rhymes), “Tiff-a-bing-bing-bing” (from an 8th grade English teacher who thought it was funny and so did many other high school friends), and “Taffy” (as the middle child of three girls my mother often combined our names on accident and this was my combination name). My name has never really gotten me in trouble. The only thing I ever had to be careful about was to pay attention in band class. There is an instrument called a timpani. If I was not paying attention in class and my band director said something about the timpani, I always would jump because I thought he was instructing me to do something. If I could change my name, I would change it to Annabelle because I have always loved that name for its uniqueness and sound or to Elizabeth for its classic feel. But then I would not be me. A name reflects a lot of how people act and are. Perhaps if I were Elizabeth I would not be much different, but with a name like Annabelle I would surely be a little different indeed.

My name means rational in Greek. My name means kind and noble in English. One could say that the name Alyssa is symbolic of a queen, or some other person of a leadership role. I would not go as far to say that I am held in the same regard with royalty, however, I am definitely in a position of leadership as the president of the Panhellanic Council. I have to be rational in my decision making and noble in my dealings with people on a day to day basis. It is important for me to act nobly and represent all sides of an issue equally and fairly. My name begins with an A and ends with an A. My sisters’ names also begin with an A and end with an A (Amanda and Angela). My parents decided to follow the trend and name me Alyssa for that reason. My first name was not named after anyone specific, but my middle name, Rose, comes from my great-Aunt Rose and also my mother’s name, Rosella. I never met my Aunt Rose, but my mother and I have the same personality and get along extremely well. When I was in middle school and high school, most people called me by my last name, Trotter, but when I started college, most people just called me Alyssa. I have a few funny nicknames, such as Midget (because of my shortness) and Goober (which my boyfriend calls me for being “goofy” all the time). My sisters, for some odd reason, decided it would be funny to call me “Billiam” (do not ask why), which has now been changed to just “Bill”. Unfortunately, they still call me that from time to time to step on my toes.I do not believe that my name causes people to think of me or treat me in a certain way. Since I have a somewhat common name in the United States, people do not think much of it. There have been many celebrities and professional athletes that change their name lately. However, I do not believe I would change my name if I got the opportunity to. First of all, it would be extremely aggravating to have to keep reminding people that I changed my name. Second, I feel that my name is who I am, it labels me as me and if I changed it, I would feel like a completely different person.

Sarah Ruth Zaubi

My first name is Hebrew for Princess. I don’t think that really means anything to me. At least, I’ve never felt very princess-y. I don’t really have a namesake either; my parents just thought it was a pretty name, and I’ve never been to particularly attached to it. I guess, if anything, my namesake is Abraham’s wife, the first Sarah I know of. She’s one of those "bad girls" of the bible, the one who laughed at God and then had the audacity to name her child after the incident. I laugh at inappropriate times, too, so I don’t mind the connection.

I didn’t find out until much later though that the etymology for Ruth is “helper” or “companion,” which can really take the romance out of the name Sarah when you tack that on at the end. Princess...companion? Not even a real princess but her handmaid? It was my maternal grandmother’s name, the oldest of thirteen who was left to raise her siblings after her mother died at a very young age. Certainly not a princess, but I’m sure she must have felt like a handmaid at times. Definitely not the same musical flair of my sister’s middle name, Virginia. Just Ruth. Short, abrupt, loud, with a little lisp at the end. A name that took some getting used to.

As for Zaubi, well, I don’t know what Zaubi means. It’s Yugoslavian, or it was a few name changes ago. Changed, then altered, then changed again with the definition lost somewhere in between. Apparently the intent was for it to sound more American. Because that’s what everyone says when I tell them my last name, “Oh, that sounds so American. Like Smith.” It’s probably better though that I don’t know what it means, mostly because I’m afraid it means something like left elbow of the king, or burier of mostly dead corpses, or some other name that would sound equally worse tacked on to “Princess Companion.” Princess Companion’s dog groomer. My ego can only take so much.

Luckily I’m almost never any of those names. To my parent’s I’m usually just Sponda, Wanda, Anaconda or some derivative thereof. It’s comes from an old children’s nonsense song (Found only in Barney’s Camping Trip Adventures limited edition vhs if you must know) and no, I’m not going to sing it for you. It doesn’t mean that to me anyway. It means affection and being loved and the reminder that I am always “daughter” before Princess Companion’s Misshapen toenail. And beyond that there is “Que Sera Sera” bestowed upon me by my great hometown friends for my “what will be will be” personality, or “Zaubs” because some things are just easier that way.

Sarah Mabry In English my name means Princess. When I think of a princess I think of a beautiful maiden who knows who she is and she has a certain sense of dignity about her. Since a princess knows she is of royal blood she seeks out the best in the people in her life. As royalty, she knows that she will face opposition but when it comes she isn’t surprised and instead faces difficulties with strength. Sometimes she may feel inadequate to be in such an influential role but because she knows who she truly is and where she belongs she is able to face each day with a positive attitude and a smile. She also knows her prince is there fighting for her even if he hasn’t rescued her yet. In Spanish my name is pronounced Sarita. I’ve always liked my Spanish name. It sounds glamorous. I was named after my aunt or my mom’s sister. When I asked my parents why I was named after her, they simply told me that they had always loved the name. I like my name but to me Sarah always seemed too plain and simple. Maybe it seemed too commonplace. My nickname is buggy. My mom told me when I was little that I was “as cute as a bug”. Sometimes my mom still calls me buggy even though I’m now much older. I used to not like it when she called me buggy because it made me feel like she always viewed me as a child. Now, though, I see it as endearing. By calling me by my nickname she is going back to memories we both shared in the past and how even though time passes we are still mother and daughter. In a way, it is a way of remembering. My middle name is Elizabeth. Once I met a girl who had the same first and middle name as me. At the time I remember thinking that if the chances of me meeting someone who had the exact same name as me then there must be many other girls with the same name as me. Not that I mind, it’s just that sometimes I like the idea of having a less generic name. While I still think Sarah is a pretty name, if I was given a new name it would sound like rain and look like when the air is so cold that it sparkles. My name would be sparkly like that.

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According to Babyname.com, Kimberley means forest. I think that is ironic because I am very tall and sturdy like a tree in the forest. A forest is comprised of many individual trees which make up the larger image. I, like the individual trees, am surrounded by people (family, friends, classmates, coworkers etc) all the time and they have shaped me into who I am today.

Before coming to college, I never really had a nickname or anything fun to be called, just my “normal” name. But now I have a very unique nickname…..Berley. Yes, it sounds like the adjective to describe a huge lumberjack and the name of a player for the Chicago White Sox, but it is also the second half of my full name Kimberley. This nickname developed because there are three Kims in my sorority and no one could keep us all straight (even though I am the greatest of all the Kims ) so we devised a plan: One would be called Kim, the other Kimber, and me Berley. At the beginning, I took offense to the name but now I love every second of it. However, the weirdest part about having a well known nickname is that awkward moment when you forget what your “real” name is and don’t respond when people address you as such.

I wouldn’t change my name for anything if I had the chance because we have been together for twenty-one years, that would be like trading an all-American quarterback to another team….A BAD IDEA! I never thought that my name was unique, but it makes me who I am in every sense. I wouldn’t be Kim Boyd if my name was Lauren or Melissa. Setting is the most important aspect that determines how people will address me. At college, I am Berley; at home with my high school friends, I am Kim; to my parents and grandparents, I am Kimberley; and when I am in trouble, I am Kimberley Anne. I never thought about the significance of a person’s name until now, and it really is the key to their identity. If you do not like your name then you are not going to like yourself.