If I were to google my first name, Gabrielle, the French origins of this name would be the first thing I see as well as the meaning it: Woman of God. Although Gabrielle is significant in many religious contexts (ex. Christianity, Islam, Hebrew), this name was given to me without any religious implications. In fact, the reason why this name was chosen is due to my French roots, and because my Mom's favourite TV show character at the time name was Gabby. I guess the characteristics of this TV character were some she aspired for me to be. Cute, funny, intelligent... Lol. Gabrielle is also a name that is easily pronounced in both English & French, and can be considered gender fluid.
My middle name was passed down by my great grandmother who's first name was Louise. This name is again easy to pronounce in both my mother tongue's, and sounds nice with my first and last name. Although a Francophone and Anglophone name, the origin of the name Louise is in fact Germanic, although the history has no relevance to why this name was chosen for me.
The literal meaning of my French last name is "name for someone who lived by a road". The name Lavoie was passed down by my father which is tradition in Canada. If my parents had chosen to use my mother's last name, Ward, my full name would not have sounded as nice and fluid.
When I was younger, I paid little attention to my name and how I identified with it. However, as a young teenager, I began to want to change my name. For a while, I went by "Gabriella Ruby Lavoie", probably as a way of trying to disconnect from my family. As I've grown older though, I have identified much more for my name due to it's connection to the French language and I feel it is quite elegant. There is in fact an alliteration in Gabrielle Louise Lavoie, with the letter "L". These names were therefore chosen specifically to create this flow.
What an interesting blog! Very informative. I liked the way you pointed out a poetic device included in your name. It was very interesting reading about the origins of your name. Also quite interesting to learn about the traditions in Canada, name wise. Also, nice touch in the introduction! Overall, great post.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting post and I liked learning about the origins of your name and how significant they are to you. I understand wha you mean when talking about that feeling of wanting to change your name and science form the name your parents chose. I find it interesting the way you talk about enjoy the flow of your name and how it is pronounced. I never realised before that your names could be said clearly both in english and french, and i find that great because its like a pass that allows you to seem local in any culture.
ReplyDeleteI like the intonation you put into your post but i would suggest reading over your grammar and punctuation.
Other that that i really enjoyed learning about your name and their origins.
I like how you focused an equal amount of attention on all three of your names, and gave a historic background for each of them, as well as a reason why you were given that name. In particular, I like the last paragraph, as I think it's the most personal one, and really gives the audience an insight into what you think of your own name, and how you feel about it in general. Overall, yet another very well written and interesting blog post. I can't wait to read the next ones.
ReplyDelete