I'll Tell You Mine If You Tell Me Yours

I think it's fascinating to hear the history behind given names. I'll go first and then it's your turn, ok?

Me: Jen. My parents liked the popular name of Jennifer, but my father had an ex-girlfriend with that name, so my mom pretty much insisted that I be "Jenni". In a great act of rebellion, I boldly shortened my name to Jen when DH and I moved to New York. I had been wanting to make the change for many years, but I found it hard to do without starting over in a new place. New York was my shot. Most people come to the city to find fame on Broadway or fortune on Wall Street. Personally, I was content to move here in order to lose a couple of annoying letters off my name.

Today, everyone except for my family calls me Jen. When someone does call me "Jenni", I don't really mind, but I feel like my 13-year-old self in braces and a bad perm all over again.

DH: Edward. He was supposed to have the name "Eduardo" (he is first generation Mexican American), but the nurses in the Los Angeles hospital where he was born either misunderstood the request or decided to Americanize his name on his birth certificate paperwork. His parents didn't speak enough English to object, so the gringo name stuck. Most everyone calls him Ed. I only call him Edward when he leaves whiskers in our clean bathroom sink, or better yet, when he decides to turn on The Godfather while I lay in a hospital bed working hard to breathe through my contractions. Nothin' like seeing a horse's head in some dude's bed to keep you calm through labor!

DS #1: Noe. We were looking for something Hispanic and a little more original than "Juan" or "Pedro". When I was four months pregnant, we were shlepping around our New York neighborhood discussing names and Ed blurted out "How about Noe?" It was perfect. I still remember the corner we were standing on when he said his name for the first time (42th Street & 43rd Avenue, Queens). Noe is pronounced like you would say "No-way" in English and should have an accented e although I am usually too lazy to type it out that way. It is the Spanish equivalent of Noah.

DS #2:Asher. Asher is the main character in Chaim Potok's classic, My Name is Asher Lev, which also happens to be my all-time favorite piece of literature. Asher means "happy" or "blessed" in Hebrew, and in the Old Testament, Asher was one of Jacob's sons and Joseph's brothers. I really love the name and don't care that it is unusual unless you happen to be an orthodox Jew. Luckily, our extended family seems to like the name, although Asher's 18-month-old cousin calls him "Ashey" and Ed's parents have trouble pronouncing the "sh" which doesn't exist in Spanish and call him "Acher." Actually, they usually diminutize it and say "Achercito."

Gotta love America.... only here can a little boy have a white mama, a Jewish first name and a hispanic surname.

Ok, now it's your turn.... Note: You can tell the story of someone else's name if you feel the need to stay anonymous.