Definition Essay: The Meaning Of My Name

A name is something personal that you connect with every day. It’s something you are alert to when someone else calls for you. From a parent’s view, the name was probably given from something that they want their child to represent or have. It might have been a role model that they looked up to. Either way, a name is something unique and it separates you from everyone else.
My English name is Weiss. It was given to me on September 26, 2003, the day I was born in Wisconsin. My parents wanted my name to represent both of who I was and who they wanted me to become. My name started with the letter W from the state I was born in. The letter W in a name also means that one has intuition, determination, and a strong sense of purpose. The second letter
of my name, e, also represented engineering - the major they both studied while they were in college. The name Weiss also means wise or knows in Old High German because that was a characteristic that they felt that I should have. They also heartily believed that knowledge was a key aspect in becoming successful.
Another name, a necessity of Chinese descendants, was my Chinese name.
So then came my Chinese name, Yuan Zi Wei. Even though it is rarely used, it is still a necessary part that is used when visiting China. My Chinese name includes three different characters that all are distinctly different and unique in their meaning. My last name, Yuan is a commonly used last name passed down for generations in my family. The surname Yuan originated from an ancient Chinese state that is now the eastern Henan province. While Yuan does not have a clear definition used as a characteristic, Yuan is also the unit of currency used in China. The next character, Zi, means diligent and hardworking. Formerly in China, the character, Zi, would replace a male given name when he turned twenty, as a symbol of adulthood and respect. The last character in my name, Wei, means magnificent and brilliant.
My English name is something that I feel constantly connected with. Even though there are people who always question if that is my true first name or if it is really my last name, I feel that my name is something that I am and want to be. Though I wish to change it to something that everyone can pronounce, it has been part of me for so many years and will be for many years in my future. For my Chinese name, the three characters are all something that I feel complement each other and are characteristics that best fit who I want to
be.