The Story Behind My Name:

Cristina O’Farrill Perea

As William Shakespeare said in one of his plays “What's in a name?” A name is a word

that is used to identify a person; it is what you respond to when someone is calling you. A name

is the first thing given to you when you are born.

Names can be given to us for various reasons. Sometimes names are given because

existing relatives want the child to continue carrying their name. Then there are times when

names are given to us because of its meaning. In my case, my name was given to me because of

its religious meaning.

It never really occurred to me to question the meaning behind my name- that is, not until

this day. The only thing I have always known about my name is that Cristina is a 3-syllable girl’s

name of Spanish, Italian origin meaning. But as I questioned my mother, the story behind my

name began to unravel. I found out that for many years my mother had struggled to conceive due

to many complications she suffered from. She told me how she desperately prayed to God to

give her a child. Luckily, her prayers were answered. My brother and I received our names

because my mother wanted to thank God for the blessing she received. My brother was named

Jesús and I was named Cristina, as it means “Follower of Christ”.

My mother also gave me a second name, Raquel. I do not like this name, but my mother

really does. In fact, she told me Raquel was going to be my first name- ugh! There are two

reasons why I do not like this name. The first one is because, to me, it reminds me of the Spanish

word “raqueta”; funny, right? The second reason is because when I was little, my brother used to
call me “Tatita”, instead of Raquel, and everyone would laugh. So, you can see how I have

grown in NOT liking my middle name.

My last name is O’Farrill. As a young kid I was always embarrassed to say or write it.

This happened because, at school, my teachers would always pause when they saw my name on

the student list or on my cubby. They would stutter because of how complicated it is to

pronounce. I would constantly be asked questions like, Why does it have an apostrophe? Is O

part of your middle name or last name? Are you Irish? You surely don’t look Irish. Now I feel

different about my last name. As I grew, I really enjoyed not having the same last name as

everyone else. Now, I like explaining where my last name comes from. And if you would like to

know the answer, O’Farrill is of Irish descent. Most of my dad’s family members have that

bright red hair and blue eyes, but not me. I got my looks from my mother’s side. I am an island

girl with golden skin and straight black hair, although, I sometimes grow a random red hair on

my head.

My other last name is Perea. This name never embarrassed me like my first last name did.

It actually made me laugh a lot when my American teachers pronounced it. They often used long

vowel sounds, so instead they said pea rrhea rather than p eh r EH aa. I guess I could say I went

from being embarrassed when teachers stuttered to say O’Farrill, to laughing when I heard them

say pea rrhea. Here in Puerto Rico it is obviously different. Since we have only one sound for

each vowel, they pronounce Perea correctly. However, I frequently get asked the same question

over and over again: Are you part of the Perea family who owns the Perea Hospital at

Mayaguez? No, I am not, although my mother and grandfather say they are far-off extended

family.
 Overall, I was always happy with the name my mother gave me, but now that I know the

story behind it, I cherish it even more. Cristina O’Farrill Perea suits me perfectly!