Names go back since almost the beginning of oral and written history, though it is basically impossible to tell when the first name was given. During these times names were given to describe the person or to distinguish what family you come from. Surnames were usually formulated by a collection of nouns and adjectives. Irish Gaelic names were some of those commonly derived from nouns, such as Conan meaning hound or wolf. There came a time where parents would choose from a pool of already existing names instead of coming up with a new one. Through the ages the most common names were coherent with the practices which were popular at the time. For example, Christian names were evident like, Joseph and John. It wasn’t until much later in time that parents started naming their kids with more phonetically pleasing surnames than names with a history behind them. Legend has it, the name Yusnavy was derived by someone in Cuba because their dad saw a U.S. Navy ship coasting by. There are times I thank my parents for branching out and being original instead of blessing me with a name like Yusnavy.
Roughly 20 years ago when I came into this world, my parents agreed on the name Valentina Rodriguez. I was the first child in my family, and first generation American, so my parents had big hopes for me. They agreed that my name would not be short, instead it would carry the same number of letters as my last name, 9. I asked them about it and they replied along the lines of “short names don’t carry value”. (Sorry to anyone out there with a short name no offense to you) Contrary to popular belief, I was not named after the first female astronaut to go to space, Valentina Tereshkova. My mother decided on my name because of a character on a telenovela she was watching. She heard it and happened to like it. My father on the other hand wanted to name me Anastasia, like the Russian princess. Thankfully, my mother quickly reminded him on how much it resembled the word anaesthesia and the name was soon disregarded.
The name Valentina derives from the roman name Valentinus which come from the Latin word ‘Valens’ meaning healthy and strong. It is also associated with ST. Valentine, the day of love and romance. Yes, every February 14th someone looks at me with bug eyes and the sudden realization that the only difference between me and the date is one letter. But the best definition I’ve seen or heard of my name is how it is also a derivative of valiant meaning brave, what I associate myself with most. As for my last name, Rodriguez is a patronymic name, meaning it came from a father or ancestor. Rodriguez means ‘son of Rodrigo’, the ‘ez’ at the end signifies descendant of. Additionally, Rodrigo is the Spanish form of the name Roderick meaning powerful ruler, something I aspire to be one day. (kidding…I know life isn’t game of thrones). On the more casual side, my friends and acquaintances call me Vale, which often leads people to think my name is Valerie or something of the sort. That is how I differentiate those who actually know me, or those I just met. I wouldn’t change my name; I just know what I would name my daughter as a sort of reflection of myself in her. The image I like to think I project is someone approachable and easy to talk to. Some say that I have a very confident demeanor yet I’m very casual with the way I carry myself and dress which is why people find it so easy to open up to me. My mindset is very accepting and open minded meaning judging is not of first nature to me.
Shall I quote William Shakespeare, “What’s in a name?” and hope that with these few paragraphs you’ve learned a little more about who I am? I am at once brave and a son of Rodrigo. Almost true but I’ll give my parents an A for effort. After researching this history, I’ve decided to thoroughly take my children’s names into consideration and not go off the first “cool” name I hear. This is St. Valentine the powerful ruler signing off, still extremely glad I’m not Yusnavy.