Do you know the story of your name?
People always ask me the origin of mine.
“Is it Russian?” Nope. “Hebrew?” Nope.
Basically… My mom wanted to name me Michal, pronounced like Michael, (inspired by one of her friend’s names). And my dad said no.
So, they adapted it and it became more… feminine, I guess?
Well, my mom still got her wish because I cannot count how many times during roll call where “Michael” was called to an overwhelming silence, or where other Michaels in the room hollered out (happened at Starbucks not so long ago), or until they say, “Michael Short?”
And my little voice chimed in from the back with a waving arm, “It’s Mikael!”
Like Michelle but with a K. Mickelle, or like a fairly common spelling McKell. My nickname is Kel, so just add the “Mc” on it. XD
Honestly, if I could be known by just my first name—like Madonna, Beyonce, or Rihanna—I would be thrilled! I love my name that much.
What I don’t really love is how often it’s mispronounced. Correcting people all the time gets exhausting (even if it is part of my job as an editor).
And sometimes correcting folks still doesn’t work. I’ve been called Mikale, Mikayla, Mikella, etc., so many times by folks, even people I’ve known for years, that I’m surprised I haven’t had an identity crisis.
I still remember the essay I wrote, not so subtly directed to my third-grade teacher who consistently emphasized the A in my name—like Mikale. It grated on my skin like a cat’s claws. I really dislike the A being pronounced like that. Her note on my essay read, “Gee, I hope I don’t do that!” Yet her pronunciation didn’t change…
There was one person I allowed to emphasize the A—my paternal grandfather because it’s how he said my name with his slightly remaining English accent, and I loved that his accent crept in on certain words. The way he said the A in my name was more subtle, so it was endearing coming from him.
Occasionally, I’ll allow my brothers and family to call me Michael, as a joke, and I’ll still respond to them. Mostly.
(It’s also oh-so-fun when I get mistaken for a “Michael” over email, and someone responds, “Hey Mike”… I’m not a Mike. Check the signature, folks. XD )
Now that I’ve moved to a multicultural city, I’ve gotten a whole new world of pronunciations for the spelling of my name. I didn’t realize it was such a common spelling throughout the world! The pronunciations differ, and that’s fascinating in itself.
“Mik-AH-yel”… The Spanish pronunciation, for one.
“Meek-AY- il” … Russian-esque.
“MEEK-ell” … French & Swedish—though I do have ancestry from both countries!
There are probably more; those are just the ones I’ve heard most often. It’s been so cool to hear the variations of Mikael!
I feel like my name carries a certain frequency within its spelling and how it’s supposed to be said for my person. All names do, I believe.
And part of me wishes it would be pronounced right more frequently, but what can you do? I know I’m not alone in having to explain how to pronounce my name during introductions.
So, the gift of my name also presents a practice in patience in correcting folks when it’s mispronounced. Which is also a practice in speaking up for myself, I’m now realizing, instead of just letting mispronunciations slide.
That’s why when someone does say my name right the first time, it’s blooming music to my ears and I feel so seen.
(A coach I admire—Amanda Frances—said it correctly recently when she called out a comment I left on one of her livestream events, and my goodness… Can’t remember the last time I felt so elated when someone said my name right the first time without having to ask!)
Overall, though, I feel like our names are important. Names set the stage for the life and the person of who we are. Our names, whether bestowed or chosen, shape us one way or another.
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It’s really fun to look up the meanings of our names too… Have you done that before?
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With my unique spelling and pronunciation, I feel like that means I’m just meant to embrace my uniqueness—to love who I am as a fully individualized human (something I think we are all here to learn).
To embrace all the different pieces of me, no matter how esoteric or unusual they are.
To embrace my unique desires and wants, since I never really wanted much of what was modeled to me growing up—I already know I’m a generational curse breaker.
To embrace the ways I feel called to express myself even if it’s not considered the so-called “right way” to promote myself and my work.
And it’s a reminder to stand up and be my own person—to be brave enough to shape my own destiny.
Your name is your name. And you get to choose how you say it and how people address you. There’s power in your name… just as there is power in you.
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As a fun writing challenge, look up or align the meanings of the character names in your book.
I keep a “spark note” of names I might like to use in future books.
Perhaps you can start a note like that for yourself!
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If you have a unique spelling to your name, love the story of your name, feel free to hit reply or drop it in the comments!