"Dad, I want to change my name", I said one day when I came back from school. I was maybe 11yrs or so. My name (Abasienyene) was long, and the people around me always misspelt it or mixed it with equivalent ones such as Abasiama, Abasiodiong etc. My dad looked up at me that afternoon and asked, "so what name do you want to bear", I said "David". I felt David was a cool name. My dad paused for a while looked at me and smiled. He then asked me to sit down, and started telling me how my name came to be, how God gave him the name, what my name meant and the prophecies he got. He said many things, things I may not be able to share here. I was overwhelmed by the time he was through. He gave my name fresh definition.
I have now grown to be more comfortable with my name, and only choose to use my middle name because it is more easier for people to remember when I introduce myself. When I entered into the university I noticed that people preferred to call me Abel(my middle name) and with time it sticked. The only thing that irritates me now is when I go about introducing myself and say; "Hi, My name is Abel. Pleased to meet you", most people will reply " yeah, but where is Cain?". They seriously think it's funny.
For a slight digression from the main point for this write up, I would like to say that In Nigeria, there is a trend I am noticing. Parents seem to be giving their children the most akward of names. I here baby names likes Excellent, oracle, Greatness, bible, riches etc (please no offence meant if you happen to bear any of them). I sometimes try to imagine some one with one of such names, having to maybe introduce himself to an audience at a world conference. They would go something like this, "Good morning everyone my name is Mr. Greatness Udotu. I am from west Africa, Nigeria." Some people's eyes would just pop out of suprise. Please don't get mad at me or get me wrong. They are all beautiful names, but I personally just consider them weird.
I have read lots of christian stuff and secular stuff on the power and relevance our names carry. They were good stuff, but in addition, what I feel is that it's your choice to let your name define you or for you to define your name.
Your name defines you, or you define your name.
You could have a name that means poverty in your native tongue but in reality you are the richest citizen of your country. Realistically speaking, I know a man whose name means "short"(imuk) but in reality he is tall in every ramification be it financially or in physique. I'm not saying we should care less about our names or the names we give our children. I'm saying we should bring definition to our names. The name of the most richest man in nigeria when mentioned could bring thoughts of wealth prestige and business. So if Mr. Dangote happenened to be in a dictionary I think it would look something like this.
Dangote: (noun)
this could be used to define wealth or prestige e.g He is a dangote
A form of supirior cement
The man in the bible that most people like referring to when talking about names, never actually changed his name. The man Jabez decided to change what his name meant.His mother said it meant "sorrow". He prayed and the name lost it's definition and he was attributed with success.
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
I Chronicles 4:9-10 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/1ch.4.9-10.NKJV
So in conclusion I wouldn't wish any one to be like me. Don't be anxious to change your name, seek to give your name a better definition, and please let's give our children less akward names.