Act

I received my name because of my father's family traditions.  There was always a Michael and a Patrick in my father's Irish family.  My father's name is Michael, and his sister is Patricia.  My grandfather was Michael.  Therefore I was named Michalene.  I have a younger brother and his name is .......you guessed it Michael.
My nephew is Michael.
I like my name now because it is unique, but growing up it was very different from the names of my classmates.  I was often teased or asked if my parent s wanted a boy.  I would always respond "no actually they didn't".  
I wonder now writing this, if I would have explained the reason behind my name if that would have made a difference. Also maybe if we discussed cultures back then, and discussed Ireland and the Irish culture other than just for St. Patrick's Day if that would have helped.? This makes me think about being more mindful of names , and asking people about the history or background to their name.  In the beginning of the year my team always does an "All About Me Poster", and we encourage families to work with their children on them.  I thought of a part now to add/ or an additional activity to do,  "What is my name and what is the story of my name"?  It may educate others and start some good conversations too.

My name comes from a soap opera in the 1970s that my mother enjoyed. It has no ethnic significance at all. It may be reflective of the soap opera/housewife culture of many white women in the 1970s. My name is often mispronounced, most annoying was when the priest at my wedding said it wrong for the entire ceremony. I thought it was symbolic of how he didn't know me well. I think of it the same way with students - If I say their names wrong, I must not know them well. I had a student who told me I could call him Sam. He was from Iraq and his name was Husam, but people didn't say it correctly, so he shortened it for the convenience of his white teachers. I used his proper name, but not many others did. He said it didn't bother him as much as saying his name incorrectly bothered him. I don't think he should have settled for either option: Say his full name correctly. At my wedding, the priest said my name wrong for an hour. In school, some of his teachers said Husam's name wrong for three years. That is certainly an educational barrier - How could he have felt accepted by us if we couldn't be bothered to learn to pronounce his name correctly?

I am a middle class white woman, with a middle class white female name, Sarah.  Origin: Sarah is the name of the biblical wife of Abraham. It is a Hebrew word meaning noblewoman or princess.  While I never have problems with people mis-pronouncing my name, it is often spelled incorrectly, (Sara).  Growing up, I did not like my name because I felt it was too common, however, I have now realized some of the barriers for individuals with un-common names.  In addition, while my name has no significant cultural value to myself or my family, that is not the case with other people.  A person's name can be very much tied to their culture and identity and should be respected and acknowledged as such.

I was adopted at the age of two into a family. Every family member had an idea of what they wanted to name me so my father grabbed a name book and gave me the first name on the list. They kept a part of my adoption agency name as a middle name. Ethnically, I have a Jewish, Asian, Scandinavian name. My name doesn't connect to the way I look. I had a college professor that said he looked over the roster before class and saw my name and expected to see a tall Nord... He remembered me 20 years later because I was so very different than expectations. My name is familiar enough that it is not usual but it is also rare enough that you are not likely to know many Aaron's. Names of students of different cultures may be difficult to pronounciate and spell. They may be called upon less or viewed differently because of. 
It is important that we listen to people and reserve judgment. For me, having a eurocentric name makes me feel like I fit in. I know others from Asia self-select Euroamerican names because they want to fit in. Yes, there is a fascinating and interesting conversation about what it means to fit in and whether it is morally acceptable to fit in but who decides? There is a new professor here on the campus. She introduces herself with her full name of Suriarti but requests to be called Sue. She finds it frustrating because everyone is calling her Suriarti. Everyone has been hearing about how hurtful it has been for ethnic students to have their names appropriated or mispronounced so in an effort to be sensitive they call her Suriarti, but she has been known by friends and peers as Sue...even in her native country of Singapore. Understanding through conversations and perspectives are great, judgements are not.