Blog Post 4 - A Good Name

As you may know already, my name is Jessica May Hilu, yet people call me Jess or Jessie rarely Jessica but I am normally called Jessica IF I have misbehaved  :) (WHICH IS NOT VERY OFTEN). Historically, the name Jessica was a part of Shakespeare's play 'The Merchant of Venice' that was presented in 1596. The name Jessica was the first introduced in this play, where the name was given to the daughter of Shylock. Historians believe that William Shakespeare used the name which was initially based in the bible as ISCAH, of which was also spelt Jescha during the Shakespearian time. Yet, on the other hand, the name itself was not commonly used until the 1950's.
If I was to be completely honest with you guys, there is somewhat of a personal significance to my name SOMEWHAT. But because I am 1/4 Lebanese shocker right ? In their culture, Arabic names from grandparents, parents etc. should be passed down from generation to generation.
For example,  Traditionally the oldest son takes the grandfather's name and then their dad's name (as their middle/second name)
My grandfather's name is Nassim Jabra Hilu who had two sons of which were twins.. but my uncle was the oldest by 2 minutes so he traditionally gets the name. Sorry dad. My uncle's name (oldest son) is Gabriel Nassim Hilu. You can see that his grandfather's name is slightly different to his father's name. Jabra is the original name, although Gabriel is the English version of which is pronounced Jabrel in Arabic. It is quite confusing when I heard it myself although it's pretty simple one you really think about it. Grandfather's name is Jabra, Father's name is Nassim and the last name is Hilu.
Sadly in our family, the tradition has not followed all the way through completely, yet there are some traces of these traditions that can be found within someone's full name.
For example, Callum Nassim Hilu should, in fact, be Nassim Daniel Hilu if the tradition was followed.
My brother has a British name although he does have his grandfather's name within his full name.  This tradition would be considered as a master identity because the names are passed down from generation to generation which has rarely been changed.
When it comes to my name, there isn't any cultural or personal significance, unfortunately.. but I found it quite interesting to know where the name originated from. As my name doesn't stick or has a tradition within our family, I would have a personal identity because there hasn't been the name Jessica that has been passed down through our family.

Work Cited Page

"Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Jessica." Behind The Name. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.