an essay about your name

Essays About Your Name: Top 5 Examples and 6 Prompts

Every person’s name is special. Read the following essays about your name for examples and prompts to discover how you can create a thoughtful and personal piece.

Whether given or chosen, names have a powerful hold over each person. They can be curious mysteries, reminders of painful pasts, fond monikers, or personal treasures. Like our faintest scars and mental states, they also have deep histories ingrained into our very being. They can become means by which we trace our ancestors, create opportunities, or cherish our present situations. Your name is more than a means of calling your attention. It can convey an abstract idea of your personhood, experiences, and beliefs.

For example, what comes to mind when you hear the name Marilyn Monroe ? Most people think of the iconic blond bombshell from the 1950s to the early 1960s. Depending on how much you know about her, you may know her as a bright and determined woman or a sweet but ditzy character, which she often played in TV and film roles. Her name alone indicates her accolades, skills, and perceived personality.

5 Essay Examples

1. long essay on what’s in a name by prasanna, 2. the story of my name by rong xiaoqing, 3. the mystery of carl miller by sarah miller, 4. name and identity by jennifer wang, 5. call you by your name by roxanne krystalli, 1. the power of nicknames, 2. my unique and interesting name, 3. what it’s like being named after popular people, 4. why i chose this nickname, 5. cultural names and their meanings, 6. my name if i were from a different place.

“In a deep sense what creates the true meaning and power of a name is the worth of the individual or thing as reflected in the outer world.”

Prasanna divides her essay into three parts, explaining how people receive their names, how these monikers affect their identities, and how powerful names can be. The essay title was lifted from William Shakespeare’s “ Romeo and Juliet ,” reiterating Juliet’s profound line, “What’s in a name? What we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” This script refers to the reality that names’ importance is directly related to the unique qualities someone possesses.

For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers .

“Those who read my name did not know how to pronounce it, and those who heard it did not know how to write it.”

Rong shares her struggles of being a Chinese American and the complications of her name. Her name contains two of the most complicated Chinese characters that she found difficult to write when she was young, plus it was hard to pronounce in English. However, when Rong learned the meaning of her name, she fell in love with it.

In the next section of her essay, she talks about instances where names are more than names, referring to cases such as a parent losing custody of their children for giving them Nazi names. Rong also includes relevant studies that connect names and race and the times people deliberately mispronounced her name to be cruel. She concludes that she’s still growing and has all the time in the world to learn more about herself.

Looking for more? Check out these essays about names and essays about self .

“The last name Miller says nothing about me, but if pressed I would say I appreciate the way it evokes a beautiful neutrality, and the way it reminds me that all of us could so easily have been someone else.”

The author, Sarah Miller, only knows part of the story behind her ancestors. In her essay, she shares a few facts about her father’s birth and what she knew of her grandmother, then she recalls how she often asked about her grandfather, Carl Miller. The essay focuses on the author’s curiosity about Carl Miller and her emotional journey about accepting that she might never learn more about him.

“No others show me being stretched between two very different cultures and places—the ‘Jennifer’ clashing with the ‘Wang,’ the ‘Wang’ fighting with the ‘Jennifer.’”

In this short essay, Wang describes her internal confusion between her two cultures, disclosing how she struggles to be in the United States as a Chinese woman. She remembers how she wandered toy aisles looking for dolls with the same skin tone as hers and how she turned to shun her Asian heritage because she didn’t understand it. While the essay centers around Wang trying to introduce herself, her writing echoes the dilemma many young immigrants still face today.

“By the time I went to college, Roxani had been left behind. I was fully Roxanne by then, until one day my roommate beckoned: “Rooooox, do you want to watch an episode of something with me?” My father had an aversion to nicknames and never called me anything short of my full name: Roxani.”

Krystalli talks about how her name transitioned from the Greek Roxani to Roxanne to several other variations and then back again. She shares her life experiences and thoughts about these names as she grew up and gained new monikers. By the end of her essay, Krystalli tells the reader how she yearns to become Roxani again and reconnect with her Greek roots.

6 Prompts for Writing Essays About Your Name

Your nickname has a history that is as unique as yours. Nicknames are unpredictable and can sometimes be challenging to accept. For example, some children often pick nicknames based on their peer’s appearance, particularly if something stands out to them. However, nicknames can often be a sign of affection; naming someone with a nickname can be a way to show your friendship and close bond.

With this prompt, share how you dealt with any given nicknames you didn’t like. You can also speak about a short backstory of how others chose these nicknames. Explain your thoughts when you felt like you had no choice but to take other people’s nicknames for you. 

