Choosing a name for your child is difficult, and even more challenging if you're from Hawai`i.
Many little girls dream of their wedding, whereas I had been thinking of children's names since high school. That may seem odd; but I think this fascination with names came from my own insecurities about my own name.
My name is a blend of things: A blend of 3 names, mixed with my Hawaiian side, my maiden name being Japanese - it's mix of things that make me, me. Coming from Hawai`i, names tend to be long and representative of one's ethnicities with lots of meaning, which certainly is the case for me and my son.
Here's my mix:
Kimberlyn: My mother wanted to name me Kimiko, but my father didn't care for it. She took the first 3 letters "Kim", and paired it with the first 3 letters of her parent's names 'Ber' from "Bert", and 'Lyn' from "Lynn" which equated to "Kimberlyn. My middle name is "Laola Hokoana" - Laola in Hawaiian meaning "A day of Life", and Hokoana also being Hawaiian, is my father's last name. Racoma is my married name, and so my maiden name is "Moriguchi" which in Japanese means "Entrance (or Mouth) to the Forrest". I got teased for my name a lot - "It's too long", "It's complicated", "It's hard to say", "it doesn't sound Hawaiian "were often comments I heard or sometimes still hear. For years I felt very insecure about my name (hello people pleasing tendency), but overtime, I grew to appreciate my name and it's story, and I wanted something for my son to appreciate, that had a story.
I always had a "Baby Name List" and it's been redone over the years. I remember my first iPod Touch, which was the one that looked like the iPhone (I was so late to the game lol). I would make notes in my iPod of baby names. I was always terrified of pregnancy, but deep deep down I knew I wanted a baby; it was when that was the initial issue. These names I jotted, I would either find online in an article about "Top Baby Names for 20__", or had something to do with cars (don't judge me). These names... these are the names I would imagine I'd use one day, and it sort of came true.
Jayse's name, Jayson Takeo Kamea`iomakamae Racoma didn't take as long to decide on as I had thought because of my baby name list. My husband knew for years tha
t I liked the name "Jayson" with this spelling. When we were in high school, we had the discussion of "If you had kids, what would you name them?". He wanted the name "Jayare", because he thought it looked cool. I liked the "Jay" part, but preferred the modified spelling for "Jason" instead.
Takeo means "warrior", or also associated with "strong, like bamboo". This name resonated with me, because I wanted him to be brave, strong, and to fight against any obstacles he may face in life. Unbeknownst to me, he'd also fight his sleep and is incredibly strong willed, so it's safe to say he is already living up to this name.
Kamea`iomakamae in Hawaiian means "truly precious one". We received visioned help by my mom's close friend's mother-in-law who reached out because she had a vision for us. Hawaiian names are truly special, and are typically given via special vision or a message from God or Ancestors. She gave us 3 options that she felt strongly about, which I did like as well, but this name we chose stood out the most, since he is the first child for us, the first grandchild on my side (for both my mom and my dad), the first great grandchild for my mom's parents, etc. We did have to confirm spelling with my niece, who is fluent in Hawaiian and one smart-cookie regardless, so she definitely made sure Aunty understood everything (Thank you Aria!).
And for those wondering, ethnicity wise, our son is....
Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese, Okinawan, Chinese, Portuguese, Caucasian - Percentages have yet to be determined (lol).
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