Amanda
If you know me, you know that country music is a major passion of mine. It's been ingrained into me from the start. My whole family leaned towards that type of music, it seemed. My oldest uncle was a big Johnny Cash fan, from what I hear. My cousin that I grew up with ended up a country DJ, and I would be around when he would practice for being on the radio.
And my mother, well, she is a major music nut. It's definitely one of the few things we bond over. She likes different kinds of music, from 50s and 60s pop right through the 70s. It's her era, and many of us tend to continue to like the era of our youth. And of course, like the rest of the family, on that side at least, she has always liked country as well.
Which brings me to Amanda. What do you think of that name? I've always thought it was a pretty name, quite feminine. I decided to learn more about it. I do have a reason. I didn't pull it out of thin air.
I looked at two websites that I ought to give credit to, instead of just stealing their content:
https://www.behindthename.com/name/amanda
https://www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/things-that-perfectly-describe-all-amandas?utm_term=.nwqVb3mm9#.aydJK6BBa
It seems Amanda comes from Latin (doesn't everything?), meaning "lovable, worthy of love". Pretty cool. Excellent sentiment. As for the supposed "things that describe all Amandas", I'm not so sure they don't describe people with all kinds of different names. Some of them even describe me. Some definitely wouldn't describe me, like the one about hitting snooze all the time. I don't even use an alarm.
Let me cut to the chase, for those who have hung in so far. I talked to my mother today, and during the course of the loooooooong conversation, it came around to baby names. My mom doesn't know anything about Shannyn yet. So I sensed in this conversation with her the chance to find out something I didn't know. Stealthily, I slid in the question about what my name would have been, had I been "a girl".
You may have by now guessed she told me it would have been Amanda. It's quite a thing to learn that, it seems. I'm not sure I really even wondered about it before. Here I am, completely choosing my female name with no insight other than just picking what I liked, and there was a ready-made name for me. I know many girls like me that have used the girl name they would've been given had they been born female. I guess I'm a little dense.
To tie in the country music part, my mom had chosen Amanda based on the old Waylon Jennings song. Very apropos, since that's one of my very favorite artists. And a great song. And so now I have this nugget rattling around my head. It makes me smile. I wonder, if I ever legally changed my name, should I utilize Amanda now? It sure is a pretty name. Mandy. Love it. No, I think I'm staying with Shannyn now. Fun to think about, though.
The funniest part about all this was hearing that she "just knew I was a boy", and didn't really even consider the possibility that I could be a girl. Wow, if she only knew how I have turned out. Inside, at least. I wish I knew ahead of time how she'd react to knowing what I have going on. Then the fear might not be so much for little ole "almost Amanda". I think I'm lovable, as the name suggests. I hope so, anyway.
Let me know what your parents would have named you if you'd been born the opposite sex. I'd love to hear about it. It's great fun to think of what might've been, but we mustn't ever dwell on it. Live here and now! Thanks for reading.
And my mother, well, she is a major music nut. It's definitely one of the few things we bond over. She likes different kinds of music, from 50s and 60s pop right through the 70s. It's her era, and many of us tend to continue to like the era of our youth. And of course, like the rest of the family, on that side at least, she has always liked country as well.
Which brings me to Amanda. What do you think of that name? I've always thought it was a pretty name, quite feminine. I decided to learn more about it. I do have a reason. I didn't pull it out of thin air.
I looked at two websites that I ought to give credit to, instead of just stealing their content:
https://www.behindthename.com/name/amanda
https://www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/things-that-perfectly-describe-all-amandas?utm_term=.nwqVb3mm9#.aydJK6BBa
It seems Amanda comes from Latin (doesn't everything?), meaning "lovable, worthy of love". Pretty cool. Excellent sentiment. As for the supposed "things that describe all Amandas", I'm not so sure they don't describe people with all kinds of different names. Some of them even describe me. Some definitely wouldn't describe me, like the one about hitting snooze all the time. I don't even use an alarm.
Let me cut to the chase, for those who have hung in so far. I talked to my mother today, and during the course of the loooooooong conversation, it came around to baby names. My mom doesn't know anything about Shannyn yet. So I sensed in this conversation with her the chance to find out something I didn't know. Stealthily, I slid in the question about what my name would have been, had I been "a girl".
You may have by now guessed she told me it would have been Amanda. It's quite a thing to learn that, it seems. I'm not sure I really even wondered about it before. Here I am, completely choosing my female name with no insight other than just picking what I liked, and there was a ready-made name for me. I know many girls like me that have used the girl name they would've been given had they been born female. I guess I'm a little dense.
To tie in the country music part, my mom had chosen Amanda based on the old Waylon Jennings song. Very apropos, since that's one of my very favorite artists. And a great song. And so now I have this nugget rattling around my head. It makes me smile. I wonder, if I ever legally changed my name, should I utilize Amanda now? It sure is a pretty name. Mandy. Love it. No, I think I'm staying with Shannyn now. Fun to think about, though.
The funniest part about all this was hearing that she "just knew I was a boy", and didn't really even consider the possibility that I could be a girl. Wow, if she only knew how I have turned out. Inside, at least. I wish I knew ahead of time how she'd react to knowing what I have going on. Then the fear might not be so much for little ole "almost Amanda". I think I'm lovable, as the name suggests. I hope so, anyway.
Let me know what your parents would have named you if you'd been born the opposite sex. I'd love to hear about it. It's great fun to think of what might've been, but we mustn't ever dwell on it. Live here and now! Thanks for reading.
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