Ettien Kacou
August 30, 2026
ESLINTG 100

My Name

Etchan, which means "one day," should have been my name. When my parents went to write my name, the recorder made a mistake about my name and wrote it in French. I am thankful that the writer made that mistake, because my mom used to call me by that name, and my friends used the pronunciation to kid me. Etchan sounds like a sneeze, and so that is why I prefer Ettien, which is cooler.Even if Ettien doesn't have a specific meaning in my ethnicity, I do like it because my friends can't use it to mock me. Ettien is also special because it's uncommon. Most people are called Ettienne or Ethan, so mine is not usual, and I prefer that. Being unique is better than having a common name. There's also my second name, Frederick, which also has a story. My father wanted to call me Barthelemy, and my mother didn't like the name because she said it sounded like an old man's name. They then looked on the calendar and chose Frederick, which was the name on my birth date. Frederick is not that commonly used. Only a few people call me by that name, and I give it only to special people. For everyone else, I prefer them to call me Ettien. I really like my names, Ettien and Frederick, and I won't change them to any other. Maybe I'll add some nicknames, but I'm not changing them.

 My name 

My parents had not planned my name. For Ecuadorians, a child's name is very important. Some parents used to name their children the same as their grandparents. Some of that is to show respect and admiration. Other parents used to name their children like famous people, celebrities, or historical figures.  My name comes from a historical figure, Thomas Jefferson, as a sign of respect and indecision. 

In the beginning, my parents had planned to call me Paul or Daniel. Daniel is my grandfather's name. Even though that is a tradition, my father didn't like it. He wanted to name Paul, but he never shared the reason why. For a long time, my parents were debating how to name me.  

   During my mother's pregnancy. My parents were planning mu name, but they couldn't decide. I was born on September 7, and the birth attendant asked them for my name. My father tried to call me Paul, but my mother opposed it. Then my father had the idea to name me Jefferson, because he saw Thomas Jefferson in the newspaper. Finally, my mom agreed with the name. Jefferson is the name that I received as a sign of respect to Thomas Jefferson, but it is also because they couldn't decide. 

My Name

 

     When I was born into the world, my grandmother named me Sung. This means that I can achieve everything when I start something, like studying or working. My grandmother explained to me the meaning of my name when I was in high school.

     She said it was hard to choose a good name, but she thought deeply about it for her grandson. At that time, my grandmother wasn't able to think of my name when I was born.

     Sung became my name. I like my name because my grandmother gave me a special present to identify who I am today. Most of my Korean friends call me Sung. Also, it is easy to remember and an unforgettable name.

     Since I moved to the United States, I no longer use my Korean name. Almost 6 years ago, I chose Danny because it is easy to introduce myself to others and pronounce.

     When I became a U.S. citizen, I wrote Danny on official documents. I chose the name Daniel to honor the biblical figure known for his wisdom, faith, and integrity. I feel sorry for my grandmother because I no longer use my Korean name, but I believe she would be proud of me now and my new long journey in the U.S. 

     

my name

 

Yurii Chornyi 

August 26, 2026

ESL 100

I was born in Ukraine, in a small town in the western part of Ukraine. In Ukraine, my name is pretty popular. I was named after my grandfather.  Which in my country  is a common tradition. Yurii and George are the same name and have one history and tradition.

I don't remember very well the history or the story behind my name, but when I was a child, my mom read a book to me about my name. The name Yurii means "farmer" or person who works with the earth.  Farmer are supposed to be  hard-working, kind, and friendly. He loved to work in the fields and garden, planting flowers and vegetables. 

My grandfather also planted things in the earth, and I’m like him in many ways. I’m very similar to my grandfather and to St Yurii, who is  known for his kindness and connection with nature. I also got a love for plants and animals. I know how to take care  flowers very well, because in Ukraine I had a big garden. Together with my mom, we had more than 50 bushes of roses and other flowers, trees and fruits.

I like my name, and I’m really happy, to carry this name with honor.

