My family considers my name beautiful and unique with a significant meaning: ‘This Is Mine’ in my cultural language. As a young girl, I thought it was a beautiful name until third grade hit and from there, I have developed a never ending love-hate relationship with my name.
Growing up, I never really took too much consideration into my name. I knew it wasn’t a typical name, but I still liked it. Third grade hit and it was from there, I developed a hatred to my name. Every time a substitute teacher came into our class and it got down to my name, they mispronounced it unintentionally of course, but every one in the class started tearing my name apart. They made fun of my name and made it seem like I had the most stupid name out there.
It affected me heavily; I started to hate my name so much, I didn’t use my name for my social media accounts.
I began to use my middle name which is way easier to pronounce and more of an English name; a name I knew no one could make fun of it or criticize.
Along the years in elementary school, it didn’t get any better. Right before the substitute teacher would say my name, I would make sure to say it, so there was no mispronunciation, but that didn’t stop people from making fun of my name. I remember one incident where I said my name before the substitute teacher had a chance to and other people would try to give the teacher the wrong pronunciation. I even vowed the second I turned 18, I would change my name. I always thought ‘I have to change my name because as a doctor, I can’t have people mispronouncing my name.’
High school came and it was a different experience, a more enduring experience but still not enjoyable. During freshman orientation, a teacher came up to me and said I had the same name as Tina Turner. I became happy because finally, someone out there especially someone who is famous had the same name as me. I googled her name and it wasn’t Onome, it was Anna Mae. Two completely different names. I wasn’t as shocked because that is a name people have called me, but I still didn’t want to be given false hope, which is what I received. From there, the name calling decreased but people began to call me Anime. It sounded similar to my name and it was easier to pronounce. I even enjoyed Anime more than my name. I started using that name in my social media accounts. It was a nickname my teammates called me and I was fine with it.
Beginning of this year, I wanted change. I came to terms with my name; the beautiful and awesome name that my parents gave to me. I began to appreciate it more than I ever did. I began being more strong-willed with my name; ‘call me Onome, pronounce it right, or don’t say at all. Period.’ I still sometimes wish I had a different name, but I developed a love for my name that I never had before and choose to keep my name regardless of the status quo or how much times I have been made fun of.
This is for anyone with a cultural name who may hate their name and pray to God every night for him to change it. Your name is divine, it’s exquisite, it is beautiful. Don’t allow anyone diminish your name; stand up for you and your name and make sure people understand that your name isn’t something to joke around. After a while, you will begin to appreciate your name more and fall in love with it.
