by Ginger Earle

Created on: October 08, 2009

As an adult with an uncommon name, I have finally made peace with it and learned to like it. I've even decided to give my future children their own unique names. I did not always feel this way. If you had asked me to weigh in on this debate when I was in elementary school I would have emphatically declared that having a common name was the best gift one could give their child. I once got up in the middle of the night, despite my mother telling me I could only come into their bedroom in case of an emergency, to ask her if I could change my name to Sarah. Having a name like everyone else seemed to be the solution to all of my problems. I was teased relentlessly for my name. I didn't have to do anything other than introduce myself to get snickers, jokes, and lame comments like "Where's Mary Anne?" The teasing changed as I got older. While in elementary school it was Ginger Snaps, Gingerbread cookie, Ginger-vitis (that was a good one!) as I grew older the insults evolved into such gems as "Ginger, that sounds like a stripper name." Or the always fun "Ginger, my dog is named Ginger." Lovely.

And thanks to the Brits, I have learned that over there my name is used as a negative term for redheads. And yes, I do have red hair. No my parents didn't name me Ginger because I have read hair. I cannot even imagine how many times I have had to answer that question. Still I like having a different name. I never had to be one of many in a classroom. My first name alone was enough to distinguish me in school and at work. I found special camaraderie with the occasional Ginger I did meet. And looking back I know that if it hadn't been my name, I would have been teased about something else. My name being such an obvious target kept kids from making fun of my red hair, freckles and so on. Your kids will be teased, it's a parent's job to teach them to deal with this, not protect them from any possible insult. Plus, all those years of responding to the teasing helped me develop wit and a self-deprecating sense of humor. My personality has developed in ways it might not have had my mom granted my request to change my name to Sarah.

Learn more about this author, Ginger Earle.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.