As An Adoptee, I Have Multiple Names, But Do Not Laugh Or Discredit Any Of Them
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

As An Adoptee, I Have Multiple Names, But Do Not Laugh Or Discredit Any Of Them

I might not have been born Amelia Ying Lawrence Williams, an American citizen. But I grew up as her.

279
As An Adoptee, I Have Multiple Names, But Do Not Laugh Or Discredit Any Of Them
Elizabeth Rutledge

One of my earliest memories is from elementary school when my friends had wanted to know what my Chinese name was. When I finally told them at recess one day, they ran in circles around me, laughing and singing the theme song of a TV show that had been popular on Toon Disney at the time, "Yin Yang Yo!"

Kids will be kids, and I understand the connection between my Chinese name and that TV show, but it’s not just children who have taken my birth name and twisted into something to laugh about. Even as a young adult, I have had to brush off the fact that hearing my birth name causes people to laugh about it or repeat it multiple time, not only incorrectly, but in a tone that belies their amusement at such a “weird” name.

Names are a funny thing. To have one is to have an identity. Each name you accumulate marks acceptance by others into different aspects of your life. And yet each name accumulated is the chance to build on one's identity. I think people are multifaceted, and the core of who we are never changes, but with each name, perhaps, a new part of our identity emerges.

My full name is Amelia Ying Lawrence Williams.

I think my first name might have been a tribute to my adopted father’s birth mother, but I don’t really know. I never knew anything about her, let alone her name, Amelia Lawrence, until fairly recently.

My first middle name is a shortened version of my Chinese name, Yue Ying Ying. My second middle name used to be my last name until my mother remarried and I opted to shift my adopted father’s last name to the middle of my name. My last name is my step-father’s, and my sister and I chose to assume it when my mother did.

Most friends growing up in New Hampshire called me Mel. My friends at my high school in Salem, Oregon called me Amalia, what they called their Spanish version of my name. My freshman year of college I went by Mia, due to the fact that there were three Amelias living on my floor. The friends I made as a summer camp counselor call me by my camp name, Fruit Loop, shortened by most to Froopy. And now among my roommates in our apartment, I am called MiMi.

So much importance is put on a person’s name. It gives us an identity. It defines who we are. And yet I have never felt that connected to one name. I have been called so many names over the years, and while I have responded to each as if were my own, I have never felt firm conviction toward anyone of them as my “one true name.”

Maybe it stems from the fact that even as a kid, my name was something that was questioned. As an adoptee, I have gone my whole like answering questions about where I’m from and “how I like it in America.” But I think the most uncomfortable question that I have had to deal with time and again is the question that comes in response to my name, “no but what is your real name?”

Even though I don’t feel as if one name defines everything that I am as a person, I like Amelia. And to say that Yue Ying Ying is my real name is to imply that Amelia is my fake name.

I might not have been born Amelia Ying Lawrence Williams, an American citizen. But I grew up as her.

I am her.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

932008
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

107579
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lots of people sat on the cinema wearing 3D glasses
Pinterest

Ever wonder what your friend meant when they started babbling about you taking their stapler? Or how whenever you ask your friend for a favor they respond with "As You Wish?" Are you looking for new and creative ways to insult your friends?

Well, look no further. Here is a list of 70 of the most quotable movies of all time. Here you will find answers to your questions along with a multitude of other things such as; new insults for your friends, interesting characters, fantastic story lines, and of course quotes to log into your mind for future use.

Keep Reading...Show less
New Year Resolutions

It's 2024! You drank champagne, you wore funny glasses, and you watched the ball drop as you sang the night away with your best friends and family. What comes next you may ask? Sadly you will have to return to the real world full of work and school and paying bills. "Ah! But I have my New Year's Resolutions!"- you may say. But most of them are 100% complete cliches that you won't hold on to. Here is a list of those things you hear all around the world.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Ultimate Birthday: Unveiling the Perfect Day to Celebrate!

Let's be real, the day your birthday falls on could really make or break it.

49789
​different color birthday candles on a cake
Blacksburg Children's Museum

You heard it here first: birthdays in college are some of the best days of your four years. For one day annually, you get to forget about your identity as a stressed, broke, and overworked student, and take the time to celebrate. You can throw your responsibilities for a day, use your one skip in that class you hate, receive kind cards and gifts from loved ones and just enjoy yourself.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments