Chaka Babarovich, Anacortes, WA. I went to a job interview and the person said, “Wow, you look nothing like what I thought of from your name.”
Are you really even Greek?
Athena Scavo, Hornell, NY. I often get this question due to my name being of the Greek mythology background. Often, people assume that I am not Greek, but my parents liked the name or thought I was going to be tough or had some reason why I was named Athena. If you look at me, […]
“M’ pa rele blanc,” I replied.
Emily S., Baltimore, MD. A phrase in Haitian Kreyol which means, literally, “I’m not called ‘White’” or “My name is not ‘White”. It was a phrase I became accustom to shouting back to calls of “Blanc, Blanc, Blanc” everywhere I went, by Haitian children and adults alike. I almost hadn’t noticed my skin color up […]
Coding as white isn’t the same.
Kristina Ogilvie, Arlington, VA. It just struck me, I guess: on paper (i.e. a resume) I am for all intents and purposes a white girl. My name couldn’t be less ethnic, and I’ve had the privilege of getting an amazing education and having experiences that my father (Afro-Panamanian) could only have dreamed of. But I […]
My name: a slave ship’s captain’s.
S. Dews, Northampton, MA. Smith College, Otelia Cromwell Day 2014
I am content being called “gringa.”
Nell Haynes, Chile. Sometimes it’s hard being the person that always stands out in a crowd, especially in an impoverished city in the middle of the Chilean desert (the driest place on earth). I get catcalled daily. I’m charged more for public transport and at the market. But I’m always surprised when people ask if […]
Likes to be asked about surname
Katherine, East Lansing, MI. My last name is very unique. It is a Croatian last name and my mother’s maiden name is Croatian as well. Whenever people ask me about it, it makes me happy because no matter how many times it is misspelled or mispronounced I realize that those aren’t things that matter. My […]
But what is your Arabic name
Brian Batayeh East Lansing, MI
Two Arms, Two Legs, One Head.
Latoya Baerlocher-Turner, Newport News, VA. It’s fun watching people attempt to imagine my face from my name. My first name is notably of African American origin, but my last name tells a different story, so people don’t know what to expect. And it’s always the same vice versa when people who’ve met me, learn my […]
Not everybody who’s brown is “Hispanic”.
Nicole Bodenstein Milwaukee, WI I’m allowed to have a German last name.
Name of cemetery doesn’t change history
Lonna Jo Bowen-AlMoctar, Louisville, KY. I am from a clan of hillbillies in Eastern Kentucky. My family has a swath of land, called Bowen Farms, near Red River Gorge. As long as I can remember, the old cemetery on my family’s land has been called the “slave cemetery”. My Uncle has always kept up with […]
Well that’s a [pause] unique name
Bassey Etim-Edet Washington, DC No, my name is NOT unique or interesting. You’re world is just very small.
Always pre-judged by my “unique” name
Keosha Varela Washington, DC
Because I married a white man
Patricia Osborn Grand Rapids, MI People are always surprised when they see me. My last name doesn’t. “match” how I look. Although my parents are awesome and didn’t think twice about any of their children’s spouses race , my aunts and uncles made so many comments ranging from me not wanting to be a true […]
She took the time to talk…
Karen Bentwood, TN with me about what her name really was, as opposed to how the professor said it. She would say her name, the professor would butcher it, she would continue to make her points in the class discussion. After class, I decided to talk with her about the interaction. She graciously took the […]
For tradition’s sake, we mock others.
Kyle McDonald NC A couple of weeks ago, a friend and I got in an argument about race and sensitivity that started from watching football, of all things. I mentioned something about the fact that, if you think about it, the team the Washington Redskins is pretty offensive. His thought was “who cares?”. “People these […]
I’m just Jun, not Asian Jun
WeonJun Lee San Jose, CA
Yes, you can say my name.
Virginia Avanesyan Silver Spring, MD
Defined. Always by my last name.
Ashley Stefanowicz Hampton, VA
My Name Was a White Girl
Brooke Cobbin Jacksonville, FL For years, I have been pleasantly surprising people because when they read my name Brooke (Morgan) Cobbin they expect to see a white girl. When they read my essays, my emails…they think I am white. It’s funny to me because of how names are trendy. How many Madisons do you know […]
How do you pronounce your name?
