April, Born in May
Posted: February 8, 2016 Filed under: Blogging, Family | Tags: daily prompt, family, grandma, name, self 8 CommentsToday’s Daily Prompt:
Write about your first name: Are you named after someone or something? Are there any stories or associations attached to it? If you had the choice, would you rename yourself?
When I saw this I realized that I don’t know why my parents named me April. There aren’t any Aprils in my family.
Maybe they just liked the sound of it.
Is it odd that I still don’t know the answer to this, and my mother lives with us? Normally, I’d agree, but she’s having surgery tomorrow, and we haven’t seen much of her today due to prep of the, ahem, cleansing variety.
I should ask her tomorrow afternoon; a morphine-hazed answer would be vastly entertaining. She’s great fun on drugs. It’s like talking to someone while they’re sleeping, only better, because the hits just keep on coming. Once she was exceedingly proud of herself because she got to wear the T-shirt at a Goodyear parade.
I wonder what she would say.
But I have thought about changing my name. I believe if I had the opportunity, I would go with my middle name, Inez. I know the origin of that one: my paternal grandmother. Even though I kept my maiden name as my middle–ooh, that is a whole ‘nother controversial post, isn’t it–it feels like a betrayal to have dropped it.
April doesn’t belong to anyone; it isn’t a legacy with which I was entrusted.
Sometimes it feels like a placeholder.
Others, it feels likes condensation of, well, me. So much of one’s identity is tied up in one’s name, isn’t it?
R. Sativus 
I like “Inez” and I like April with it. My first name origin is too boring for words, which is why I didn’t write any in response to the prompt.
Thank you. I’d be interested in yours!
My father’s name was Laurence. “Laurie” is a British nickname for Laurence. My father was a total anglophile and “Laurie” is a girls name in “the colonies,” so my parents thought they were very cute/clever naming me “Laurie.” All of my father’s children have Anglophile names.
That’s not too boring for words. I like it.
I think April is a really pretty name. I was almost named Sarah but my mother (who is religious) saw Abigail in the Bible and fell in love with it. In South Africa it’s very unusual so I hated it growing up but I really like it now.
You had me at your title. I like April and Inez, both are unique, something I’m envious of. While I was named after numerous family members, Sarah is a pretty generic name. Ordering drinks at Starbucks is always a challenge – Sarahs galore!
It’s what a former coworker calls me whenever she sees me. Thanks!
[…] finally asked my mother why I was named April. I’ll warn you, it’s not an exciting […]