One of the most interesting things you can learn about yourself is what your namesake is. Finding out what or who you were named after can be a worthwhile exploration. Asking about namesakes is a super fascinating conversation starter too.

Some people are named after grandparents or famous movie stars, and others are just named because their parents loved that particular name and the meaning of the name. A friend of mine named her daughter after her favorite aunt, one of my roommates is named after his father and my other roommate has the name of the female version of the archangel Michael.

After 21 years, I met my namesake for the first time this summer. My namesake is my dad’s high school ex-girlfriend. You may often meet people named after old grandparents, movie or music stars, but an ex-girlfriend is hilariously unique.

At first, it can feel a little weird to be named after an ex-girlfriend, since it could be a sign someone is still harboring feelings for said person. Which is not the case with this situation, just trust me on this.

Meeting my namesake was the highlight of my summer. Meeting Adult Jen, as I call her in my mind, was quite entertaining and for lack of a better word, cool. If I become Adult Jen someday in the future, or even something close to who she is, I would be quite proud of myself. Thinking about a meaningful namesake is something people should consider when naming a child.

While I will not say you should only name your child after someone or something, people should give some thought when naming a child. You should not name your kid just to be a statistic or for the five minutes of fame. Yes, I am pointing at the poor kid who was named Hashtag. Although Hashtag will have an interesting namesake story, the name is still cringe-worthy.

I know this is a lot, especially coming from the kid who is named after an ex-girlfriend. I will always have a great namesake story to share and so will Hashtag kid, no matter how cringe-worthy. Let Hashtag be a lesson in naming though. Do not torment your kids by naming them after something inconsequential. You can still be different and unique. Take a look at the Kardashians with North or True or Beyoncé with Blue Ivy. The name does not have to be dull, but think about the kid and their future. Would you want to be named Hashtag?