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And I won't tell no one your name
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greygirlbeast:
What does your first name mean?
Sonya is a Russian diminutive of Sophia: Greek σοφία, "wisdom." (I should be so lucky.) I was named for my great-grandmother on my mother's and her mother's side.
What does your middle name mean?
My first middle name is Leah, which is Hebrew of indeterminate origin; I've seen translations from "weary" to "wild cow" to "mistress," so anyone fluent in Hebrew should feel to comment and enlighten me. A disturbing number of people over the years have assumed from the pronunciation that I was named after Star Wars. My second middle name, which I didn't acquire until midway through childhood, is Glixman—my mother's maiden name and one of the more creatively spelled Ellis Island bastardizations of Glucksmann, "lucky man." Could be worse. Shaun Ferguson.
What does your last name mean?
Taaffe? Have some more indeterminacy.* I've most commonly heard the name explained as a Welsh patronymic for David. (Taffy was a Welshman . . .) I've also seen etymologies based on the rivers Taff or Tâf in Wales. In truth, I haven't the faintest.
So what does your name mean when put together?
Er . . . a little lucky weary Welsh wisdom? In a river? I need fewer adjectives around here.
What would you have been named if you were the opposite gender?
Simon, which I believe is a Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Shimeon. It's connected to the verb "to hear," but I'm not sure in what grammatical capacity; I've never looked it up.
Any other name oddities?
I've never attracted any nickname that stuck. By now, I would probably respond to Sovay, which is itself a variant of Sophia. I have discovered over the years that I'm superstitious about sharing my Hebrew name and I'm not entirely sure why.
Do you like your name?
Yes. It's sort of a cultural smash-up, but I am fond of it.
What do you like best about it?
The aforementioned cultural smash-up seems to have ensured that no one else has the name. (At least, if someone does, she hasn't yet turned up on Google.) And it's peculiar, which might explain why I'm always giving my characters the kind of names that makefleurdelis28's longstanding challenge to use the spam name "Cadfael Aronowitz" in one of my stories sound, sadly, not implausible at all.
What do you like least about it?
The apparent inability of 99% of the population to pronounce my last name properly. I was most impressed by the telemarketer who managed to insert a voiced glottal stop in between the a's and consequently put about four syllables into it. I'm just waiting for a !Kung click to show up in there somewhere. Oh, and my high school spelled it improperly every year of the yearbook. Even the year I graduated. And my parents sent a letter to the yearbook editors to make sure that it would not be misspelled. That was amusing.
If you had to change your name (witness protection program, whatever), what would you want it to be?
So far I've written down three replies and ruled out each one of them for some reason or another. I may have to think about this one.
*The geography, at least, can be readily traced: the name starts out in Wales, moves to Ireland in the twelfth or thirteenth century, picks up some peerage in the 1600's, relocates to Austria and gathers aristocracy there over the next couple of centuries, and then World War I came along and all the titles went pffft. Not that my branch of the family, which came over in the mid-nineteenth century, would have been in the running for any sort of noble inheritance, but I'm still amused. At least I get to claim kinship, however distant, with some intriguing historical figures.
greygirlbeast:What does your first name mean?
Sonya is a Russian diminutive of Sophia: Greek σοφία, "wisdom." (I should be so lucky.) I was named for my great-grandmother on my mother's and her mother's side.
What does your middle name mean?
My first middle name is Leah, which is Hebrew of indeterminate origin; I've seen translations from "weary" to "wild cow" to "mistress," so anyone fluent in Hebrew should feel to comment and enlighten me. A disturbing number of people over the years have assumed from the pronunciation that I was named after Star Wars. My second middle name, which I didn't acquire until midway through childhood, is Glixman—my mother's maiden name and one of the more creatively spelled Ellis Island bastardizations of Glucksmann, "lucky man." Could be worse. Shaun Ferguson.
What does your last name mean?
Taaffe? Have some more indeterminacy.* I've most commonly heard the name explained as a Welsh patronymic for David. (Taffy was a Welshman . . .) I've also seen etymologies based on the rivers Taff or Tâf in Wales. In truth, I haven't the faintest.
So what does your name mean when put together?
Er . . . a little lucky weary Welsh wisdom? In a river? I need fewer adjectives around here.
What would you have been named if you were the opposite gender?
Simon, which I believe is a Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Shimeon. It's connected to the verb "to hear," but I'm not sure in what grammatical capacity; I've never looked it up.
Any other name oddities?
I've never attracted any nickname that stuck. By now, I would probably respond to Sovay, which is itself a variant of Sophia. I have discovered over the years that I'm superstitious about sharing my Hebrew name and I'm not entirely sure why.
Do you like your name?
Yes. It's sort of a cultural smash-up, but I am fond of it.
What do you like best about it?
The aforementioned cultural smash-up seems to have ensured that no one else has the name. (At least, if someone does, she hasn't yet turned up on Google.) And it's peculiar, which might explain why I'm always giving my characters the kind of names that make
fleurdelis28's longstanding challenge to use the spam name "Cadfael Aronowitz" in one of my stories sound, sadly, not implausible at all. What do you like least about it?
