Thursday, May 4, 2006 (5:25 pm cdt, revised 9:46 pm cdt)
This post originally appeared on Umm… He Said.
The name has changed, but obviously I’m still the same guy. And I’m still Ummamum; that will not change.
Kharlie simply doesn’t make the grade because it sounds too much like a girl’s name. I have tried to justify it by saying that it is spelled like Charlie except for the K, but I just can’t escape the fact that it sounds like a girl’s name.
I still like the first initial K, so I went with Kyle in place of Kharlie. The name Kyle is of Gaelic origin, which predates modern-day Ireland and Scotland. There is no clear consensus of its meaning; it is said to mean either
In addition, in the Yiddish, it means “victorious” or “crowned with laurels.”
Noticing that the old initials KAU could be pronounced aloud either as “caw” (the sound a crow makes) or “cow”, I decided that a new middle name was in order also. I wanted the initial J, so I thought of 18 different boy’s names beginning with J, then ruled most of them out for various reasons. Finally I chose Joseph which means “God will increase.” Beside the meaning, this is also a nod to my son, whose first name is Joseph.
So Kharlie Andrew Ummamum is no more. I am now Kyle Joseph Ummamum (K.J. Ummamum for short). I have changed the name on all of my previous posts. I also changed the subtitle (directly under “umm… he said” at the top of the page) to “the online journal of k.j. ummamum,” in case you didn’t notice (the old subtitle was “ummamum’s musings, rants and other stuff”).
This name thing has been bothering me for a while, and that’s partly why I haven’t been updating these past three-and-a-half months. I plan to do better in the future.
added January 23, 2007
Below is the segment from the original “About Me” page, that tells why I chose the old name in the first place:
…each part of the name has a special meaning:
- Kharlie
- This is simply “Charlie” spelled with a “K”—but people like to say it with a silent “h” so it sounds like “Carly.” Now I’m a guy, but I’m okay with that; it’s sorta like wearing a pink shirt, which is quite acceptable for guys nowadays.
- Andrew
- The name means “manly, valiant, courageous.” Maybe a bit of wishful thinking on my part, but I like it! And because it’s clearly a guy’s name, it makes the gender more clear.
- Ummamum
- Pronounced “UM-um-um,” it means “Umm… whatever you like.” I have a variety of interests and talents, so defining me isn’t easy. Learn more at Ummamum’s World. By the way, the weird faces that grace these pages are also called Ummamums!