Today’s Bloganuary prompt: “Write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.” Well, a good prompt for today as it’s my birthday!!
When I was born, my parents were quite surprised to discover I was a girl. This was before ultrasounds would give you that information in advance (yes, young ones, there was such a time, not so long ago). They’d fully anticipated a boy and hadn’t even considered names for a girl.
So it took them a week to name me. I’ve asked both of them why they chose the name Belinda, and I’ve gotten the same response from each–“we liked the name.” No favorite relative and certainly nothing to do with its meaning.
Over the years I’ve gotten different explanations of that meaning. When I was in high school, a friend brought her parent’s baby naming book to school. Why, I don’t know. We all looked up our own names and those of our siblings, crushes, and any others who struck our fancy. I was tickled to learn that, according to this book, my name meant, “wise and immortal.”
Of course one boy teased me mercilessly about this, pretending to misunderstand and believe that my name actually meant, “immoral.” Another boy said (in all seriousness), “no, no, Belinda means ‘witch.'” Where he got that, I have no idea. I think he saw a movie or read a book with a witch who shared my name.
I looked it up today and learned it derives from an old Spanish word meaning, “beautiful.” Well, that’s nice. Another entry said the first part of my name means “beautiful” but the second part means “serpent.” Well, I’ll be darned. Beautiful serpent. Is there such a thing?
Whatever the meaning, I’ve always liked the name. So thanks, Mom and Dad.
And by the way, if I’d been a boy, I would have been named Mark.
Image Credits: What’s Your Name © Coloures-Pic–stock.adobe.com; Witch © Wiktoria Matynia–stock.adobe.com.
My World With Words 
Your story begins so much like mine. My parents fully thought I would be a boy.
I chose not to know the gender of my first baby, but I had names ready either way.
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I think it’s hard for a lot of people to imagine not knowing the sex of your child! At least we both ended up with pretty names (if I’m allowed to say that about my own name!).
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Of course, you can say that. I worked with a Spanish speaking woman years ago who called me Linda. It means pretty in Spanish. So you get to Be Pretty!
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😊
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Happy birthday, Belinda! Loved hearing your name story on your bday. it is so fitting! Beautiful!
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It was fun to write. You’re right, it was a fitting prompt. Thank you!
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Happy birthday! I must admit I never got the backstory on my naming…or what the girl alternative name would have been.🙂
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I may not have thought about it if I didn’t deduce they had a name picked out!
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It’s so funny to see how fast technology has moved us, because now, not only can you see the sex of the baby, but it’s almost like an actual photograph of all of its features.
I had to laugh about the boy who thought your name meant immoral lol
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Yeah, he was quite a character. I’ve heard about the ultrasounds of today, but I have yet to see one. Sort of takes the mystery away, doesn’t it?
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It really does. You can see all of the features, to the point where you can kinda tell who the baby looks like 😳
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