Meet Ela

Names. They're an important part of each of us, yet most of us have no input into our name. I stopped going by Mickey during grad school and haven't looked back. I never, ever liked that nickname (sorry Mom). Elle likes her name, but wasn't looking forward to using it in Central America, where "el" means "he". We spent a lot of car time during our journey south discussing other names for her. She liked the name Ella, but alas, this name also had issues. Spelling it with two "l's" (Ella) generically means "she" in Spanish. This can get very confusing in conversation. Additionally, Ella is pronounced /aya/ in Spanish. The double "l" makes the sound /y/. She didn't want to be called "Aya". Therefore, she settled on Ela, spelled with one "l".

On top of this, she doesn't like her middle name. It embarrasses her. Ken and I love it, but recognize that for many of us, including Ela, middle names are only significant when one is in trouble. So what would she like her middle name to be? After eliminating several family names, animal options and book characters, she decided she wanted her middle name to reference a flower. Therefore, she's trying out Ela Liliana.

Would you ever change your name? Why? What would your new name be?