How Has Your Name Influenced Your Life?

Names Essay

You will write about your name (first, middle, last) or any additional names like a Hebrew name, baptismal name, etc. You may choose to write about each part of your name in separate paragraphs, or organize it to answer specific questions. In this paper you are to write about, but are not limited to the following information:

1. How has your name influenced your life?
2. How/why did your parents pick your name?
3. What does your name mean?
4. Where did your name originate?
5. Who do you share your name with? (Mom, Dad, grandparents, aunt/uncle)

• Your final copy of your essay is to be typed in 12 point font (Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial).
• Your essay must be double spaced.
• Name, Date and Class are to be placed at the top left hand corner.

Names Essay

In a one-page typed paper, you will write about your name (first, middle, last) or any additional names like a Hebrew name, baptismal name, etc. You may choose to write about each part of your name in separate paragraphs, or organize it to answer specific questions. In this paper you are to write about, but are not limited to the following information:

1. How has your name influenced your life?

2. How/why did your parents pick your name?

3. What does your name mean?

4. Where did your name originate?

5. Who do you share your name with? (Mom, Dad, grandparents, aunt/uncle)

• Your essay is to be typed in 12 point font (Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial).
• Your essay must be double spaced.
• Name, Date and Class are to be placed at the top left hand corner.

Questions to ponder when writing your essay

• Do I like my name? Why or why not?
• What nicknames have I been called that stem from my name?
• How does my name affect who I am?
• For a given name, why did my parents choose this name?
• Did Mom or Dad particularly like the name?
• When did my parents decide on the name (six months before birth, at the hospital, after my birth, etc.)?
• Did this name belong to a relative or ancestor?
• What is the origin of the name?
• What does the name mean?
• How common is my name?

• Is my name more common among a certain group of people (for example, “My name is more common in the North than in the South because it is a common Italian name and many Italians live in the northern United States”)?
• Which famous people share my name?
• Has my name ever been used in a book, poem, or song?

Questions to ponder when writing your essay

• Do I like my name? Why or why not?
• What nicknames have I been called that stem from my name?
• How does my name affect who I am?
• For a given name, why did my parents choose this name?
• Did Mom or Dad particularly like the name?
• When did my parents decide on the name (six months before birth, at the hospital, after my birth, etc.)?
• Did this name belong to a relative or ancestor?
• What is the origin of the name?
• What does the name mean?
• How common is my name?

• Is my name more common among a certain group of people (for example, “My name is more common in the North than in the South because it is a common Italian name and many Italians live in the northern United States”)?
• Which famous people share my name?
• Has my name ever been used in a book, poem, or song?