My father named me. He was enamored with the name Gabrielle; however, he felt that Gabrielle Gregerson would clash obnoxiously. One night he woke up, turned to my mother and whispered, “We should name her Kaitlin”. He immediately rolled over and went back to sleep, and that is how I received my first name. Kaitlin is the Irish form of Katherine which means pure. My mother nicknamed me Kaitie Bean; it makes my heart flutter because it’s more personal than the thousands of other Kaitlins that roam the Earth.
Elizabeth. I never understood why my parents picked Elizabeth until we received this assignment. Elizabeth means “God is my oath”, which is why it was an appropriate choice for my mother’s confirmation name and in turn my middle name. I