My name is Olivia. The name comes from the play, Twelfth Night, written by Shakespeare. He wrote it to describe a beautiful girl. It means wise. Strong and determined. It’s like the number six— common and traditional.

Olivia is a bright color. A color like yellow. The color of a sunflower. Like the sunflowers I used to pick with my sister in our backyard as children. Reminds me of warm memories, filled with laughter and contentment. I have many of these. The name itself is caring and trustworthy. Like a family. A family that has always stayed close and been there for eachother.

A family like mine. A family that is so important to me that I carry them with me in my middle names— Ruth Marie. It came from my great aunt. She was a strong woman, as am I. Her name brought me her strength. The three, short words connect together. Olivia. Ruth. Marie. A beautiful flow of syllables. My middle name is the base of my name. The root of it. Like the roots of a tree. A family tree because it has been in my family for years past. The name has a strong history and it makes me proud to own it.

The name Olivia doesn’t always stand out in a crowd. As a solution, I’ve been given numerous nicknames. Ever since I was born, my dad calls me Liv. I love it when he calls me that. Everyone on my dad’s side calls me Liv, where most of my mom’s side calls me by the full “Olivia.” I’ve been called other names like O, Herb, plenty more.

What I do not get called is Livvy. That name reminds me of toddler and does not suit me. It strikes memories of my 3 year old neighbor I babysat in the past. Hours full of shouting, sobbing, and suffering. I prefer a less painful name. Something more simple, like myself.

I have always appreciated my name. I think it suits me. It’s nothing too wild. Nothing too boring. It has a ring to it that is soft, yet appealing in your ear. Just three choppy words that flow. Flow like a flower on a breezy, summer day. Like the sunflowers my sister and I picked with our bare hands. The sunflowers that we cherished. I cherished those sunflowers like I cherish my name. The name is filled with memories that will last me a lifetime, spent with my family and best friends. My name is original and I wouldn’t change it to any other.