Whether your parents got creative in naming you or you chose a one-of-a-kind name for yourself, those with unique names share distinct experiences. For example, people may rarely pronounce or read it correctly. Others may have difficulty spelling your name when they need to write it down. 

In this prompt, share your experiences that connect to your unique name. Talk about the most interesting and memorable instances you remember and if you expect them to happen again.

If your parents are die-hard fans and decided to name you after their favorite book character, musician, or public figure, your name can feel like a borrowed one. Although some enjoy sharing names with well-known people, others would rather have a unique name. 

Delve into people’s reactions when they learn your name in your essay. Discuss how you’ve handled their jokes, or share the questions you already anticipate once they realize where your name came from.

Your name can change people’s perception of you, and choosing a nickname gives you control over that. This prompt is excellent if you have a nickname that has no connection with your given name. It’s also a great conversation starter. In your essay, explain why you chose that moniker and what it means to you. 

You can also add how people reacted before and after they learned the history of it. Your nickname doesn’t have to have a deep history. It can be as simple as earning the nickname “Cookie” because you like to eat cookies.

In some cultures, people still practice giving traditional names or nicknames to children, and you may belong to a culture that does the same. If you want to share this experience with your readers, discuss your name in this essay. Explain the language your name comes from, what it means, and why you received it. You can also give other examples, like the nicknames of your siblings, cousins, or ancestors.

Appreciation of another culture can push us to ponder what we’ll be called if we were from that group. If you’ve had an intense interest and appreciation for another culture or country, you may have already thought about how you want to be addressed. Share the name you chose, its meaning, and why you picked it. This also extends to fictional or fantasy worlds or cultures. 

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead. For help picking your next essay topic, check out our 20 engaging essay topics about family .

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — About My Name — Uniqueness and Significance of My Name in My Life

Uniqueness and Significance of My Name in My Life

• Categories: About My Name Names Who Am I

About this sample

Words: 892 |

Published: Mar 18, 2021

Words: 892 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Works Cited

• Layton, M., & Hess, R. (2010). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Baby Names. Alpha Books.

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How to Write an Essay About My Name

If you are a college student, you should know how challenging and time-consuming essay writing may be. Additionally, it is inevitable to highlight that certain types of papers require specific knowledge and expertise. Excellent writing skills, awareness of the academic essay style, and formatting are critical for any assignment you are up to. 

At the same time, it is necessary to highlight that no matter if you are an experienced writer or an amateur, you will be confused the moment you get the task to create a “my name essay.” This type of work requires much more than impeccable writing skills. Instead, the student should be creative and flexible to emphasize the specificity of his/her name and present the results of the background research in an unbiased manner. 

However, before you immerse yourself in the composition writing process, you need to answer the basic questions and deal with the core definitions. So, what’s in a name essay that makes it unique? 

To begin with, it is one of the most creative yet exacting tasks that should include a subjective perspective of the writer. Currently, the popularity of the assignment is growing, as this form of the composition reveals the most important features and skills of the student. Although the topic may seem narrow and boring, there are numerous aspects you can pay attention to so that it becomes impressive and catchy. 

Top 5 Mistakes You Can Make Writing Essay about Your Name

Irrespective of the student’s experience writing college essays, it is inevitable to discover the peculiarities of the texts about your name so that you avoid mistakes and succeed with its accomplishment. At this point, it is critical to emphasize that the learner does not have to invent or create something but rather do research and analyze the available information. Using valid and relevant sources, the learner has a high chance to produce a composition that is interesting and appealing. 

Once you have taken into account various aspects of the question, you should make an effort to find a detailed guide on how to write an essay about your name. Adhering to the recommendations and tips, you will have an opportunity to eliminate mistakes and prosper with the extraordinary assignment from the very first try. 

Besides, check out the list of the most typical mistakes college students make, writing essays about the name, so that you can be confident in the quality, coherence, and excellence of your composition.

• Plagiarized parts. If you strive to write an impeccable and impressive essay about the name, there is no way you succeed without profound research. At the same time, it is inevitable to process information rather than use it as it is.  
• The absence of an intriguing title. Do you want the audience to be excited about the paper? Make sure the title of the essay is not boring or trivial. Stay creative to prosper with this stage of work. 
• Incomplete sentences. Although it may sometimes be a beneficial option that emphasizes the unique style of an author, it rarely works with academic papers. Follow the formal style, avoiding incomplete sentences that start with conjunctions and prepositions. 
• Data inaccuracies. This is an exceptionally important point that may predetermine the quality of your writing. Make sure you use only relevant and up-to-date information gained from trusted and reputable sources. 
• Grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. Even though these types of errors will not influence the content, they may affect the academic value of the paper. Edit and proofread the essay several times before you submit it.
• Colloquial language. The composition about the name is a type of academic writing college students frequently have to accomplish. As the composition is classified as an academic assignment, it should remain formal in both form and content. 
• The absence of personal perspective. Irrespective of the informative nature of the composition, it requires the author’s point of view. Analyze the information you have found in relevant sources and make your own conclusions. 

