What's in a name?

I've always found names interesting...their origin or how a person was named.  My grandpa recently printed the history of my dad's side of the family going back to the 1600s.  Our last name was spelled differently back then, and, according to him, "they just got lazy and dropped the second 'n' at the end."  Although last names are interesting, I find how a person got their first names far better. 

My sister, brother, and I all were given our first names because my parents simply liked them.  However, growing up I always wished I had a different name.  My siblings have "normal" names, while mine is not common.  As a matter of fact, I've only met two other people who have the same first name as me.  Yeah, it is not frequently used.  Secretly, I always wanted to be a Katie.  Now, I am glad that I am not.  My name fits me well I think. 

My sister, brother, and I all have middle names that are significant.  Once again, I got the "unique" one.  My sister's middle name is the same as my grandma's.  My brother's middle name begins with the same letter as my grandpa's middle name.  His first two initials are JP, just like my grandpa's were (and I have three cousins with P middle names, after my grandpa).  However, my mom decided that she wanted my middle name to be her maiden name.  So when you say my whole name it sounds like I have a hyphenated last name and no middle name.  My dad's mom always said that I would not liek my name because people would mispronounce all three of my names (first, middle, and last), which is true.  However, I like the fact that I get my mom's maiden name as part of mine now.  I guess this goes to show that a person's opinion can change over time.  I like my name, even if all three are often said incorrectly. 

As I have blogged about, I am riding in the Chicagoland Tour de Cure in June.  Part of being a team captain was naming our team.  I'm the only one on my team with diabetes and am so happy some of my friends are biking with me.  I wanted to come up with a creative team name, but could not think of anything.  Originally, I wanted to do something related to A1C, or hbA1C, but couldn't get it to work.  Therefore, I turend to a person who I always know I can count on: my dad. 

Although he is busy at work, he still came up with a list of 10 suggestions for me.  I took the one I liked the best and now my team is called the Beta Cell Bikers.  I just liked the sound of it, kind of like how my parents chose my first name.  Can you tell that the bike wheels are beta cells in the picture? 

Speaking of my parents, I'm off to Iowa to visit them tomorrow.  :) 

Are you named after anyone?  How did you get your name?  Do you wish you had a  different name?