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  • Dear Jiayi, it was so great to get your reply.

  • Thank you for telling me such an interesting story about your name.

  • Naming is also a big event here

  • but we don't go to fortune tellers;

  • parents do the job of naming instead.

  • My mom and dad had an equal share in naming me Elizabeth Casas Smith.

  • My first name, Elizabeth, came from my great grandmother on my father's side, in memory of her.

  • It's a biblical name which means "God's promise".

  • Many English names have meanings that come from the Bible, like David and Sarah.

  • My family usually call me Liz, which is short for Elizabeth.

  • My middle name, Casas, is my mother's maiden name.

  • My mother's family came from Spain

  • and Casas means "house" in Spanish.

  • My family name, Smith, is one of the most common English family names.

  • It refers to a blacksmith.

  • So one of my ancestors probably worked as a blacksmith a long time ago.

  • My parents always joke that my name means "God promises me a house made by a blacksmith".

  • I don't think I want to live in a house made of iron, though.

  • BTW, I'd like to have a Chinese name.

  • Do you have any ideas?

  • Critical Thinking:

  • If you were a parent,

  • would you go to a fortune teller for your baby's name?

  • Why or why not?

Dear Jiayi, it was so great to get your reply.

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