So here's the unexpected perk. In addition to having a name that easily adapts to an Italian pronunciation, I am, for the first time in my entire life, able to enter a tourist shop and very quickly find my name on the shelf of personalized name plates/mugs/cheesy magnets, etc. I know it is silly, but believe me as a child it was always so disheartening to know that I would never find my name in the mix with all of the Jennifers and Michelles on the spinning rack at the truck-stop. I am afraid that Camille will face a similar issue when we return to the States, but not here in Italy where she is known and loved as Camilla. Unfortunately, Adam and Noah do not have quite the same luck with their names in the Italian tourist shops. I am a little worried that my giddiness over this discovery will mean that most of our Italian souvenirs will be cheap crap with my name all over it, but for now I have to admit it is fun to have a name that is "popular".
I have yet to find the country where my name is popular! I sooo totally feel the same!
Tisra, I love your name. Is there a story with it? Family name? Although the temporary enjoyment of having a popular name is fun, ultimately I am glad to have a name that is unique back home.
Lucia, I experienced a similar high the first time I went to France and I found similar trinkets emblazoned with my name - spelled correctly. I got a special ice cream dish that I nearly wore out! Enjoy it!
Totaaly am with you on this one, chica. Sadly, I am with Tisra. My sister and brother had all the cheesy key chains... me? nada.
: )
Never could find "Shona" spelled my way..so I jumped for anything with the initial "S" on it, like my purse :o) I love all of your unique names!
Oh, how cool for you! I remember always looking for my name in any of those shelves of personalized items- my parents wouldn't actually buy me any of the things, but that's a different story. :)
That must be great to have your name be able to be pronounced in different ways, too. You get to be a "local" in many places.
Funny -- I've always called you the Italian way, but back home, I know people with the same name used as the last name & pronounced your way. . . your post reminded me of them.
I so wish I has considered this when I named my daughter. If I had to name her again, I would surely go for a name that could be recognizable in many countries.
This made me giggle...love the license plates! (And my issue, as a kid, was ALWAYS being able to find Lori or Laura, but rarely Laurie. Funny how that stuff sticks with you.
You crack me up! But this is actually good to know. I've never thought about it before, but maybe I should stock up on 'Penelope' stuff before we leave! Then I can break out it all out on her seventh birthday or something!
you were meant to live in italy! enjoy it and revel in it while you're there, and pretend to be a native italian who speaks the most impeccable english. but i'm with you - i well know this pain! my parents pulled a fast one on me and socked me with a fancy spelling. no mugs, no pencils and certainly no stickers were to be found in any shops with my moniker. my first and last name have been butchered in pronunciation and spelling my entire life. i have yet to meet an aimee from france, though. it was just one of those weird american aberrations that has had its day. on the rare occasion i do run into an other aimee with the same spelling, we say to each other with nearly instant mutual understanding, "you were born in the seventies, weren't you."
Its a lovley name, both Lucia and Camilla are. I totally understand your frustration, still have not found a Juniper cup, and I was teased mercilessly as a kid... Jupiter was the fav. All of our children have family names but I am itching to have a fourth and go all hippie! Some nice plant name.
My mother was Hattie, named after an Aunt and there is a young Hattie named after her. When packing our things to move I made an album of pictures and letters and a bit of bio about each one for her. Southern family names always have a good story. I'm sure you have noticed that in Italy names are passed down in the family too.
My boys know that feeling since none of their names are on the racks of items with personalized names. Sorry! I get that a lot with my name too. My name is simple prounoused Kelly with a n not Kelly lyn how must people prounouse it. Have a great week-Kelleyn
As many of your other friends have commiserated and reveled with you regarding unique names - I join the pack. Mine is not a nickname, just a family name with lots of heritage. On a rare occasion I might find one of those kitschy items with my spelling on a tourist rack, and I snatch it up quick. . Most amusing that so many of us relate to your joyful "personalization" discovery.
Yes, I never COULD find my name (Camille) in those dang things. Sometimes Cami, but always spelled wrong. My problem is pronunciation. I always went by Cami because people in Utah pronounce Camille somewhere along the lines of "Cumell" and that is not attractive. I take comfort knowing that in french, Camille is really just pronounced Cami anyway. (Emphasis on the I, but still . . .) :)
Check out: http://nameberry.com/blog/2010/02/15/mardi-gras-names-baby-names-from-the-bayou-2/
I never found anything with Rebekah when I was younger, but now I love the spelling.
I'm jealous! I'm going to have to go to Denmark or Germany to find any Johanna mugs hahaha :)
Fun! With a name like mine, I never had the joys or frustrations of being unique...
We've had to carefully consider multilingual pronunciation in choosing our children's names. We took a little bit of a risk with Julia, since the default pronunciation in Spanish is HOO-lee-a, and we really don't like that, but to get the right pronunciation in Spanish, we'd have to spell her name Yulia. So, since we live in the US, we went with Julia, and she'll just have to correct Spanish speakers.
Oh, and I'm guessing in Spain, you're name will actually be "loo-thee-a" since Spain Spanish pronounces the soft "c" like the "th" in "think" instead of "s." It drives most Latin American Spanish speakers crazy!
Anyway, I love your name. :)
I love your name and I have yet to ever find my name on cheap crap either :)
As a child in the 70s/80s I could never find my name on anything. Plenty of Katherines, but no Kates. This is, in fact, where my nickname has come from.
My parents went on holiday to France when we were small, leaving the four of us at home with our grandparents. When they returned, they brought with them some lovely pottery bowls with our names painted on them - or, rather, the closest French approximation they could find. My bowl was therefore emblazoned with Katja, and the rest, as they say, is history ...
Post a Comment