How to Write an Essay about Your Name in Three Easy Steps

College students who get my name essay assignment for the first time may be confused, as it seems to be a completely new and unknown type of writing for them. However, once you immerse yourself in the specifications of the composition, you will acknowledge that it has only minor differences from a standard 5-paragraph paper. Do you still doubt your ability to come up with flawless text? Make sure you include the basic structural parts, which will help the audience appreciate your composition. 

• Introduction. As has already been mentioned, the title of the work matters. Hook the readers’ attention , mentioning some of the most impressive facts mentioned in the paper.
• Main body. This is the biggest and the most meaningful part of the composition that should be divided into numerous paragraphs. Keep in mind that different ideas should be included in different passages. 
• Conclusion. Unlike the standard essay, the composition in the paper about my name should include a personal perspective on the question together with the reiteration of the thesis statement. Finally, the writer should summarize the information specified in the text.  

Essays about Names: Effective Tips and Writing Strategies

When it comes to the process of writing such an essay, the list of helpful tips may be exceptionally long. However, if you need to deal with the essay really fast and effectively, you should mind the following ones:

• investigate the topic, paying attention even to the smallest details;
• find out numerous my name essay examples to get impressive ideas you can use in your composition;
• outline the text to keep it well-structured, concise, and coherent;
• include a thesis statement that will clarify your point of view on the issue;
• use short but full sentences, presenting your thoughts on the topic;
• write sentences in the active voice;
• scan the paper for plagiarism;
• proofread and edit the text, if necessary.

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How to Write an Essay About My Name: Structure and Useful Tips

Updated 26 Apr 2022

This type of assignment is a short piece of writing that includes a subjective point of view of the writer. Today it is an important part of academic education, and students are taught to write an essay from the very beginning. One of the most interesting topics offered by teachers to young people is an essay about name.

A work with such topic is an interesting task, in which the annotated bibliography writer should speculate on the topic of his own name. This might be the origin it, importance from the historical point of view, you can also mention who else was called this way including some famous people like actors, scientists, inventors, models and other, it will be also nice to find the translation and its pronunciation in different languages.

The topic may seem a little too narrow. But there are numerous ways how to make my essay about name really exciting.

Common Mistakes in Writing an Essay about Name

• Incomplete sentences that start from the preposition or conjunction;
• Spelling, grammar, punctuation, and stylistic mistakes;
• Absence of a catching title;
• Plagiarized pieces;
• Use of colloquial language;
• The absence of personal viewpoint etc.

These are the most common mistakes students make writing an essay about my name. They do not wish to invent something and have found some information about their name they put the whole piece into the text. And even if there any efforts to analyze anything or express the opinion, it appears to be incomplete and with some poor mistakes.

How to Write an Essay about My Name?

There is nothing special in writing this work as it has the same structure as most of the others.

• Start your paper with a powerful introduction representing the topic and mentioning why you decided to write it.
• The main body should consist of several paragraphs (usually 3). In these paragraphs, you can indicate the reasons why your parents had decided to call you this way, tell the story of its origin, and talk about its popularity or rarity in the modern world.
• The third part of each work is a conclusion. It usually has a more personal point of view, for example, you can express your attitude to it; here you should summarize everything and accentuate your positive or negative relation to it.

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Here Are a Few Useful Tips on How to Write an Essay About My Name

• Read a few different templates to get inspiration and take some useful experience.
• Before you start writing make an outline of the future paper.
• Write a thesis statement.
• Use conjunctive words and ones to develop an argument to make the text more coherent and smooth.
• Don’t avoid telling readers other people’s thoughts on your topic.
• Prefer to express your opinion using short but full of sense sentences.
• Opt for active voice for better perception.
• Put aside a ready-made text for some time to re-read it later.
• Use a plagiarism detector Ca.EduBirdie.com and spelling check software to avoid mistakes.

The list of such tips can be incredibly long. These are just a few most important points to keep in mind. These practical hints from EduBirdie experts on how to make your “my name essay” more efficient and custom can help you to create an outstanding work, so follow our reflective essay writing services if you have a similar objective.

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