Inchara Carmel, IN Whenever I met someone new, the first two minutes of our conversation was how to pronounce my name and what it meant. I dreaded roll call when there was a substitute teacher. At times, they’d skip my name entirely, making me feel left out. Both non-Indian and Indian people had trouble pronouncing […]
Hispanic name in a rural town
Elena Rodrigues Houghton, MA Living in a small town in the UP of Michigan and having a fairly Hispanic name can sometimes bring out the worst in people. Sometimes it shows how some people view a person from a different background in a negative way and other times it can be positive. I have been […]
My name is being made fun of?
Bang Ang New York, NY People often make jokes about my name. They would ask “did your parents drop pots and pans or something?” or “Did your mom drop her spoon at the hospital to name you that way?” This made me very depressed and feel bad about being Chinese.
First name Maria. AM NOT HISPANIC.
Maria Smith San Jose, CA It’s a bizarre little problem to have. Especially in California.
I am more than my name
Kelly Grayson Tukwila, WA I recall my years of education, all my teachers would call my name and then overlook my hand when I raised it. Repeatedly, they would call me until I said, “I’m right here.” Shocked to see a Black girl with my name (Kelly Grayson), they would treat me more differently than […]
Roll the rr in my name
Jack Herrera San Mateo, CA
“Your name doesn’t match your face”
Kimberly Jackson New York City, NY Most people do not associate the name “Kimberly Arlene Jackson” with a half-Vietnamese, half-White American person. The surprise is often hard to hide.
Named my black doll “baby sister”
Keenan Manpearl Santa Barbara, CA
What kind of name is that?
Jenny Sadre-Orafai USA
My name and skin don’t match.
Jennifer Lopez Salt Lake City, UT Don’t match your assumptions, that is. It certainly doesn’t help to have the same name as a famous Latina, either. I’m a pale freckled gal from the south, and for a while, south Texas, which was interesting. My dad is from Cuba and my mom is from East Texas. […]
My Name? There goes the Job
Raed Abdel-hadi Charleston, WV Everyone’s afraid of the other SIDE.
Hi I’m George, what’s your name?
Larry Taylor Webster, TX Six words which could have saved a young man’s life.
Three months more, would they ask?
Nina Martin Phoenix, AZ I am quietly proud of my multiracial background: my mother is Chinese, and my father is half German, half American. I also look absolutely nothing like my mother, save for straight hair and slightly tanner skin. While never a negative issue, this has led to some interesting situations since the time […]
My last name doesn’t define me.
Johnathan Neufeld Canada Throughout my entire life, people have judged me because my last name is German and Jewish. People have simply assumed that I was Jewish, so they always inquired about my religion, even though I’m an atheist, and German, so they’ve inquired about my family history dating back to the World Wars, even […]
“Your last name has no vowels.”
Janice Ng Nashville, TN “How do you pronounce that?”
1950 School Registration Joji becomes George
George Joji Hamamoto Colorado Springs, CO
Name unpronounceable – never called on
Edvige Kromayer Barrie Clinton, NY Growing up in the ’50s, I was unaware that most people had no idea how to pronounce my name and were therefore reluctant to call on me in class or say hi to me on the playground. At the beginning of kindergarten, one kid even asked if I was a […]
“White Girl” was my name until college.
Samantha McFadden New York, NY I grew up outside of New York in a city that was definitely more urban than suburban. I spent the majority of my childhood being referred to as “that white girl” by my classmates. As one of a dozen Caucasian people in my graduating class in high school, you would […]
But your last name is Decker?
Michael Decker Austin, TX In Texas, the dominant ethnicities are German and Mexican. Over the past two hundred years, these two have mixed greatly — along with the other ethnicities. It surprises me that more people are not open to the idea that your last name does not define your complete heritage. My last name […]
French firstname, Spanish lastname. I’m Indian.
Danielle Fernandez Trumbull, CT I’m Indian, but born in Zimbabwe. I always greet the question of “what is your background?” with a little sigh, and then gear up for the long explanation. Thankfully, in my area, the response is usually “that’s cool.”
How do you say your name?
Kaushik Pattamadai Cherry Hill, NJ I don’t really have many bad experiences with my name or my race in general. I have just noticed this question comes up a lot in interracial interactions even with names with easy syllable arrangements. Interestingly enough for me this question comes up only when I meet someone in person. […]
More letters add less Dr. Makombe
Scheri-lyn Makombe IN My confidence increased when I got married, even more when I graduated from Medical school. I never thought that the addition of ‘Dr.’ and the changing of my name from Green to Makombe would present as a hurdle.