My Name (Lei or Leo)

 My Name

Lei is the English spelling of my Chinese name. At the first semester, I used “Leo” as my name because “Leo” is similar to “Lei,” and I thought “Leo” is easy to say and remember. However, when other people called “Leo,” I usually thought they were not calling me because I have my own name - “Lei.” As a result, after the first semester, I used “Lei” as my real name.

I like my name because it is easy to remember. Many people in China can remember my name if they hear it once. In addition, there is an actor named Huang Lei. He has the same first and last name as me. Sometimes, my friends make fun of me. They say, “Hey! Lei, why are you here? You should be on TV!” They always make fun of me on my name. But I still like my name.

I also think my name is special because of its meaning. There is a Chinese word, “Guang Ming Lei Luo,” which includes the Chinese character “Lei” in my name. It describes a person who is honest and open. However, it does not mean I am an honest person. I will try to be a more honest person.

          

Jinyoung

ESL 100

September 15, 2026

My name made by my parents

My name is Jinyoung An, and I was born in South Korea. When my mother was pregnant, my parents were thinking hard about my name. At that time, my father was a Christian and my mother was a Buddhist. Although they had different religions, my father respected my mother's opinion. In Korea, Buddhism is a big part of our history and culture, so visiting a temple is very natural for many people. They went to a Buddhist temple to get a good name for me because going to a monk for a baby name is a famous Korean tradition for good luck. The monk recommended five beautiful names, and then my parents picked three of them. They had a long argument about picking the best one, but after I was born, they finally decided on Jinyoung An. My parents told me that 'Jin' means a star in the sky, wishing me to have a bright life, and 'Young' means the top part of a flower, which means living a beautiful and great life. I inherited my last name 'An' from my father, which means being peaceful and safe. According to traditional Korean culture, people usually follow their father's last name. Following the father's last name wasn't just a choice it was a cultural rule that connected us to our family roots. However, since 2008, this strict culture has changed, and now parents can choose to follow either the mother's or the father's last name. Still, my family name means a lot to me, and I want to live a good life that matches the beautiful meaning of my name. I really love my name.

Yubo Jin

My “Religious” Name

 Allen/Zilun Liu

ESL 100

August 30,2026

My “Religious” Name

       My father told me when I was young, “Your English name is well- selected from the church”, but after I grew up, I found that it was a lie.

       I thought my name had a religious meaning when I was told at first. I loved the name at that time because when living in China, a country without religion, it was really cool to have such a name.

       However, my thought changed when one night, I had a conversation with my mother and we talked a lot. Finally, it came to my name. I said, “It’s really fantastic to have a name like a God, isn’t it?” My mother laughed out and told me the truth. I was named after a basketball player who my dad loved. He told me that I had a religious name only because it was like a trick to choose an important name so casually if I was named after a basketball player. I was shocked and wanted to know how it could be.

       It’s funny that a name that follows one for his whole life was just decided in a second. Maybe people will make same important decisions easily which influence our life, too. So always think twice before making an important decision.

What does my name mean? (Mikhail)

 Mikhail, ESL 100

What does my name mean?

In Russia, there are many animals, including bears. People usually call them Misha, which is a short option of the name Mikhail. Why do I have the same name as bears? I have no idea.

To be honest, since I was seven years old and until fifteen years old, I hated my name. I wanted to rename myself, and many times I spoke with my parents about that. I asked them why they named me Mikhail. To my surprise my parents’ version were different.

My mother said that they called me Mikhail because of religion and tradition. In my religion "Михаил(Mikhail)" means: A person who is close to God. It’s kind of an interesting fact.

However, my father said that it was because my grandfather’s name was Mikhail as well, and he was the most popular person in our hometown "Usinsk". Everybody knows him and respects him. Based on this, my father had been thinking that it’s such a good idea to call me this name.

After everything, including my conversation with parents, I changed my mind. And since I was sixteen years old, I have liked my name. Especially when I moved to the U.S., I realized that my name is almost the same as "Michael", and there are many popular people with this name.

