Lucy, for example, from Jamaica Kincaid's novel Lucy, struggles with her name. She is named after Lucifer, the devil himself. Her mother chose this name for her, well, because I guess she thought of her as the spawn of the devil. Not a very motherly attitude if you ask me. Her middle name, Josephine, comes from her Uncle Joseph who was supposed to be rich. Her parents thought naming a kid after him would make him feel honored and he would, in the end, leave all of his money to the child. They then realized he was completely broke and living in a tomb. But Lucy's mother proceeded to name her beautiful baby girl after him anyways. Lucy's last name, Potter, has an even worse background. It's the name of the slaveholder who owned her relatives. Good memory to keep, huh?
My name comes from my great grandparents. I love all of the stories I hear and I find comfort in knowing I was named after two wonderful people. I was even born on their anniversary. Unlike Lucy, my name makes me feel connected to my family in a way I love and would hate to be without. This familial tie brings with it familial history that I will carry with me forever.
Names do carry with them history; it isn't a matter of whether they should or not, they just do. It's impossible to avoid. Of course, their are names that have no official history and I guess then they don't carry any with them... But for those that do, the history will always be there. I also believe that as we go through life and meet people, we begin to tie characteristics to names. I met a girl once named Julia who was really nice and sweet, so now I consider Julia's to be nice and sweet. Eh, maybe I'm just weird...
Here are a few other blogs with very similar posts to ponder =D
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