I was given two different names, one in English and the other in Korean. "Sam-yoo-ehl," "sam-yehl," and "sam-mwehl,” these are different variations to pronounce my name, but all of them allude to the same name (Babycenter). In 2022, the name Samuel reached a new peak in popularity reaching the top 20 spot. In the near future, because of the increasing trend, my name will be more common and less unique (ssa.gov).

There were many times when I questioned my parents why they would name me Samuel.  Although my name isn’t as unique or pretty as my sister’s or my cousins’, Promise, Yosiah, and Aviella, my parents taught me the beauty of my name through its meaning and its origin. The name Samuel goes way back into the past, originated from Jewish culture, it’s also a name written in the Bible. In Hebrew, Samuel was written as “סמואל”, pronounced as “Shmu’el” (Verywell). The definition of the name in Hebrew is “God has heard; name of God,” (theBump). The story behind this name goes into the Old Testament of the Bible, a maiden named Hannah failed to conceive a child, and while she was barren, she would pray to God in her small voice. God listened to her voice and gave her a child. After Hannah receives Samuel, she offers him up to the priest with thankfulness, because of her covenant with God. Samuel grew up to become a great prophet, anointing kings, and becoming God’s voice to the Israelites. This became my favorite story not only because of the similarity of my name but also because of the great impact it gives to my religion. Reflecting on the biblical story of Samuel, the story taught me to be grateful for existing and to be another person's miracle. 

Samuel Joo-Young Kim is my full name. My middle name reflects back to my religious background. My middle name Joo Young is my 2nd name and my Korean name. Koreans make their names by the different meanings in each alphabet. My two letters are Joo and Young. Joo stands for the word ‘God’, and Young stands for the word ‘Glory’, making my name as God’s glory. I grew up in a Christian household not really understanding my faith, but as I grew up growing my faith I came to really love my name. My name gives me a purpose for me to live, a purpose to show God’s Glory to other people. Even in Korea, this name of mine is small, common, but everytime I reflect on my name, it empowers me to live with my purpose. Despite my name being common, and not so delicate, I find its beauty in the symbolism and meaning to encourage me.