Why is my name Sophia? It’s a question I’ve asked my parents a lot and they never really have an answer. It was one that everyone could agree on without fighting and it works with all of my nationalities: Chaldean, Italian, German, and Swedish. 

Something I’ve always wondered is why our names just work. I look like a Sophia and act like a Sophia. My whole life people have told me “you’re so mature for your age” or “you're wise beyond your years” and part of me thinks it's because of my name. Sophia means “wisdom” and maybe there is some truth to that now that I think about it. I mean literally, my whole life people have said this about me from bosses to teachers to parents, everyone seems to think I’m crazy mature for my age. In 8th grade, my science teacher even told my mom she thought I was an old soul

So think about it, how weird is it that my name seems to match my personality? It’s crazy to me that our parents just come up with these random names and cross their fingers that it fits our traits and the way we look. 

My name was supposed to be Brooke and I feel like I can see how I would look like a Brooke but I don’t think my personality matches the name. Brooke means “small stream” and the name used to be given to people who live by a small body of water. To me, having a name related to water means you go with the flow and are pretty chill which I’m not sure I am. I mean I’m not crazy anxious all the time but I can’t say a sudden change of plans doesn’t stress me out or that when my mascara goes on funny in the morning I just let it go and enjoy my day.

Now, this makes me think. If my name was Brooke, would I be way more relaxed and laid back or would I have Sophia’s personality and traits just without the name? I wonder how much our names actually affect how we act and think. There must be some correlation between the two. How else would my name fit so well? Overall,  I’m happy with my name, it’s popular but not too popular, it has a cool meaning, and it flows pretty well. Sophia Marie Balaya. See? It slips right off the tongue so if nothing else, it sounds pretty and that’s all that really matters in the long run.