Unique Names

I am a big advocate of unique names.

I have a certain pity for individuals who are so accustomed to hearing their name when they aren't the one being addressed that they don't even look up. I, on the other hand, look up whenever I think I might have heard anything remotely like my name. For example, I have a sister named Malea. Our names don't exactly rhyme but they sound similar enough that sometimes I respond under the assumption that I was the one addressed.

(There are also the (frequent) occasions when a family member (i.e. mom) uses the wrong name and it saves time just to respond.)

Another example of times when its fun to have a unique name is when you go to google and search for yourself. For me, the first 2 complete pages are entries that are directly connected to events in my life. (Even though you would think they were two different people! Engineering and music?!?!) But there are those of you out there that can do a google search for yourself and not find anything that is connected to you until the atleast the 5th page of results.

I ran a little experiment. I inserted the name "Julie Smith" through the search engine just for kicks and giggles. Its a name I pulled out of a hat. The top few hits were a website for an author. But the results quickly begin to vary from a state farm agent to a jewelry maker to a travel photographer. Obviously, they are not the same person.


The only downfall of having a unique name is not being able to find your name in the keyring selection at a miscellaneous gift shop while vacationing in some location where the local population is dominated by tourists. Actually, on second thought, that's not a downfall...

I guess the point of the story is that I like my name. I like having my own identity in a world of almost 7 billion people. I'm grateful for the time my parents took to figure out a name that fit me and that isn't common or redundant. I plan on doing the same for my children.