My Name: Kaitlyn

My name means “little darling?” Other sources disagree; my name either means “torture” or “one who is pure.” My name comes from Ireland, Greece, or England, three places that have always interested me. My name fits me, because it describes a person who is loud, and outspoken, and a bookworm. But the way I imagine a person named Kaitlyn, is someone who is mousy, quiet, and blonde. I am not mousy, definitely not quiet, and not blonde (though I may act like it sometimes). I like my name because it’s timeless. The name “Kaitlyn” could come from anytime in the history of the world. Also, my name sounds like it describes a bubbly, fun, happy person. “Kaitlyn” also sounds like an elegant, and graceful person; two things I’m definitely not.

Because I’ve always liked my name, it’s surprising that I constantly wanted to change it. I was obsessed with plant names, like Fern, Lily and Rose, for a while. I also really liked the name Cassidy, but spelled “Kasadie,” when I was nine or ten. Some of my nicknames include, Kaity, Kate, Kathy, and Kaitie-Kat. I’ve never really been teased about my name, but in 3rd grade I was called “Kaitie-Kaitlyn-Kyle-Princess-Has-leeches-in-her-lunch.” It’s a long story, but in a nutshell: I hated being called Kaity, I wanted to be called Kaitlyn, and my “male name” was supposedly Kyle. Then I thought I was royalty, and over Christmas break I left a bottle of orange juice in the classroom, and when I got back there were leeches in the bottle. The nickname was pretty much the events of my 3rd grade year summarized.

I was given my name, because my mom read a book when she was little, about a girl named Caitlin. She liked the name, and thought it was cute. When she was picking out names (while she was pregnant with me), she found the name Caitlin, but with a “k” (Kaitlin). She changed the last “i” to a “y,” and eureka! Kaitlyn (my name), is born! I really like my name, because it fits me, and all my memories revolve around my name: Kaitlyn.