{"id":19,"date":"2011-04-04T18:39:56","date_gmt":"2011-04-04T18:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/k8peartree.com\/personalhistory\/"},"modified":"2011-04-06T01:12:21","modified_gmt":"2011-04-06T01:12:21","slug":"whats-in-a-name","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/k8peartree.com\/personalhistory\/whats-in-a-name\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s in a Name?"},"content":{"rendered":"

JULIET:
\n‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
\nThou art thyself, though not a Montague.
\nWhat’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
\nnor arm, nor face, nor any other part
\nBelonging to a man. O, be some other name!
\nWhat’s in a name? That which we call a rose
\nby any other name would smell as sweet;
\nSo Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
\nRetain that dear perfection which he owes
\nwithout that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
\nAnd for that name which is no part of thee
\nTake all myself.<\/p>\n

Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)<\/p>\n

For Juliet, a name means nothing save for what is keeping her from her love. Yet despite the fact that a name is nor hand, nor foot, nor any other part belonging to a man, it is in fact the one thing that follows someone, from birth to death, without changing over time.<\/p>\n

Would that which I call a Kate by any other name be as\u2026Kate? This I cannot know! My name is my name. It has always been there, it has always been associated with who I am\u2014and so it is important to me. So to answer Juliet\u2019s question, what\u2019s in a name? There is a lot of memory and history in my name.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
K<\/strong>een<\/p>\n

A<\/strong>dventurous<\/p>\n

T<\/strong>errific<\/p>\n

E<\/strong>ager<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/td>\n

E<\/strong>clectic<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/td>\n

B<\/strong>elligerent<\/p>\n

R<\/strong>ambunctious<\/p>\n

I<\/strong>maginative<\/p>\n

N<\/strong>oisy<\/p>\n

D<\/strong>ynamic<\/p>\n

A<\/strong>nimated<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>efty<\/td>\n

P<\/strong>erfectionist<\/p>\n

O<\/strong>pen minded<\/p>\n

I<\/strong>nquisitive<\/p>\n

R<\/strong>eactive<\/p>\n

I<\/strong>ndecisive<\/p>\n

E<\/strong>nthusiastic<\/p>\n

R<\/strong>eal<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n


\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not Katherine, nor Katrina, Kathy, Kaitlin, Katherina, or any other variation of any other name. It is Kate, Short and to the point. It has become second nature, when introducing myself, to provide this information. I am unsure of what compels people to ask me what my name is short for whenever they hear it, but it happens with each new introduction, with each new handshake and with each new face, I expect the \u201cIs that short for\u2026?\u201d and the \u201cJust Kate?\u201d. Apparently Kate is simply not enough for anyone but me!<\/p>\n

When I look up the name, low and behold, Kate is not enough:<\/p>\n

\u201cDiminutive of KATHERINE. It has been used in England since the Middle Ages. This was the name of the woman who Petruchio marries and tries to tame in Shakespeare’s comedy ‘Taming of the Shrew’ (1593).\u201d\u00a0 (behindthename.com)<\/p>\n

That is what is behind my name\u2014I am a diminutive form of Katherine. And while behindthename.com explains that diminutive means pet name, I know that it truly means small, little, tiny, denoting smallness or triviality. Alas, even the very definition of my name belittles it as a consequence of Catherines.<\/p>\n

I asked my mother: \u201cwhy Kate?\u201d Well, simply enough, my parents did not want to name me Katherine! My mother thought that the name Kate was strong but feminine\u2014like the Shrew! I am named after the Shrew. She was argumentative and strong willed, but kind and good hearted. She was intelligent and independent. I like to think that my personality is akin to Shakespeare\u2019s most famous Kate\u2014even though her name was indeed short for Katherina!<\/p>\n

When I was two or three years old, my mother learned even more about my name. My sister, Sarah, and I fought all of the time. Our heads were persistently butting, our fists were perpetually clenched, and tumbleweeds of pulled-out-hair blew around the living room. Nary a moment could pass without an argument. My mother then found out that it could not be avoided, that it was history repeating itself! She learned that her great-grandfather and her great-grandmother on her mother\u2019s side had a spinster sister each. Never married, the two ended up living together after meeting at family events. These two were named Sarah\u2014the great-grandmother\u2019s sister, and Kate\u2014the great-grandfather\u2019s sister. The spinster sisters were Irish, in ethnicity and in temperament. They fought constantly, all day, every day. One would wash the dishes under running water; the other would fill the sink. One would make the beds one way, the other would take offense. One would fold laundry in one fashion; the other would disagree with it. If one went one way, the other went the other way. The spinster sisters spent their lives in an enduring Irish argument. When I was two or three years old, my mother thus learned that I would never get along with my sister, and that it was because of our accidental namesakes!<\/p>\n

My sister and I also determined another reason, or excuse, for our relationship.<\/p>\n

S A R A H = H A R A S = Harass<\/p>\n

K A T E = E T A K = Attack<\/p>\n

This is what would happen\u2014she would sit next to me, poking and prodding, until my patience ran out and I smacked her. She would harass, I would attack. But we could not be to blame\u2014it was all in the name.<\/p>\n

E.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t have an initial as a middle name! What does that stand for??<\/p>\n

Alright\u2014is it not enough that I have had to explain that my first name is not short for any other name but itself? My E is an E, nothing more, nothing less. It is an E, standing alone and by itself.<\/p>\n

My mother wanted to name me Katie in the beginning. My father disagreed. Katie is not a very professional name. Katie could never hope for a strong business career, or any reputable job. Kate, on the other hand, was a suitable name for future careers. SO my parents chose to give me the best of both worlds. My mother could call me Katie, and my career would not suffer! But she would not be calling me Katie\u2014she would be calling me Kate E.<\/p>\n

Brindal<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brindal is not a name. Several naming dictionaries have told me so. Brindal is:<\/p>\n