The Meaning of a Name

My name is Maame-Akua Amanfo Appiah, and I have not always been comfortable with my name. My name originates from Ghana, West Africa. The name Maame is primarily a female name of African, Central Africa origin that means Mother. In Ghana, the name Akua is a girl’s name meaning “Born on a Wednesday.” I was forced to go by “Akua” because it was “easier” for many to pronounce. While schooling in America, having an African name was a challenge for me because people found it difficult pronouncing my name. I recount some of the negative comments I have heard regarding my name such as “What kind of name is that?” and “I’ve never heard that name before…that’s strange”. Remarks like this have made me feel judged, self-conscious, and ashamed of who I am. I was stunned to the point where I asked myself if my culture was frowned upon in the dominant Western culture. At times, I questioned my worth based on the feelings surrounding hearing my name mispronounced by those around me. Adjusting to new classrooms was a challenge for me because I would have to contend with the negative remarks surrounding the failed attempts to pronounce my name correctly by teachers and students alike. This experience caused my heart to beat so fast and my hands would start to sweat during attendance because my name was typically the hardest for the teacher to pronounce. “Aqua, ma-may, Mame, may-mee?” This often resulted in my peers laughing at me.

As a result, whenever someone mispronounces my name intentionally or unintentionally, or makes fun of it, it hurts because it speaks to the core of my identity. The mispronunciation of my name has often occurred in school settings. Every new school year, I knew to expect the same thing because it became a recurring norm for me. I would simply know it was coming by the looks of confusion on the teachers’ faces as their eyebrows furrowed as they glanced at my name on the attendance list.

This affected me socially and emotionally in the classroom when teachers would ask a question. I would be scared to raise my hand and answer it because I did not want them to mispronounce my name which led me to not being engaged in classroom discussions. Over the past few years, I have noticed that teachers are taking the time to pronounce each student’s name correctly by asking students to share their preferred name and the phonetic spelling of their name to avoid mispronunciation. By building in-class time to ensure each student is referred to by their preferred name and the correct pronunciation of the name ensures that students feel a sense of belonging in the classroom. As a student, I was more willing to take risks in the classrooms where teachers made it a priority to take the time to create an environment where students of diverse cultures feel valued and important.

My name is a big part of my identity because it goes back to my background and my family. My name carries personal, historical, and cultural connections.

Going to Ghana frequently, seeing my family in Ghana, and experiencing my culture in its full potential gave me the confidence I had been longing to possess. Visiting Ghana annually taught me to keep loving myself for who I am because I am enough. I have gained confidence in addressing people when they have mispronounced my name. I look forward to joining a college community that embraces cultural diversity, and my experiences will help bring various groups around the college together to make sure no one experiences what I have experienced.  I learned that being different is a phenomenal thing; I am proud of who I am. I am proud of my background and my culture. I am proud of my African heritage, and I am proud to go by my name, Maame-Akua.