Having uncommon name takes some explaining

But I still wouldn’t trade it for a normal name

Evie Tharpe, Gazebo Staff Writer|September 18, 2018

Gazebo Photo by Caroline Sutherland

3K students (L-r) Winston Jeshuran, Asher Smaha, Davis Brown and Mallie Griffith help Evie Tharpe with her name

There are less than 7,429 people in America with the name Evie.

In 2003, the year I was born, Evie was the 1,826th most popular name for baby girls. This year, it is 163rd. Therefore, it has definitely become increasingly popular throughout my life.

I wouldn’t consider my name extremely unusual, like most people do when I first introduce myself. However, I have only met one other person with the name Evie, while I was visiting relatives in Charleston. The one difference was that she pronounced it (Eh-vee), and I pronounce mine (Ee-vee).  

Whenever I tell someone my name, this is how the conversation usually goes:

“What’s your name?”

“Evie”

“Ebie?”

“No, haha, Evie, like the letters “E” and “V”.

“Oh, Edie! I love that.”

After that, I usually just give up.

Even when people do understand my name, I end up getting an endless amount of questions about how my parents came up with it. Most commonly, people ask:

“Is your real name Evelyn?”

The answer is no. My real name is Jacqueline, and Eve is my middle name. Eve also is my mother’s middle name. It means “life.’’ She wanted some part of my name to be family related, so she decided to give me her middle name.

My parents never had the intentions of actually calling me Jacqueline. The reason my first name is Jacqueline is because everyone in my mother’s side of the family’s name starts with “J”. Both mother’s parents and all of their children’s (including my mom’s) names start with “J.” Every first child of my mother and her siblings’ name also starts with “J.” However other than that, none of my other cousins have a “J” name.

Growing up, I despised my name. I always wanted a name that you could find on the souvenirs in gift shops, and that teachers could pronounce and spell correctly on the first day of school. I criticized my parents constantly for coming up with a name that I considered so weird.

Even though I wish my name was more normal, there are a lot of perks to having a weird name. The best part is that I don’t have to share a name with anyone. Not one person in the entire high school has my name. This means I don’t get confused with anyone, which I like.

Having an uncommon name is something I have grown to appreciate as I have gotten older. I might have to explain it to every person I talk to, live with people mispronouncing it, and may never meet another person with the same name as me, but I still wouldn’t change it for a normal name.