WHAT'S IN A NAME?
My name is Karoline Rosendal Hartø Mortensen. Coming from the Latin man name Carolus, which
means 'free man', Karoline must mean 'free woman'.
The name Karoline come in different version such as Caroline (Old German),
Carolina (French), Karol (Hungarian), Karolina (Slavic, Old
German). The name Karoline is well used over most of the western world, but
mostly with C, the K-form is less used and is only used in the Nordic
countries.
I got the name Karoline
because it is a traditional Danish maiden name that has been used for hundreds
of years in Denmark. My parents chose this name because it shows my descendance,
but at the same time people from all the world can pronounce my name. The names
Rosendal and Hartø are family names, Rosendal from my mother's family and Hartø from my fathers. There are not many people in Denmark called Rosendal and
/or Hartø, and only two with that combination, my sisters and me. This gives me the
opportunity to be unique and easily recognizable, if I want to. My surname
Mortensen comes from my father's family and is a very traditional Danish
surname. Mortensen thus shows that I come from Denmark, but also to which
family I belong. The use of Mortensen as my surname gives me the opportunity to
be more anonymous. Statistically speaking, in Denmark there are around 30,000
called Mortensen, 4500 called Karoline, 26 named Karoline Mortensen, but only
one named Karoline Rosendal Hartø Mortensen.
I can relate to Anna Quindlen
remarks, in her essay "The Name is Mine”. For example, I find that there is a conflict
with the value foundation that defines the relationship between the individual
and the group performance. I have been raised in a country where we cultivate
the group and community praise over the individual performance. This means
that, on one hand, we always try to work well and improve on the individual
level, but on the other hand, we do not honor the individual presidency over
the group performance. We live by the praise where "the quay is not
stronger than the weakest part" and we have a moral law, “the Law of Jante”,
with in principle states the “don’t believe you are anything special”. Here in
the United States, I find that in many ways the individual is more important
than the group as a whole. It does not mean that the group performance is nor
important and relevant but I have experienced in certain instances that the
individual performance is of the highest importance. For example, when it comes
to scholarships, college applications, or application to honor societies, where
the individual's praise are emphasized.
There are pros and cons of
both, but it was challenging for me to initially adapt, understand and adjust
my individual in a new way.
I enjoyed reading your first paragraph and liked the approach you took to the prompt. I liked how you defined your name and it's meaning and how it is a common name yet it is unique because you are the only one with that full name. I also thought your second paragraph was interesting as you compared the different values of Denmark and America and how they put different emphasis on individuals over whole groups.
ReplyDeleteWow, this was a really good blog. It's interesting to learn that "Caroline" in the Nordic countries is mostly spelled with a K, I didn't even know that. I also like how you used specific numbers of people with different parts of your name, that gives me a good picture of how common parts of your name actually are. I also like how you explained the values of individuals and groups from both America and Denmark, and gave good comparisons and differences.
DeleteHow do you know the specific number of people in Denmark with those names? Is there some sort of public database?
ReplyDeleteI really like the title to this blog, "What's in a Name", as you truly go in depth about the parts of your name. Its very interesting about the heritage associated with your name and the non-traditional aspect of your name starting with a K. The facts used to supplement this blog were well included and really intrigued me while reading. The comparison to the work of Anna Quindlen was well established and easy flowing while reading. One main sentence/takeaway was where you said "in many ways the individual is more important than the group as a whole". Very well written blog.
ReplyDelete