 
Mao smila

August, 26 2026 

Where and why 

        I am still trying to understand why my parents gave my this name. Their answer is always about the 

beauty and the brevity of my name, but I don't agree. I like writing it because it’s just three letters, so it’s

 easy to spell. Even with the simplicity of the writing, that doesn't stop them from making mistakes. They

 mix my first name with my last name, so most of the time at school or for administration my name as 

Mila Smila or Mila Smao. In France, this way to write Mao isn’t common. There are three version of 

Mahault, Mahaud, Mahauld, so people are lost when I usually spell it. That why they mix and think it’s 

my last name. 

         There is always an interrogation about my name even if it’s not the prononciation or the written, it’s

 the origin or the meaning. The next questions after « what’s you name » is « where is it come from ? Are

 you Chinese? » People ask about the Chinese origin because Mao is the name of a Chinese dictator Mao 

Tse-Tung. It’s also a common name in Japan so people think I am from Asia but absolutely not. 

I don’t understand why my parents gave me a dictator’s name even if it’s beautiful. For me, it’s like giving 

someone the name Adolf. There are maybe one hundred thousand names, so why choose this one. 

A Gift

Daisi Ye

ESLINTG 100 CE

September 9, 2026

A Gift

    When I was young, I wanted to change my name because people couldn't read my name in the right order. After I learned the story about my name, I really liked it and never wanted to change it again. My Chinese name is "叶戴思". The last name is "Ye" was inherited from my father's family, and my grandfather gave me my first name. "Dai" means be loved or inspired by people. "Si" means thinking. Both of these two characters have the meaning of encouragement in Chinese. My grandfather wanted me to be a person who always thinks deeply and has some role models to keep following. When I was ten years old, my mother asked me to change my name to "Jialing", which is same as a famous actress in Hong Kong. Because I had already known the back of story of my name, I wanted to keep the name to remember my grandfather. After he passed away, this name has become the most valuable gift that he gave me. I am proud of my name now and really like to pronounce it correctly when people can't say it well. Because it is similar to my Chinese name, I chose "Daisy" as my nickname. Sometimes it is just easier to introduce myself. I like this nickname because it is a kind of flower, which many people think it's hopeful and warm.

  

My Name and Its History

 Be a Nice Person

In China, there is a great tradition for naming. In many regions in China, parents always name their children through a special way called “八字(BaZi)". “八字” is a traditional custom to obtain the best name, which depends on the date, time and month that babies are born. Some experts will calculate all the data, giving parents some of the most suitable and meaningful names.

After I was born, my parents gave me the name “雅雯(Yawen)". There isn’t any history of my name. However, it has a beautiful meaning that expresses that I need to be a nice person. “Ya” refers to elegance. “Wen” means literate and gentle. I like the meaning of my name, but there are so many people who have the same first name as me. This is the reason why I don’t love my name very much, but I’m grateful to my parents because they gave my name hope and belief.

When I was 6 years old, one day I went in my parents’ bedroom. I found a diary book. There are a lot of stories during my childhood. At the first dairy, I saw my initial name. That name has existed before my born, which means flowers. I love the name. But my current name is made with my parents’ hope. I love my name even though many Chinese people have the same name.

 

A Name With Personality

By Beatriz Gonzalez

      

    I have not always liked my name. When I was little, I wanted to change my name, but after I came to the United States, I started to like it. It was unique and not many people had my name, or at least it was difficult to find someone with the same name as me.  

     I was named after my great-grandmother from my father’s side, like in the book. I knew my great-grandmother and she had a strong personality. When I was little, I felt kind of responsible for carrying her name because she was the image of the strong single women in my family. She was widowed at an early age. She raised my dad all alone after her son died and my grandmother decided to move on by herself. That made me feel that I had to be like her. The reality was that I was not like her at all. Likewise her personality, her voice was deep like a man’s voice, and mine is softer. She would also voice her opinion and was an outgoing person, and I am not.  

     I do not really know why my parents chose her name for me because there are three daughters in our family. Presently I do not worry that I inherited her name because I have decided that I am not going to compare myself to her but carry the good things within her name. I like my name now because it is not a common name. Moreover, I have given it a new meaning.