My name would roll off my parents tongues, however it would stump everyone else. “Hi, my name Kanika'' is how I commonly greet myself to others, but instead of a smile, I am almost always met with a furrowed brow and a confused expression. These common occurrences had caused me to completely mangle my name into a new pronunciation, kah-ni-kuh.

My name’s origin story stems from my aunt. The story goes, my parents asked my aunt for a name suggestion, and she blurted out Kushi. My parents questioned whether Khushi was the right name for me, as they felt it was too common in our culture.They finally came together to conjure up a more unique name, Kanika. Continuing the trend of uniqueness, my name has many interesting translations. Many sources claim Kanika means “seed” and “gold” (Latam). Surprisingly, my name also roots from Africa, with the African translation being “black cloth” (Rosenkrantz). My favorite translation, however, especially during my science and space fixation phase, was atom (Latam). Regardless, in our native language Hindi, my name translates to the color of wheat (Latam). 

At first, it was bothersome- the constant struggle of others not being able to pronounce my name, the frustration of hearing it mutilated so often. Nevertheless, as I grew older, I stopped mispronouncing my name. I had started to realize that my name was more than just random sounds placed together. My name is a symbol of who I am, and the culture that I grew up with. My name is a melting pot of heritage, with translations from beautiful countries. Finally, my name's a reminder to not blend in, but to stand out from the crowd. 

Works Cited

latam, Written by benidamika j, et al. “Kanika Name Meaning, Origin, History, and Popularity.” MomJunction. Accessed 2 Feb. 2024, www.momjunction.com/baby-names/kanika/. 

Rosenkrantz, Linda. “Kanika - Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity.” Nameberry, nameberry.com/b/girl-baby-name-kanika. Accessed 10 Mar. 2024.