Everyone's Gonna Learn About My Name Today

finally, the answers you've been looking for

I don’t know why but I’m always interested in names. I mean, I feel like they’re kind of important? My name matters to me. What I call people matters to me.

It’s a fun thing to talk about. Sean has thoughts on his name and we’ve engaged in many conversations, together and separately, about the different spellings and which one is [obviously] superior.

It’s also fun to think of all the versions of the same name in different languages. Ready?

Séan: Irish (cool—add an accent to your name, Sean)
John: English
Ian/Iain: Scottish
Jean: French
Jän: Dutch
Hans: Danish
Johann: German
Juan: Spanish
Giovanni: Italian
Ivan: Russian

See? So fun! There’s probably a ton more, too.
But back to me.

So I was writing some mail to a person who shares my name: Jennifer (in case you forgot). This isn’t difficult, as 3% of the world’s population is named Jennifer, a statistic Alexa just told me which I cannot/willnot fact check.

But it’s interesting, because that other Jennifer was a stranger and writing to strangers is a really unique experience. She had given me some info about herself but I already know there is a subject about which much can be discussed: Our shared name.

Jennifer is a name I really identify with (ha ha). In spite of my nonconformist personality, I do love my super common name and though it was annoying to have to permanently attach a last name initial to it in elementary school, I’m always glad to meet another, and feel an immediate kinship, even sisterhood.

One thing is that its rise in popularity happened within a very specific timeframe so I know that I share more than a name with another Jennifer. I share a time period, an era, pop culture, probably a lot of the same nostalgia, maybe even style in clothing. We played on the same playground equipment, watched the same shows, had the same roller skates. So it might be that I feel I’ve never met a stranger when it comes to other Jennifers. That’s how it feels to me. Even for the outlier twenty-somethings named Jennifer. We are already friends because your parent knew a Jennifer and probably loved her and I’m just pleased that legacy continues.

I did some research and discovered that the name originates in 1500’s Cornwall which is in Wales. There have been a lot of variations over the centuries like Guinevere, and other names share cognates like Finn, and Winnifred, which is fun, though I know 0 Winnifreds, sadly.

But listen to this! The very first, the original version of Jennifer is… Gwenhwyfar.

What! I’m in love. I was in Wales this summer and in my feverish attempt to quickly learn the pretty wild spelling + pronunciation rules to the Welsh language, I felt even closer to my Welsh roots and have this strange desire to change my name. It also makes me wonder what was going on with the hard G and J sound and when those transitions happened. Like, is my name supposed to be pronounced with a hard G? Ghennifer. Ghen. But Gwenhwyfar is amazing. I always love a Gwen. And if my name doesn’t have two w’s in it or have hwy in a row, what is even the point?

Also I found this on Wikipedia: “A Cornish form, Jennifer is cognate with the Welsh form Gwenhwyfar and with the Old Irish Findabair.” Findabair?? Fantastic.

Also, “far” > “fer.” I have a Jennifriend (= friend named Jennifer, and a word [new cool name?] I just made up) who said she was called “jennifer-ball” growing up and I’m like, yeah, that makes sense! She seemed less enthused.

Except—PSYCH. I just looked up the pronunciation of Gwenhwyfar and as I should have known, it’s pretty different from what I thought. Ready? Gwen-wee-whar/were. Say what now?

Gwen-wee-whar. That is very different from how I was saying it: Gwen-nih-far. But it’s still cool, like I just slipped into speaking Elvish. But also, it doesn’t matter. I can choose how I want to say it because I’m an American where at least I know I’m free to completely invent spellings/pronunciations according to my whims.

I was at the dentist recently and engaged in a conversation with the hygienist about all this. She had told me her parents are British with grandparents in Wales. The dentist eventually arrived and attempted to half-enter the conversation, as dentists/doctors do.

At this point I said, “I don’t know how ideal it is to have “fer/fur” in one’s name. There aren’t many of us. Jennifer… Christopher…. Lucifer.”

Lucifer got a laugh out of them. “No, you don’t meet many Lucifers,” one said.

I replied, agreeing, but then reflected, “But you know... It could be a really cute girl’s name. ‘Hi, I’m Lucifer. You can call me Lucy.’ How much different is it from Jennifer-call-me-Jen/Jenny? Lucifer should be a girl’s name! Let’s take it back!”

I had lost them at this point but I was very amused. I just feel like, why not? Can you make your brain switch and hear it differently? Little Lucy? Short for Lucifer? She’s adorable. Bit rascally.

The dentist then made a comment as he started to exit the room about how annoying it is for girls to be named boys’ names like Ryan which I immediately shot down. First, it’s fine. Second, hello—have you never heard of Rhiannon? Possibly the most beautiful name in the world which also happens to be Welsh?

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You’d think this is all one would have to say on the subject but no. I just did a search for more names that end in fer/pher and there are a few more that escaped me:

- Kristoffer. Yes, this is cool.
-Kiefer. Nice. And yes, we all know the same Kiefer.

Now we share a bond.

-Sofer? -means writer, author. Alright, I’ll allow it.
-Fifer. Ha! Of course. Michelle Pfeifer. Playing some pfeifs.
-Menefer? Ok, is that one real? Means “furnished and nice.” What the hey does that even mean for a person. I got this from a baby naming website so it better not be just throwing down random words.
-Schaffer: Cares for the sheep. Or does a lot of babysitting (Dawn Shaeffer. Where are my Babysitter’s Club peeps at, i.e. fellow Jennifers, 100% guaranteed)
-Rafer, Irish Gaelic. Like Rafferty, ok. I like it.
-Zaafer: Helper, or assistant. This one is legit cool; somebody use it.
-Ofer: If this is pronounced Oafer, that is a no-go; please do not name your baby this. But if it’s like Offer, I think I like it! It was just a word before, but now I can hear it as a name and it’s a cool one, though your nickname is Off…. ? Nope, still cool. Do it.

Maybe it’s just me, but I find this endlessly fascinating and I highly recommend researching your name. You may feel more connected to yourself and you’ll find other names you had no idea you shared an etymological root. Now I have something interesting to tell the next Finn I meet (finally).

A pic I took touring a Welsh castle. You will never be able to pronounce it in a hundred years, don’t even try. I feel like I’m looking at a big word jumble. My backward brain wants to reorder all the letters. I already found “dandy.”

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