The Story of a Name
The Story of My Search Around 1:00 in the afternoon on February 12, 1999, My mother held me in her hands for the first time. She named me Peyton William Wall, a name she had thought about even before she married my dad. As years passed, I never thought much more about my name, other than that fact that it was my social callsign. Sure, my parents would give me trivial facts about my name every now and then, but nothing too detailed. However, as soon as I acquired the prompt for this essay, I knew I was about to get more informed. Throughout my life, I never thought a name could illustrate anything other than a sound. Upon starting research, I realized that a name represented a lot, including personality and family. …show more content…
Peyton, my first name, is a surname that derived from the name Pæga (Behind the Name). Not much is known about the meaning of Peyton, but it does correlate to the phrase “from Pæga’s town” (Behind the Name). My middle name, William, is derived from Wilhelm, meaning “strong-willed warrior” (Names.org). Wall, my last name, comes from Weall, and it refers to someone who lives by a stone-built wall used to fortify a town or keep back the encroachment of the sea (Hanks). Considering these meanings, I discovered that my name translates to “a protective, resolute warrior.” The derivatives of my names correspond to the origins and heritage of my names as well. When it comes to heritage, names can go many ways; learning the origin of them helped me in my search. Interestingly, all my names are of English origin, so my ancestors probably came from the area around the modern day United Kingdom (Names.org). My heritage must be widespread considering the amount of people that share my names today. Peyton, William, and Wall rank 210th, 5th, and 557th in the US, respectively (Behind the Name). Accordingly, Mississippi and surrounding states have the most people named Peyton, and Wall families were very prominent in Georgia, New York, and Pennsylvania during 1920 (Names.org) (How Common is Your Last Name?). However, nothing showed …show more content…
However, after I did a little exploring and thinking, I realized that my name is like motivation that drives me towards my future. Referring to the meaning of my name, I want to make an impression on people that shows and reminds them of me later in life. In addition to the meaning of my names motivating me, successful people who share my names drive my dedication as well. For example, Peyton Manning, my namesake, is an American football quarterback who shows great leadership, ambition, and passion in his job (Wall). Bill Gates, born as William Henry Gates, is a billionaire and the technology adviser of Microsoft. Furthermore, Travis Wall is a renowned American dancer and dance instructor who was nominated for an Emmy in 2011. Keeping these great people in mind, a future like theirs can surely be achieved if I live up to my
The Story of My Search Around 1:00 in the afternoon on February 12, 1999, My mother held me in her hands for the first time. She named me Peyton William Wall, a name she had thought about even before she married my dad. As years passed, I never thought much more about my name, other than that fact that it was my social callsign. Sure, my parents would give me trivial facts about my name every now and then, but nothing too detailed. However, as soon as I acquired the prompt for this essay, I knew I was about to get more informed. Throughout my life, I never thought a name could illustrate anything other than a sound. Upon starting research, I realized that a name represented a lot, including personality and family. …show more content…
Peyton, my first name, is a surname that derived from the name Pæga (Behind the Name). Not much is known about the meaning of Peyton, but it does correlate to the phrase “from Pæga’s town” (Behind the Name). My middle name, William, is derived from Wilhelm, meaning “strong-willed warrior” (Names.org). Wall, my last name, comes from Weall, and it refers to someone who lives by a stone-built wall used to fortify a town or keep back the encroachment of the sea (Hanks). Considering these meanings, I discovered that my name translates to “a protective, resolute warrior.” The derivatives of my names correspond to the origins and heritage of my names as well. When it comes to heritage, names can go many ways; learning the origin of them helped me in my search. Interestingly, all my names are of English origin, so my ancestors probably came from the area around the modern day United Kingdom (Names.org). My heritage must be widespread considering the amount of people that share my names today. Peyton, William, and Wall rank 210th, 5th, and 557th in the US, respectively (Behind the Name). Accordingly, Mississippi and surrounding states have the most people named Peyton, and Wall families were very prominent in Georgia, New York, and Pennsylvania during 1920 (Names.org) (How Common is Your Last Name?). However, nothing showed …show more content…
However, after I did a little exploring and thinking, I realized that my name is like motivation that drives me towards my future. Referring to the meaning of my name, I want to make an impression on people that shows and reminds them of me later in life. In addition to the meaning of my names motivating me, successful people who share my names drive my dedication as well. For example, Peyton Manning, my namesake, is an American football quarterback who shows great leadership, ambition, and passion in his job (Wall). Bill Gates, born as William Henry Gates, is a billionaire and the technology adviser of Microsoft. Furthermore, Travis Wall is a renowned American dancer and dance instructor who was nominated for an Emmy in 2011. Keeping these great people in mind, a future like theirs can surely be achieved if I live up to my