My Etymology

"Autumn is the hardest season. The leaves are all falling, and they're falling like they're falling in love with the ground." 

- Andrea Gibson

I love names. I started making lists of them when I was younger, taken from the books I would read or the people I met. I'd steal my parents old baby name books, copy my favorites, dog-ear the pages, and I'd be delighted when my parents old lists would fall out and I'd get to read the names that could have been something other than my own. Amber, Brittany, Jordan - but they chose Autumn. 

In Hindu Mythology, Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, and sciences. It is said that Brahma created the universe through her knowledge. The other name she is known by is Sharada, which in Sanskrit means "of autumn." She was said to favor that season. It made me smile to find that small connection to my name. 

There are so many meanings to our names, so many different connotations to people all over the world, and they can range from a beautiful Indian goddess, to a little girl who was named for the colorful leaves outside the hospital she was born in. Who knew?