It's short for Madelyn

Do you ever have those moments where you say a word too much, that it eventually becomes just a series of syllables that sound completely foreign in your mouth? Names have that effect on me a lot, especially when I am introduced to a new person and trying to adjust to their name. 

Names in general are an interesting topic to just think about, to let marinate in your noggin. I mean - why do we let a combination of letters and sounds create a sort of identity and belonging within ourselves? Especially in this digital age, names have become even more significant with the development of usernames and IDs that help define an individual. It’s also crazy just to realize how much is linked to your name, not just your identity, but how much it is used to symbolize your authority or your endorsement on something. THE signature is something everyone practices throughout their lifetime, trying to perfect it so that it is unique to them. And what does your signature consist of? YOUR name of course. 

I have always liked my full first name, Madelyn. Although I go by my nickname Mady, my full name has a certain elegance and youthfulness which my mom tells me that it perfectly describes who I am. In sixth grade, I was assigned a research paper exploring the origin of my name and why my parents decided on that name. I discovered the name Madelyn was of Greek origin and was a variation of the name "Madeline". All variations means the same: high tower. I find the meaning behind my name ironic since it describes an object that is generally tall, and I am personally quite a petite individual.  However, this is not the name I use to define myself. Mady is the name that people have been calling me since I was fresh out of the womb. 

Though it is a commonly used name for people around my age, I like the uniqueness of its spelling. With just one "d" in the name, many people often get it wrong (which I have gotten used to). Yet, I find joy when people see how different it is spelled and make note of it. It is weird to think that people associate my name with my face, and how that particular concept of a name is the point of having a name is in general. For example, every time I ask one of my peers if I look like I could be named anything other than "Mady" they all say no. Therefore, my name defines me as an individual and I have also taken possession of it.

While names are given to us to differentiate us from everyone else, it also provides a sense of belonging as everyone in the family is usually presented with the same surname. Anna Quindlen presents thought provoking argument in her essay, "The Name is Mine", as she explores how she is a different person as an individual and as a part of a larger whole. I personally can attest to this observation as I do find myself altering who I am based on who I am with or how I am supposed to be portraying myself at that moment. 

For example, I am a particular version of myself around my family and being a daughter, sister, niece, or granddaughter. At that point, I am the most respectful and polite as I can be because I am acting a representative of my family, and trying to uphold my parents' expectations of myself. Yet, when I am just portraying myself as individual outside of my family, I feel that more of my personality comes through in the way I speak, act, and uphold myself in front of others. Unlike the way Quindlen presents this matter as a dilemma, I see this more so of a given of being a part of a greater whole, and for most that means being a member of a family.