Hello My Names Are:
Taryn, Tar, Tah, Tareen
Taryn – This is my full given name. Its English nature hints at my mother’s northern European heritage. This is the name I am known by to most, and the name I use in the classroom and within professional settings. Though the name Taran can be a boy’s name, my name and the way it is spelled is female gendered. In addition, because my name is fairly unique, I am able to go by my first name without people having to say my last name, a comforting thing for me because I find most people have a difficult time pronouncing my last name. My first name and its easily pronounceable nature generally allows me access to most things and identifies a privileged side of myself. I can use my name, probably, to achieve any ends I would like.
Tar (pronounced Tare)- This is a nickname used by many of my friends, especially my teammates on my dance team. It is probably my most common name that I am called besides my full name. I really like Tar; I like nicknames and, since I was always sad growing up that my name was too short to really be shortened to a nickname, I have really enjoyed acquiring this nickname in college. This name gives me access to be casually addressed within friendships and also signals a special team relationship. While I enjoy this name in these settings, I would probably never use it at a job or in the classroom. Using Tar instead of my full proper name indicates that I have let my teammates into a more personal side of me, representing a close, trusting and fun relationship.
Tah – This name, derived from my initials T.A.H. is reserved for my grandmother’s use only. We used to spend a lot of time together when I was younger, and she was like a second mother to me. Tah is a name that symbolizes our close and loving relationship, though it also reminds me of being a child a little bit when she addressed me so. I still sign my emails to her with this name, it is one that I would never use otherwise but reminds me of the special connection we have.
Tareen- Tareen was a name I used when I went abroad to Madrid last fall. I used this pronunciation of my name because it is almost impossible to pronounce “Taryn” in Spanish because of the ways that the vowels and consonants come together in this language. My host mother and professors addressed me by this name, and eventually most of my American peers studying abroad with me used this name for me too, even though they could pronounce the English version just fine. I am quite fond of this name because it reminds me of this special semester and an incredible adventure in my life. In addition, using this name gave me some insight into what it is like to have a name of a different language and cultural origin from the dominant language in which you are living. Many people who move to the United States, for example, choose to change their names to an English version so that it is easier for people around them to pronounce it. Though I was able to appreciate this more after my experience as Tareen, I remember that I am lucky because I was able to choose to take on this name without minding, and I only had to use it for one semester. In that way I am privileged because my given name is easily pronounced and said by most people in the society in which I live.
Hello My Names Are Not:
Karen, Erin, Sharon…etc- Sometimes, people have a hard time hearing me when I say my name because it sounds like these other more common names. I also have a difficult time distinguishing between these names and my own when I hear them being called allowed because they sound so similar. I know it is an honest mistake, but sometimes it can be frustrating for me when people have a difficult time understanding my name at first because instances like this make me feel as if my name is a bit strange to others, compared to these other more common names.
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