Growing up in a country that's both religious and multicultural often comes with a curious mind. You find yourself constantly wanting to know the ideas that shaped certain practices, the importance of your culture and the story behind one’s name. And when you finally learn these things, something about your perspective changes.
For me, I grew up mostly around christians and traditionalists. Even though their beliefs rarely aligned, something they had in common was the significance they tied to names. To them, names weren't simply labels given to kids or oneself because they sounded cute. They believed names should be a unique identity that reflects a defining story of one’s life journey, whether before birth or later in life.
So whenever I heard people’s names, I always wanted to know the backstory.
What does it mean? Was your family going through a difficult time before your birth? Did you become the good-luck charm after you arrived? Or did a turning point in your life make you change your name?
I asked these questions often, especially because most people who lived around me bore indigenous names. Even the christians gave themselves or their children at least one of such names. Sometimes, you had to get the translation to understand its meaning, which was a reminder of how diverse the country is.
Interestingly, this way of naming has influenced how people coin their nicknames and usernames today. Some sound deep and intellectual, while others sound fun and puzzling. But in the end, they all reflect something about the person: their traits, story, or a sense of identity.
HOW I CHOSE MY USERNAME
I started out as that kid who was known only by her first and last name. This usually meant that I had no native name(which was a bit unusual at the time). But surprisingly, I did have one; it just never made it to my official documents. It didn’t mean much to me until after high school, when I started using social media actively and wanted a unique username.
I tried a few times but I never came up with anything creative until 2021. Then, one day, I was just sitting and staring into space, letting my mind wander, and voilà! My username came to me.
IF YOU WERE WONDERING...
My username "Yechee" is a shortened(absolutely cool) form of my real indigenous name, which broadly means - a person guided by a God. All I did to piece it together was omit the first two syllables and repurpose the other half, with the addition of more vowels. This rework makes it look different on paper. But the fun part? It sounds exactly like my real name: same pronunciation, same feel but just a little sleeker.
And every time someone compliments me for being a creative genius for coming up with it, I honestly feel on top of the world!🥰
IF I COULD CHANGE MY USERNAME
It would be “little wallflower" because it speaks so well to my personality.
I’m introverted, though I occasionally exhibit some level of extrovertedness. I love being the one who stands out in a crowd. This doesn't happen by will, but by nature. I’m never too much of anything. Not too loud, not too cheesy, and definitely not too dramatic (unless I’m in my private space, of course🙃).
I also like to observe things from the sidelines and I’m that thoughtful, sometimes quiet friend or individual who's capable of supporting people from a distance without feeling the need to cross boundaries. So yes, I share many traits of a wallflower.
When you add the fact that I’m petite, you’ll probably see why the name fits perfectly! Proof that usernames truly do carry stories, we just have to listen closely enough to hear the tales.
MY FIVE NOMINATIONS:
I nominated y'all because each one of you has a unique username that I'll love to know its origin. So if you would like to share the story about yours, I'll be more than happy to read so we can learn more about each other.
You can find more details about this challenge here. It's a guide to help you participate, if the idea of this challenge appeals to you.
Many thanks to @thekittygirl for reviving such a beautiful idea that fosters bonding between ourselves and the friends we've made or intend to make on hive.
All photos featured in this post are mine. When they're not, I make sure to credit the source.
Oh, nice. Much of this is surprisingly relatable. I also always wonder about the names that people have and the real origins behind them, and sometimes go out of my way to find out if I'm that curious :)
Yechee sounds creatively cool given it's based on your real indigenous name. I'm not sure if I have one or such exists in my tradition, not that deep in that domain unfortunately for my part, urban people have a bit of a disconnection from their roots.
The short version of the story of my username is it's based on a fictionally non-fiction character of a book that has been so instrumental towards how I want to live my life. For me, the name itself awakes a deep sense of purpose with a touch of stubbornness that's willing to move mountains if it comes down to getting stuff done. Takhar, The Unbending is the epithet.
Beautiful narration about the idea behind yours! I love the fire the character ignited in you and how it's helping you live a more purposeful life rather than settling. Thanks for acknowledging the tag!
You're most welcome!
This is interesting...
I love the name little wallflower and how it fits your personality, the personality describes mine in a way, I might steal that name fr😂
To the question of the day, my username, I was given the name by a friend, he started calling me favourite vanilla, my real name is Favour, and some friends joined.
I was fond of requesting for fan milk, vanilla flavour and that was how the name started, at some point some attributed it to my complexion and it just began to make sense...
While looking for a username on hive, I guess Favour was used by alot of persons, I decided to use Vanilla and I love it .
The concept of getting named by friends... Amazing stuff & glad you adopted it. Kinda sounds sweet because I think of vanilla and think sweets! Haha.
You might be free to steal(😉) little wallflower, but be informed that it exists on the Internet as I've used it on maybe two platforms previously. Lol. Thanks for stopping by and being so warm.🌸
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The moment I saw your name on discord today, I actually got curious about the meaning. Although I knew it was an indigenous name, I wasn't sure of the tribe or the meaning I put to it, which is something like God's light. 😅
It's a cool and unique name and I love it.
!BBH
Haha, I'm always expecting the curiosity and sometimes the effort in making guesses. Lovely to meet you and thanks for supporting me!🤗
You're welcome dear. It's nice connecting with you.