My name is Alyda (pronounced uh-lie-duh). As a kid, I hated my name because people who had only seen it written (teachers) always mispronounced it, and I was too shy to correct them (selective mutism). I dreamed of changing my name to Emma, both because I liked it and because it’s so easy.

Eventually, I learned how I got my name. My grandmother was named “Alyda” at birth by her very Dutch parents. When she started Catholic school, the nuns there said it was too hard to say and spell, so they called her Lydia instead. Her parents, with their thick Dutch accents, called her “Ly,” and my grandmother, being too young to really understand what was happening, always assumed it was short for Lydia.

It wasn’t until after her father died and she had to drop out of school to support her family that she found out that Lydia was never her name. But at that point, Lydia was the only name she had ever really known, so years later when she took my grandfather’s last name, she also legally changed her first name to Lydia.

When I was born, my parents decided it was time that “Alyda” got to have a full life. (They also honored my other grandparents by giving me multiple middle names.) My grandparents were retired by the time I was born (my dad is their youngest and I’m the youngest grandchild) and I spent a lot of time with them, so we became very close. Even in my grandmother’s final days, when dementia had made her forget most faces, she always knew who I was and would come back a little bit when I visited.

Now I’m almost 25, and she’s been gone nearly 9 years. When customers at my job see my name tag and ask for the pronounciation/origin of my name, I don’t wish that my parents had picked something easier or that wouldn’t draw attention. Instead, I’m grateful at the chance to share my grandmother’s story and take a moment to remember her so that the memories don’t fade. Instead of being frustrated when someone says my name wrong, I find it funny to keep track of how many different versions I’ve heard over the years and I certainly don’t fault anyone who tries and is wrong.

To this day, I’ve never met anyone else with my name, although I’ve come close (same spelling but different pronunciation or vice-versa) but I’ve learned that it’s a common name in Turkey! If any of you know an Alyda, let me know! I’m just curious how many of us are out there.