Katherine Elizabeth

1. How did I get my name?
My parents and my grandmother chose my name.
2. Where did I get my name?
3. Why did you choose my name?
My family was looking for a traditional name which wouldn't go out of fashion.
4. What religion is my name from?
My name is Hebrew. Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist in the Old Testament or Jewish Bible.
5. What does my name mean?
I always believed that my name meant "gift of God", but alphabet zoope says it means "God's oath". I suppose that isn't too different because one famous gift from God was the rainbow, which was a symbol of his oath not to send another flood.
6. Did any relatives have my name? Which ones?
My cousin is Margaret Elizabeth. My family tree goes back to the 1740's (so far!) and there are about five or six Elizabeths and Elizas.
7. Who gave me my name?
My mother wanted to call me Elizabeth Sarah, but my grandmother, who was a bit of a snob, thought that Sarah was "a maid's name". They compromised on Katharine Elizabeth, but my mum won in the end because my sister is called Sarah Jane!
8. What is the history of my name?
9. Who told you about this name?
10. What is the symbol of my name? What does it represent?
11. Is my name multi-cultural?
Elizabeth is fairly multi-cultural because it comes from the Bible and can be found in all the countries where there are Jews or Christians. There are many different forms of the name Elizabeth; Lisa, Liza, Leesa, Liz, Betsy, Bessie, Beth..... and so on. In my work I have had to deal with people from all over Europe. They all find my name, Liz, easy to remember and to spell!
12. How old is my name?
My name is very old, because it comes from the Old Testament.
13. Is there any physical background to my name (like places connected with it)
There is a Port Elizabeth in South Africa (33.58S 25.40E). In Zaire in Africa there is a city called Lubumbashi which is also known as Elizabethville (11.32S 27.38E) There's a city called Elizabeth in New Jersey USA (40.37N 74.12W) and an Elizabeth City in N. Carolina (36.18N 76.16W). There are several other cities called Elizabethton and Elizabethtown in the USA. There is also a city in South Australia called Elizabeth (34.45S 138.39W). It's quite close to where Emma lives.
14. Can you tell me an interesting story about my name?
I was born in Britain, where we have had two Queens called Elizabeth. This makes my name very popular with British people. There were two other Elizabeths in my class at school. I once had an Indian penfriend who wrote that he was very happy to have a penfriend with the same name as the Queen of England! Liz Taylor is also British and has the same first name as me.
15. What are your feelings about my name?
On the whole I like my name. Nobody has any trouble saying it or spelling it. My parents were right - it is the kind of name which never really goes out of fashion. My husband is called David (another Bible name) and we like the way our names go together. Sometimes I think my name is a bit boring, but I can't imagine being called anything else.

Patti,

I have always wondered if our names affect who we are. My parents went for very conservative names for myself and my middle sister, but my youngest sister nearly died when she was a baby and she had to be baptised in the hospital. My parents, thinking she would die and wanting to express their love for her, called her Felicity, which means "happiness".

Well, Felicity didn't die and she grew up to be a very different kettle of fish from her big sisters. She's very flamboyant and always immaculately dressed and made up. She lives for the moment and wherever she is you can guarantee there's a party going on. She's also very loving and open-hearted. In short she's a typical Felicity. We've always thought her flamboyant name affected how she grew up.

Other things also spring to mind. The way Hollywood used to change peoples names. Would Judy Garland ever have become a star if she'd stayed plain old Frances Grubb? Then there's the tradition of West Indians in Britain (and, I guess, African-Americans) naming their children for heroes such as Winston Churchill and Marcus Garvey.

Maybe it would be nice to ask if other people think our names affect who we are.

hugs,
Liz