GRAHAM ISCHO
Senior Graham Ischo’s last name has a more unconventional story than most. According to his family’s lore, one of his ancestors murdered someone and escaped to the Italian island of Ischia to evade police. Eventually, the ancestor changed his last name to reflect the place he had moved to, something Ischo says was relatively common practice in olden-day Italy.
“Our family is the only family with this last name,” Ischo said. “It’s super unique and you’ll never find another person with my first and last name — I’m the only one in the world. Telling people the story is also cool.”
While Ischo says the story is unconfirmed and speculative, his family really did come from Ischia, lending credence to the theory. Nevertheless, it remains an important part of his lineage to him and something he’s proud of.
“Obviously murdering is not good, but I feel like it’s a cool story and it makes my family lineage a bit more interesting,” Ischo said. “I’ll definitely pass it on to my children. It just gives their identity a bit more flavor.”
ELLEN MARGARITIS
Junior Ellen Margaritis’ surname — meaning pearl or daisy in Greek — is also one of a kind. While she’s never met anyone with the same last name, when visiting Greece, she consistently saw it written on jewelry stores, something that stumped her until she asked her dad.
“My family theorized that the meaning of pearl in this context is that they go fishing into the sea, and ‘Margaritis’ is what they use to advertise the pearls,” Margaritis said. “Or, maybe they were fishers long ago or jewelers long ago.”
While her last name can pose pronunciation and spelling challenges for people who are unfamiliar with it, Margaritis loves it. Beyond its significance to the Greek side of her family, she says it also has personal meaning to her and something she cherishes.
“Pearl really resonates with me because it’s also my birthstone,” Margaritis said. “It’s a coincidence, but I like it. I’ve never met somebody with my last name because I feel like it’s been pretty common in Greece, but not here, obviously. But my dad’s side, his whole family, all have it. I do like my last name, and I think it would be pretty cool to keep the Margaritis tradition going.”
SHAWNEE RIVERA
Homestead High School English teacher Shawnee Marie Thečhíȟila Rivera’s full name carries immense intention and personal meaning to her. She says her mom chose her first name, Shawnee, which is also the name of an Indigenous people, to reflect her Indigenous identity in a way others could pronounce, but that wouldn’t expose her to racism or prejudice. Her last name, which has been passed down in her family for countless generations, carries a similar importance, exemplifying the Mexican element of her heritage.
“Being an Indigenous and Mexican woman, my last name is a flag that really means something to me,” Rivera said. “I was married once, and I never changed my last name, because it is who I am. Being Latina, being Mexican, being indigenous, all of that is right inside my name, and I never wanted that to be mistaken. I wanted people to know that I come from this really deep line of people from this land.”
Rivera says her middle names — Marie and Thečhíȟila — come from both her grandmother’s Catholic tradition and her Indigenous heritage, a blend of two distinct yet connected aspects of her identity. She says Thečhíȟila, which means “I love you,” was not a name she was born with, but one elders granted her as she grew older and more of her personality surfaced.
“One of the things that I used to do all the time was tell everybody that I love them,” Rivera said. “I would walk around and tell strangers, people, other kids, that I loved them, and I was just this really loving little kid. That’s how the elders and my mom decided Thečhíȟila would be my middle name that follows me forward through life.”
To Rivera, knowing where one comes from is important because it is intertwined with the knowledge of the meaning behind one’s name.
“You are the definition of your name,” Rivera said. “That’s always been something that I’ve kind of held close to me, because it is rare to meet another Shawnee, and there’s no other Shawnee Thečhíȟila Rivera. I think that is also a really special torch to carry. It’s really powerful to me.”
