My identity is in my name
As summer came to an end, the inevitable ring of the first school bell brought a new year of teachers inquiring about my name. While my name is definitely not unique, it is slightly long and has a variety of nicknames. “Elizabeth,” they call, followed by “any nicknames?” Every year, my response is the same: “Nope, it’s Elizabeth.” All nine letters and four syllables. While I have had nicknames in the past and still have a few people who call me “Liz,” nothing has ever really stuck.
While I have only met a few fellow “Elizabeths,” the name is in the top 20 of most popular girl names of 2024, as well as remaining in the top 20 over the past 100 years. However, almost every other Elizabeth I have come across goes by a nickname like “Liz” or “Beth.” In addition to Liz and Beth, Lizzie, Eliza, Ellie, Liza, and even Betty are some of the nicknames that are usually associated with my name.
I often wonder why I was never formally given a nickname, considering the number of inquiries I get on the full use of my name. The truth is, nothing has ever really seemed like me, aside from Elizabeth. While I do not get offended when someone takes the liberty of calling me by a nickname, as I have grown up the small semblance of confidence from choosing to go by my full given name has translated into other areas of my life. It has given me a sense of self-assurance as I make decisions in school and in activities apart from school. This confidence only grew as I got older, simply being able to politely tell people to call me by my full name and advocating for myself has become second nature.
The history of my name, however, is quite interesting. Being a daughter of an elementary school teacher, our dinner table is often filled with stories of misbehaving children, often with similar names year after year. So, in choosing my name, my mom had a lot of “no’s” due to past students and the weight some names now carried for her. While many assume I was named after the former queen of England, in reality, I was named after my mom’s favorite student. This student made such an impact on my mom that her name was given to me. As I have grown not only as a person, but also as a student, I have always kept this story in the back of my mind. Although this first Elizabeth does not know I was named after her, I hope I live up to the unspoken legacy.
While my parents did not necessarily consider the “meaning” of the name biblically while deciding what I should be named, it translates to “God is my oath” or “pledged to God.” Growing up and growing in my faith has made my name even more special to me. Simply knowing that something as simple as my name can have so much significance has been a gift that I have accepted as I grew up. I am a believer that names are something that we are given and consequently grow into, rather than something we reshape for others expectations. Ultimately, choosing to go by my full name is a small act of confidence that I hope will never change.
