Ella is the 16th most popular name in the U.S. My name is basic. I wish it was unique. It is known to look like the color pink and the number eleven. Too perfect and basic. It sounds too childish, like if I have pink wooden letters spelling the name, hung up in my bedroom. When I think of it, I’ve never met an adult named Ella. 

Ella is such a small name. The two syllables fit together perfectly, as if they were thrown into a blender. It looks fresh like a clean white feather. It sounds like the flow of the ending winter winds in the spring. It is shaped like a piano. Tall and strong; until the fallen curve, the bentside. 

I wish my name was distinctive. Mercedes. One of the most invigorating names I have ever heard. It reminds me of the car, slick and luxurious. I also like the name Teresa, T.C for short. The name sounds sophisticated and bright. 

I’m not sure what the origin of my name is. I guess my parents liked the perfect stereotype of it. But I do know that in Hebrew, Ella means “goddess”. What a confidence booster, right? 

However; Ella is also the color of emerald green and the number 7. It is the sound of not only childhood, but memories and happiness. It looks like a railroad track, leading a train forward, ready for whatever is heading its way. Or maybe that’s just me, not my name.