When someone has a unique name, many people wonder about its origin or the story behind it. Whether it’s a family name, a combination of two names or inspired by a famous piece of media, Ohio University has quite the collection of students with names that spark one’s curiosity.
Because of the rise in non-traditional names throughout the U.S., there is now a national holiday for it. Known as National Namesake Day, the holiday began in 1997 thanks to onomatology hobbyist Jerry Hill. To coincide with the holiday, Hill also created Celebrate Your Name Week as well.
Starting in early March, Celebrate Your Name Week is just as it sounds, and National Namesake Day kicks off the week each year, falling on March 5 this year. On this day, people are encouraged to discover the stories behind their names and hang out with the people who give them their name or who inspired it.
These stories are what students love the most about their names, especially because of their creativity and randomness.
“I actually talked to my mom about it,” Harlee Taylor, a sophomore studying graphic design, said. “She was at my great-grandma’s one time, and my grandma always watched soap operas, and they were watching some soap opera. There was some soap opera cop named Harley and my mom just liked the name.”
Taylor said her mom then brought up the name "Harlee" to her dad, both agreeing that they didn’t want to spell it like the well-known Harley Davidson motorcycle company.
“I do appreciate that it’s unique,” Taylor said. “I mean, it was a gift from my mom, so I appreciate it.”
Meanwhile, Jeric Herstine, a sophomore studying film, said his name came to be by his parents combining the two names Eric and Jerome.
“My parents made it up completely,” Herstine said. “My dad's name is Daniel Eric, so they took the Eric from my dad, and then on my mom's side, my grandpa's name is Jerome. (They) just fused them together and made Jeric.”
Herstine says he likes his name because of how people react to it when they meet him for the first time, shocking those who have never heard of it before.
“One of my favorite things about my name is when I'm meeting people and they never guess it right the first or second try,” Herstine said. “They’re like, ‘Oh, what's your name?’ ‘Oh, Jeric,’ and they’re like, ‘Jared? Like Garrett?’ ‘It's like Eric with a J in front of it.’ Then they're like, ‘Oh, that's cool.’”
Sheridan Schauer, a freshman studying psychology, also finds this experience a memorable one, being that her name comes from her great-grandparents, who came to the U.S. after the Great Depression hit Ireland.
“I personally love it,” Schauer said. “I love that when I go up to people and I tell them my name, they do not know what it is and they always have to repeat it. I think it's hilarious.”
Schauer said she likes that rarely anyone else has the same name as her, embracing its uniqueness and cultural significance.
“I find it fun that nobody knows other Sheridans other than me,” Schauer said. “I rarely ever get people saying they know another Sheridan. Maybe I've heard it twice in my entire life, so I like that I have a unique name.”
While Herstine acknowledges the interest surrounding his name, he also doesn’t see it as necessarily unique.
“It's also weird because I don't think it's unique, at least growing up I didn't think it was,” Herstine said. “It's just my name, so it’s always been a normal name to hear, same with all my friends because obviously, they know me.”
Still, he appreciates the sentiment of National Namesake Day, especially now being in his second year of college.
“It's pretty cool, especially when I got into college,” Herstine said. “I still didn't meet anyone with my name and everyone still continues to think it's cool.”
