I was at a conference a few years back with people from around the world. Many found it interesting that I was from New York City and were curious about my name. I have had similar experiences when I was in college but this time I actually knew more about my name and its origins.

From the moment I was born, my name had significance in the family. Although I was born into a Greek family, my mother was also born in the U.S. and my father came to the U.S. when he was a teenager. In Greek culture it is common to name your child after one of the child’s grandparents This is why many Greek families have children and cousins with the same names. 

My mother insisted I have an English name. My grandfathers were Vasilios and Yiannis. One of my cousins was named Vasilios and was called Billy in English. My mother insisted that I was William, not Billy or Bill. For whatever reason(s) this was very important to her and she insisted that all teachers and healthcare workers only call me William, not Billy. This was ingrained in me from the moment I could speak and I accepted it. And although some of my relatives would call me Vasili, most of them including one’s that only spoke Greek, called me William.

As a child, I was very short for my age. Many of my friends called me Little Willie which seemed appropriate and fine. My mother had other variations depending on her mood including Wonka (after Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory).

In junior high school there were two other Williams in my class. It was decided that one would be called William, one would be Bill and I would be Kap, after my last name, Kaplanidis. It was strange at first not being William, but Kap became my prominent name for a few years. After a life changing sports injury, in high school, some of my peers thought calling me, Handi-Kap, was clever or funny. I thought of all the kids who were made fun of because of their name. I met a couple whose son was named after the last emperor of China and was about to start school here in the states. I strongly urged them to consider giving him an English name like Paul or Peter, before starting school with the name Pu Pu.

The “Guy with the Cane”, Will and B-Will was what I was called in college. One of my French teachers called me Guilluame and my Spanish teacher called me Guillermo.  On my first trip to China in 1988, I was given the Chinese name, Xiao Long or Little Dragon by my interpreter who acted like an older brother.  At first, I told him I was flattered, but I could not accept that name because it was Bruce Lee’s nickname and I did not want trouble. He then insisted citing several reasons why it was an appropriate name and that really I did not have a choice. I humbly accepted. Everyone in the immediate neighborhood and the surrounding towns, seemed to know my name, even people I had never met. I was a unique oddity for the Chinese for several reasons and I guess the word spread about Little Dragon. A year later my Chinese language teacher added Ke as my Chinese Surname. 

I always look at our attachments, projections and judgements about different areas of our lives from the material world to our thoughts and spiritual beliefs. Names and how they affect us has fascinated me as I continue to ask people about the meaning and their connection to their name.

I became curious on how different cultures name their children and the meaning of names. Names like Hope, Blessing, Joy, Luz and Patrick, seemed obvious choices. Other names had to do with lineage while others were based on the mood or likes of the parents. Some people are named after flowers and trees, like Rose, Lily or Velibor (Pine Tree). 

Some names had deep meanings for the parents while others seemed a little random. I began to see if people were anything like the meaning of their names. Was Linda beautiful, was Maya an illusion, was Jesus biblical? Names like Johnson and Ericson were once sons of John and Eric. I also asked people what they preferred to be called when I taught classes because I saw many did not go by their given name. (Even my mother was known by her nickname Pepper. Very few people even knew her given name.) 

Some people liked their given or religious names while others felt they needed to change their names as if their life depended on it.  I also noticed that some people not only felt strongly of what they should be called but also had preferences in what they called you. I give my friends, family, patients and students a long list of name choices to call me including, William, Will, Willie, Kap, Xiao Long and Vasili.  Despite these choices others have added Serpico, Jesus, Magic Hands, Still Bill, B-Will, Willie Kap, Mr. Qi (Qi as in strange not as in energy) and a few others.

As I looked into the meaning of William it was from the German, Willahelm or Wilhelm which means “will, desire” and “helmet, protection.” I identified with my name and realized I always had strong will power and was inclined to protect. In fact, being a protector in different situations seemed like a very natural inclination. 

Although my father is from the island of Kos where Hippocrates, the father of medicine is from, his father and ancestors were from Asia Minor which is now Turkey. Greek family names are often connected to the area of Greece where your family is from. In 1992, I went on a trip to Greece with my father. We happened to walk by his great aunt who sat in front of her house, dressed in all black which was traditional for a widow. She told us that our family name was originally something like, Constantinidis, after the city Constantinople, which is now Istanbul. She continued to tell us how one of my great, great grandfathers had a fight with a tiger and survived. It was unclear if he killed the tiger or how he defended himself, but the village onlookers changed his name to Kaplanidis. Kaplan means tiger in Turkish and the –idis usually infers a Greek family originally from Asia Minor and the nearby islands. I thought how cool is that, Chinese Little Dragon and Greek/Turkish Tiger. Come to think of it, Mr. Softee used to call me Tiger when I was little.

As I was writing my book on how to be a great parent to your inner child, I explained that in Chinese medicine, the archetype for one’s heart is the ruler, king or queen. My Greek name, Vasilios comes from the Greek word for King. While I will always be a protector, it seemed time to step into embodying my King and revisiting all my inner children connected to my heart.

What’s in a name for you? What was your experience as a child? Have you changed your name or have a strong preference of what you want to be called? Just some food for thought. 

I will be doing a class on my East-West perspective on childhood trauma using my book as a guide for theory and practical tools for yourself and others. Reach out to me if you are interested. All the best!

Email: willliam@acudragon.us