A Little Rant (the first of many)

Hello there.  My name is Jaime Lee Anderson and I’m a junior at Brien McMahon High School.  What do you think of me, based on that?  You probably think I’m bubbly and enthusiastic, although that may be different based on different Jaimes you know.  You probably think I’m intelligent, and probably athletic, with a lot of friends.

Unfortunately, my name isn’t Jaime, or anything even remotely exciting.  I’m Sarah Elizabeth Breault, the most boring name my parents could possibly have picked.  How about now? Has your opinion changed based on my name?  You probably think I’m not trustworthy, although I’d die before exposing another person’s secrets. (I’m sorry about lying; I was curious about how a person’s name affects other people.  Comments below please!)  You probably assume I’m white – as one of my friends pointed out, Elizabeth is a rather generic white girl middle name.  If you’re being racist like this, you’re absolutely correct.  You probably stumbled over my last name in your head, and if you didn’t you’re almost guaranteed to mess it up out loud (I don’t mind; I’ve gotten used to it).  I can’t guess how you’ve reacted to the rest of my name, because I don’t know the other Sarah Elizabeths you know and I don’t know how your brain works.  Instead of trying to guess, I’ll take you through my name and my personal reactions:

First off: Sarah.  Hebrew for princess, which I suppose is a reasonable way to describe myself.  I’m spoiled and stubborn and usually don’t take kindly to being told no.  As far as I can tell, there’s no reason for my name.  It just is.  I suppose my parents like it, although it’s a bit plain for my taste. 

The real problem for me is how common it is.  Personally, I think that being an individual is incredibly important.  I want to make a difference, which isn’t really possible if I’m one of the crowd.  One of the most common complaints about my name I have is that it doesn’t really express individuality.  At least 8 or 9 times per week, I hear “SARAH!!” screamed in public and often whip around and respond before realizing that the other person was not talking to me. 

Second: Elizabeth.  Meaning: God is my oath, which is ironic considering the fact that I tend to lean towards atheism.  Yet another painfully plain and common name.  I don’t mind Elizabeth; it only irritates me when it’s shortened to “Beth” and stuck after “Sarah” to form one painfully southern name.

Finally: Breault.  I’m sorry; my European is showing.  It’s a French name, and from it is born my hatred of French.  No one can pronounce it; too many unnecessary vowels.  Maybe it’s been a blessing as well as an extremely annoying curse.  Maybe it’s why I’m tolerant of other’s mistakes and don’t take insults too personally.  Regardless, I look forward to getting married. 

Another problem for me is that the name “Sarah” is rather rigid.  There’s not much to do with it if you’d rather be known more…interestingly.  Yes I could go with Elizabeth, but no one I know would find the transition easy. 

Maybe it’s a good thing that I have such a rigid name; it’s given me the motivation and desire to express myself in other ways, such as how I speak and how I spend my time.  Maybe if I had been named differently, I’d be a different person; maybe I’d be more quiet and ashamed of my weird name, or maybe I’d live up to it.  Either way, Sarah is my name and I guess it’s not so bad.

However, if you know a good nickname for Sarah, please leave it in a comment.  I’ll be forever in your debt.