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Camilla Smith

October 31, 2010

Period 2

Name Essay (Revision)

Cammi

My name is Camilla Angela Smith, although most who know me have no idea. Unless

they know me on a family basis, all who acquaintance themselves with me know me as fun-

loving, outgoing Cammi. I continue to ask myself, Why should I not tell everyone? Why should

I not let everyone know? Perhaps it is because I dont like the sound of Camilla or maybe I

am afraid of the reactions I will receive. Though I dislike the name so much, eventually, as I

grow older, I will have to accept the inevitability of my name, Camilla.

As unique as my name sounds, its origin isnt for the reason that my mother shares the

name, Camilla, as well. She told me that the night I was born, the nurse had come in with me

and asked her what shed like to name me and the first name that came to her mind was Angela

Smith, the name of one of her good childhood friends. Although the significance is not that we

have the same name, shed named me Camilla because it just felt right to her and she, now,

treasures this perpetual bond that we have as mother and daughter, only strengthened by the

sameness of our names.

The name Camilla is the feminine derivation of the Italian Camillus, which is said to

refer to young and beautiful female, ceremonial assistants in Ancient Rome. Women with the

name, Camilla, are usually portrayed as tall, beautiful and flawless as the name means, beauty

and everlasting. The name, Camilla, gradually rose in rank until today at its place of 551 out of

the 1000 most popular names in American as of 2009. Despite the lovely meanings of my name,

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I dont feel like an and everlastingly beautiful person when I am called Camilla (Meaning).

In fact, a most times, I feel the opposite, mostly due to the fact that most likely no one knows the

beautiful translation of it. These feelings of mine are presumably caused by the fact that when

spoken, I dont feel that it sounds beautiful, although others claim that they do. As a young child,

Id received a poem about my name, by an unnamed author, from one of my closest teachers

upon leaving elementary school. According to this poem, Camilla is not only looks to the

world with a brighter smile than most, but also inspires others to take a lighter outlook on life.

This poem touched me as a person in the sense that I relate to Camilla and if I am not already,

I want to be her.

My name, although generally accepted by the world outside of my own, disheartens me

in that it doesnt resonate to me in the way it does for others. It doesnt sound as unmistakably

beautiful as it is portrayed in the Italian language. For this reason, I have adopted, ever since Id

entered secondary schooling, the substantially more feminine, in my opinion, name Cammi.

Perhaps the real reason isnt the way that my actual name sounds at all. Perhaps its because of

the fact that as I was entering this new environment, I yearned for a new beginning, a clean slate.

Although most middle names are chosen through familial tradition, mine was chosen out

of the memory and recognition of a good, childhood friend of my mothers the night that I was

born. Its derivation is from the word Angelic and is most commonly seen as a very feminine

and womanly name. Women named Angela are often seen as being quiet and soft-spoken, yet

subtly attractive at the same time (Meaning). Perhaps a new tradition can be created through

my future children in that I name my daughters Angela as their middle names. Though my

middle name carries a bountiful history, I was unable to uncover the origin of my surname,

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Smith, mostly because the majority of the people that can provide this information to me are

passed on from this life. This being so, though, the name Smith is derived from the Anglo-

Saxon word smitan, meaning to smite or strike and to this day, remains the single most popular

surname in Europe and the United States (Powell).

After discovering this information about my name, I have learned that my name is seen

by others as exceedingly beautiful, notwithstanding my disdain toward it. Although, after

discovering such praise for my name, I should only wonder if I should accept it for its beauty

that is invisible to me. After all, if everyone else in my life accepts its uniqueness, why shouldnt

I?

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Works Cited

"Meaning of Names and Baby Names." Meaning of Names, Baby Names and Their Origins. Web. 18

Oct. 2010. .

Powell, Kimberly Kimberly. "Glossary of Surname Meanings & Origins - Surname Meanings & Family

Trees." About Genealogy - Learn How to Research Your Family Tree. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.

.