The apparent inability of 99% of the population to pronounce my last name properly. I was most impressed by the telemarketer who managed to insert a voiced glottal stop in between the a's and consequently put about four syllables into it. I'm just waiting for a !Kung click to show up in there somewhere. Oh, and my high school spelled it improperly every year of the yearbook. Even the year I graduated. And my parents sent a letter to the yearbook editors to make sure that it would not be misspelled. That was amusing.
If you had to change your name (witness protection program, whatever), what would you want it to be?
So far I've written down three replies and ruled out each one of them for some reason or another. I may have to think about this one.
*The geography, at least, can be readily traced: the name starts out in Wales, moves to Ireland in the twelfth or thirteenth century, picks up some peerage in the 1600's, relocates to Austria and gathers aristocracy there over the next couple of centuries, and then World War I came along and all the titles went pffft. Not that my branch of the family, which came over in the mid-nineteenth century, would have been in the running for any sort of noble inheritance, but I'm still amused. At least I get to claim kinship, however distant, with some intriguing historical figures.
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Erik is the Norwegian variant on Frederick, which, I am told is something along the lines of "stupendous badass in battle, or at least, sulky and passive aggressive as hell when the mood strikes."
What does your middle name mean?
Richard, which is my father's first name and my paternal granfather's middle name, and, ironically, the French, I think, variation on Frederick, which adds a side of moody (my paternal grandmother's sortof maiden name; sort of in that it was her father's name but she was illigitimate).
What does your last name mean?
Norse names are so easy in this regard; Amundsen, as in son of Amund or Asmund (even Osmund?) which means "Protective." I am, apparently, a descendent of one of explorer Roald Amundsen's brothers (he had a raft of them), which I believe looking at pictures. We have the same earsSo what does your name mean when put together?
Put it all together and you get Great, powerful, great powerful protector... That is to say someone who worries way too much kind of suits me.
What would you have been named if you were the opposite gender?
Leeanne Norrina. Reason #7 I signed up for the Y chromasome.
Any other name oddities?
My Chinese name is Da Laohu (Big Tiger) which I got from my boss's 4 year old cousin. When she first came to live with Rainbow, Chien Jin (Ginny) was, of course, terrified of the large hairy western ogre-thing, and avoided it. Once she learned it was harmless, however, she started, one night, to stalk it in the training school , leaping at it from around corners, play snarling and saying "laohu, laohu" a word I didn't know at the time. Merry (the secretary) put me rights on the meaning, so I let Ginny chase me around as "Laohu" for a while, then I stopped, for a second, turned around and told her that she was a small tiger and I was a big tiger and I was going to eat her. Well, I was Da Laohu ever since.
Do you like your name?
I didn't for a long time, but it suits me. I like it.
What do you like best about it?
The K at the end of my first name. If I were an Eric, I would drive me up the wall.
What do you like least about it?
Even among my family, there is no consensus on how to pronounce the last name (I stress the first syllable, as do a minority of the family, the majority stresses the second). It's impossible for other people to spell (it has an almost silent D), even Kate has a hard time spelling it (and I think she plans on taking it) and people pronouncing it like to throw all sorts of letters in there where they do not belong (Asmundsen) or give up and call me Anderson. I'm not terribly fond of Richard as a name, either, even though it is my dad's name. I don't like any of the nicknames it spawns (my father is Rich. Well, no I wish he was rich, even if he didn't give a penny to me, but at least he isn't a di... bah, I can't.)
If you had to change your name (witness protection program, whatever), what would you want it to be?
Having tried on many different names, I've actually got one for traveling and lying to people about who I am when I want to. Matthew Kay, either from Alton NH, or Wolfville, Nova Scotia (depending on whether I am in the states or abroad). He's a school teacher, who teaches either third or fifth grade, and he's a much milder fellow tha Aloysius Watermelontail.
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Watermelons and Tailors - Part 1
Watermelons and Tailors - Part 2
Watermelons and Tailors - Part 3 Where the Watermelons Come In
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Middle name: Neil = champion
Last name: Hammer = ? (it's very common in Bavaria and nowhere else, but I don't know what a Bavarian does when he hamms)
Put it together, we get a victorious champion of the guys who hamm about.
If I'd been a girl: ? (my parents refuse to say)
Oddities: I strongly suspect Laurence is after Lawrence Durrell, though my parents won't confirm that. Neil is from definitely after Niels Bohr, though.
Like?: Yup -- just enough useful diminutives, plus it's got the uncommon spelling thing going for it.
Best part: I translate into most European languages (in Icelandic, I'm Lárus, or some guy named Lars).
Most annoying part: Dealing with uncommon spelling thing.
Change to?: My YA romance pen name is Ellen Hammer (alternate: Laurie Hamm). My erotica pen name is written down in a secure, undisclosed location.
---L.
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Oh my god... I just realized I know you! I'm the one who showed you around Berkeley.... although maybe you've already figured that out.
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Family ties that bind?
As a new user on this site, I have no clue how to make this query private, or how to direct you to my own e-mail address should you prefer to respond beyond the realm of this journal. Suggestions?
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