From Slavery to D.C: The History of My Name

Most people who have outlandish names such as Ladasha or Shaniqua or even Tydashrone are presumed Ghetto and just out right crazy. But for me, I don’t mind their names because they are so rare that people won’t get them confused with others. Take my name for example, Briana Washington. I have a very common name. There are 22, 159 people in the United States, alone, with the first name Briana, well actually Brianna, but close enough.

        Because my name is so common, one of my older generation cousins almost gave my mother a heart attack when she told her that I was dead. She was watching the news and she saw that this other young lady named Brianna Washington was hit by a car and she past away. My mother, knowing I was home all day, still panicked and called my phone in a frenzy asking me weird questions like am I ok? Or you’re in the house right? So that is one downside for having my name.

      My mother claims that she wanted my sister, Sha’Quana and I names to rhyme, so that’s why she chose Briana. For the most popular names for births in the United States in 1997, Brianna was number 17 on the list. A coincidence? I think not.

       Now I would like to travel over seas to see what my name means. In Albania, Greece, and the Republic of Macedonia; Briana is a species of ray-finned fish which are threatened by habitat loss. In the Irish Origin, Briana means strong and honorable. My name gives me a highly sensitive, idealistic, and intuitive nature which I completely agree with. I see all of those ideals within myself on a daily basis.

       My favorite part of my name is my last name. My last name is widely known throughout the world because it is a state, the capital of the United States, and the last name of a former president. In the 2000 census, 90% of the Washington’s recorded were black. It’s very interesting how the last name Washington spread across the United States. Supposedly when George Washington freed his slaves after his wife died, majority of them took his last name with them, which was not uncommon in that time.

      So let’s recap. I was pronounced dead by my cousin, my name was near the top of the list for most popular names in 1997, I’m a strong, honorable fish on its way to extinction, and I’m a descendent of slaves; all just with my name. But hey, I’ve also been called Bri Bri from the D.C and George Washington’s granddaughter. How cool is that!