Initially, I was going to be called
“Octavio” or “Augosto” (thankfully my parents decided against it). I’m sure I
would’ve embraced either of those names just as easily but I’m actually glad my
parents chose “Isandro” for a number of reasons (that I’ll get to later).
A
little bit of background: “Isandro” literally means “The freer of the people”
or “Man’s liberator.” While this may not apply to me directly, my parents chose
this, as it was representative of my ancestors having fought for liberation and
freedom of all kinds. Although it’s a Spanish name, “Isandro” comes from the
name “Lysander,” most famously a Spartan admiral who lived in 400 BC. Seeing as
though my siblings are named Joaquin and Mayahuel, my parents definitely wanted
something unique for each of us and that’s what I really appreciate about my
name.
Whenever
we go to a tourist location or some new place that has a gift shop, more times
than not they have that revolving showcase with key chains with alphabetized names
like Sam, Max, Sarah, or John (nothing against those names just examples I’ve
seen every time). I’m always interested to see what names are there but of
course I never find mine. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever even met someone
with my name before, let alone have my name on a coke bottle or something, but that’s
just what makes it interesting. I think there’s a connection (however small it
may be) when I meet someone and they don’t know how to pronounce my name at first,
but as I get to know them they figure it out. Believe me, I don’t even consider
my name to be hard to pronounce yet I get things like “ee – sand- ro,” “
i-sand-ro,” “Isidro,” “Isaundro,” and one time “izander.” I laugh when I think
of people mispronouncing my name incorrectly and I don’t mind because I like
the fact that it’s so unique. When the teacher pauses on a name during roll
call, I like the fact that it might be mine, because that’s one small thing
that sets me apart from every one else and makes me, me.
One
thing I’ve always wondered is what it would be like to have someone call your
name and respond only to realize they were talking to someone else. My friends
always laugh when I say “Hey Daniel” and both Daniels turn (not to pick on any
Daniel) but to me its just somewhat of a mystery what it would be like. When
you take a step back and think about it though, your name really is unique to
you. Even if your name is shared by someone else, there’s only person in the
world that has your name with all your qualities and interests and ideas and
that’s you.
My mom claims that Matt was an uncommon name when my parents chose it for me in 1972, but clearly she just wasn't paying attention. I've always been surrounded by other Matts. I was once on a little league team with *four* other Matts (we all went by our last-name initials--when someone was at bat and you weren't sure who, just cheer "Let's go, Matt!" and you'd probably be fine). I'm now in a band--a trio--with another Matt (so fully 66% of the band is named Matt). As a result, I wanted my kids to have original and distinctive names. My son, Otis, has yet to meet another Otis (at least under the age of 60), although I hear there's one in Champaign. My daughter, Ruby, has a best friend in her class named Ruby, so now she's "Ruby M.," despite our efforts to give her a less common name. These trends can be unpredictable. Maybe my mom is right, and a bunch of other parents at exactly that time thought Matt a totally unique name. There are fewer of them around these days--I've never had two Matts in the same class at Uni.
ReplyDeleteSo it's definitely cool to be the only Isandro on the soccer team!
This post was very entertaining to read. Your "writer's voice" made it seem more like a discussion between two people rather than an essay. This is good! I can relate to this post a lot with a name like "Asanté". You would think that people would be able to pronounce it pretty easily. "Uh-sahn-tay". However, I frequently get "Asan-tee" or "Uh- shawn-tay". Like, where is the "H" in my name? I've gone through the same trouble of never finding my name on a Coke bottle or gift shop item, but I've never met another person with my name, and that's the way I like it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough my actual name is pretty common (Catherine, Katherine, etc.), the way I spell my name is fairly uncommon. I remember going to gift shops when I was a little kid and looking for my name on keychains or mini license plates as well and instead of feeling unique, I'd be disappointed that they would have both "Catherine" and "Katherine" but not Kathryn. It's very chill of you to like that people mispronounce your name or that people pause because it's unique, because I think a lot of people with uncommon names get exasperated. Great post!
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