My name is ethnic, immediate discrimination.
LaShunda B. Smith Pike Road, AL Even though i am an educated black woman, my name often times precedes me. It makes it difficult to compete but I continue to move forward. Soon to be “Dr. Smith”.
Light, German name, White? No, Nicaraguan.
Anyssa Strauss Temple City, CA
College admission: Smith better than Zhang
Steven Cui Foster City, CA Kids having their white dad’s family name and a Chinese mum get the best of both worlds, at least on paper when it comes to college application.
What’s your real Filipino name?
Jill Damatac Brooklyn, NY
Why can’t they pick normal names?
Nathan Arrowsmith Tempe, AZ
Last name Smith? But you’re Asian.
Trish Broome Baltimore, MD My father is white and my mother is Korean, so I grew up with my father’s last name, Smith. On the first day of teaching orientation they called my full name, Patricia Smith, so I raised my hand. I clearly remember the woman sitting next to me say, “You’re Patricia Smith? […]
Race-neutral name, foot in the door
Meredith TX Growing up as a Black girl named Meredith wasn’t easy. I was teased about it a lot. But as I entered adulthood I realized what a boon having a “White sounding” name was- I can’t tell you how many times my name has been called in a waiting room 2 or 3 times […]
We Share The Same Last Name
E R Leathers Emerville, CA Each and every Sunday, after attending church, my four sisters and I would head to downtown Raleigh. Sometimes we stopped to played in Moore Square before walking on to the Capitol Building. We would climb those life size statues of Presidents and forgotten war heroes. Our Sunday dresses suffered, while […]
Some Dogs Just Don’t Have Names
Glenn Richardson Wilmington, NC Every spring we would travel from Washington DC to Oktoc Mississippi to help my Dad work the cows. He had about 200 head to push through the mucky shoot to the cattle squeeze where they were tested for brucelllosis, wormed, weighed, pregnancy checked by an arm length plastic disposable glove to […]
How do you pronounce that again?
Patrick Tinsley Menlo Park, CA
In academics, foreign names are intimidating.
Dahway Submitted via Twitter: @ShadesOfWei
Rubinstein? Funny, you don’t look Mexican.
J. Rubinstein Cincinnati, OH Not many Mexicans named Rubinstein
Interesting name. Where you from? Chicago.
Dov Kawamoto Woodbridge, VA
The nuns rechristened Dominican Andre “Andrew”.
Julia Meyer Bell Fallbrook, CA I teach high school English, and Andre is one of my students. He is proud to be “Dominican American” (not to be confused with African American). One day in class we were sharing stories about earlier schooling experiences, and he talked about how the nuns in his New York City […]
Reject romance because of my name
Alexander Zielinski Tampa, FL
Leon. My last name shouldn’t matter
Matthew B. Leon El Paso, TX I was born and raised in the boarder city of El Paso, Texas. I would say 80% of the population is hispanic. People here expect me to know Spanish because of where I live, my skin tone and because of my last name. The fact is that I don’t […]
So, Do You Have Another Name?
Feyisetan Adunb Ann Arbor, MI Understanding Race Project – University of Michigan
Oh, you’re white.
Aneshia Savino NM My mum named me after a black actress she admired, and every time someone who has not met me previously, reads my name this is said, or the equivalent look crosses their face. Sometimes I am asked if my family is from Egypt, Turkey, or India, all at once.
Adopted. Raised as white. No identity.
Anonymous Kennewick, WA Being Latina, with a white name, but in knowledge of my Latino surname. I try to be supportive of my friends with their biracial and transracial adoptions, but it is so hard. I have suffered and struggled so much with my identity. People have such good intentions, but the children suffer. Then, […]
Grateful, granny called me black boy
Kevin Browne Submitted via Twitter: @drbrowne #TheRaceCardProject “Black Boy” for Michele by: Kevin A. Browne I was grateful; granny was prophetic, almost making me out of clay, caressing my tar with old love. black before it was a color. we come from an oily family, our skins sticky to the touch. we, who gushed […]
I hide in my Anglo-Franco name.
Eleanor Williams Maplewood, NJ My name is white, my skin is dark. Torn between my minority & majority roots I don’t know who I am.
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