Supported by
When Your Middle Name is Modem, and You’re Cool With It
What’s in a name? Ancestry, of course. But often there’s a whole lot more. Eleven people discuss the history of their names.
In Shakespeare’s tale of star-crossed lovers, Juliet Capulet declares that she is ready to chuck her last name for love. Many Times readers, it seems, are ready to chuck their hard-to-spell first names while waiting in the Starbucks line.
Others take great pride in the origins and meanings of their names — which may tie them to their ancestors, clans or religions — and woe to the person who would dare to abbreviate it.
What’s in a name, indeed? After Arthur C. Brooks, the president of the American Enterprise Institute, wrote an Op-Ed about his name, we asked readers who belong to our Facebook group whether they like theirs.
Thirty group members wrote to us with their stories. Responses have been condensed and lightly edited. How do you feel about your name? Tell us what it means to you in the comments.
‘The barista actually typed it in as “Fatty”’
Fadi BouKaram, 39, Lebanon and San Francisco
In Lebanon, my name is as common as it gets. It means “redeemer” in Arabic, but it lost this meaning as a first name because of its prevalence.
But when I moved to the U.S., let’s say I had big issues with it. Because in English it sounds like “Fatty.” (I still have the Starbucks receipt from last year when the barista actually typed it in as “Fatty.”)
I forgot my middle name. It's Hanna. In Arabic it means “John,” which is my dad's name. But always fun watching a cop or anyone who asks for my ID in the U.S. trying to keep a straight face reading the name. “Fatty Hanna?”
‘I forever am named after a computer part’
Vanessa Angelica Modem Van Decker, 22, Palmer Rapids, Ontario, Canada
My name is Vanessa Angelica Modem Van Decker. I really like my name. It has a nice rhythm and alliteration. I have red hair and my mom was inspired by Vanessa Redgrave. Her second choice was Bridget, which I also really like. I’m nicknamed V. V. for my initials and it always makes me smile.
I do have an embarrassing second middle name, Modem. Can you believe it? It was a mash-up of my parents’ names, Maureen and Denis, but now I forever am named after a computer part. It’s kind of hilarious. I use Stella (my grandma’s name) at Starbucks. It makes everything less complicated.
‘Others wanted to know if I had siblings named Coke and Pepsi’
Shasta Gaughen, 46, Escondido, Calif.
Let me say that with a name like mine, there is ambivalence. I love it now, but as a child I was mercilessly teased for having the same name as a cheap brand of soda. I had the Shasta Cola jingle sung to me countless times; I had people ask me what flavor I was; others wanted to know if I had siblings named Coke and Pepsi.
And my mother, bless her heart, would buy Shasta for my birthday parties because it was cheaper! I would beg her to spend the extra few cents for one of the better brands, but no dice. I joke now that she owes me money for therapy bills!
Of course, those with geographic knowledge have heard of Mt. Shasta, which I don’t mind being associated with at all. But the thing is, my name came from neither the cola nor the mountain, but from a bad John Wayne movie my parents saw at the drive-in when my mom was pregnant with me. The main female character’s name was Shasta, and she loved it!
I once had a clerk write “Chesty” on a receipt for my name. My solution? I have a restaurant/counter name now: I use Ruby.
‘I hated that no one could ever pronounce my name’
Khalil Alvi, 36, Columbus, Ohio
My name is Khalil and my parents named me as such because it was an important name in religion (Islam), meaning “close friend” in Arabic. It is the title given to Abraham in the Quran because of his close relationship with God.
Growing up in the Midwest, I hated that no one could ever pronounce my name since the ‘kh’ doesn’t exist in English. I often wondered why my parents would give me a name they knew no one could pronounce.
One day at work (I’m in international banking), I called a bank in Paris and the gentleman I spoke with asked me my name at the end of the conversation and, without even thinking about it, I said I’d spell it out for him (common practice for me). Once I did, he said to me, of course I know that name and we proceeded to have a great conversation about our backgrounds as he was from the Middle East.
It was sort of a turning point for me. I have since learned to embrace the uniqueness of my name and now use it as a talking point about diversity. I wouldn’t have it any other way now. It just took me a while to get to this point.
I saw a few comments about Starbucks and will confess despite my love for my name, I do sometimes give a fake name depending on how low I am on patience and caffeine at the given moment.
‘It has an eight-point Scrabble letter in it’
Alex Miller, 54, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
I like my name — it’s not super common but not weird, usually not misspelled and has an 8-point Scrabble letter in it.
‘I am not Sue or Susie’
Susan Eva O’Donovan, 61, Moscow, Tenn.
I’m O.K. with Susan but bristle at the common diminutives. I am not Sue or Susie. I spell my middle name in full: Eva.
I began doing that with my first book in a show of respect for my long-deceased grandmother of the same name. She never went past high school but raised a pack of wonderful kids on a ditch-walker’s salary. Putting her name on my books is my gift to her.
‘For that reason I speak my name proudly’
Bruce Schaffel, 68, Ramsey, N.J.
While I don’t particularly like my name, it’s the significance of it that’s very important to me. I was named after my great-grandfather who was killed in the Holocaust, and my twin sister was named after his wife.
For that reason I speak my name proudly.
‘“Viv” or “Vivi” comes from Latin’
Vivian Phung, 18, Hayward, Calif.
If I am not mistaken, “Viv” or “Vivi” comes from Latin, where it means alive, lively, life, etc. As an extremely loud and extroverted individual, I feel like my name fits me well, and I love it!
‘The second name automatically reveals one’s clan or tribe’
Umar Weswala, 40, Mokono District, Uganda
In Uganda, people tell the religion of a person after listening to their first names.
The second name automatically reveals one’s clan or tribe; but it is also the name one gives to a child to remember or honor their loved ones.
I named my daughter Negesa, in honor of my deceased sister who was very close to me.
‘My dad wanted to name me Carmelita’
Nicole Mattson, 42, Moorhead, Minn.
My dad wanted to name me Carmelita. His ethnic background is Native American and German. My mom’s is Lebanese and Swedish. So why Carmelita?
I have no idea, but I am thankful that my teen mom’s name choice prevailed.
A note to readers who are not subscribers: This article from the Reader Center does not count toward your monthly free article limit.
Follow the @ReaderCenter on Twitter for more coverage highlighting your perspectives and experiences and for insight into how we work.
Advertisement