Names are to be respected.

Names sometimes have cultural significance and meaning. Abrahamic names are fairly popular because they transcend one language and have a lot of variations. I come from two cultures, conveniently these cultures have the same variation of some abrahamic names! My mother is hispanic and my father is arab, while naming my sisters and I they chose names that work in both Arabic and Spanish. Sara, Fatima and Mariam are the names they chose for us. Though, my full name is Mariam Abdul-Aziz Yousef Hasan Bin Safwan since it's traditional for your paternal line to be included in your full name.

Talking about my first name, Mariam. There are several meanings, however the name is mostly associated with the Virgin Mary because the name, Maryam, is speculated to either be originally Egyptian or Hebrew. It's meaning, surprisingly, is meant to be 'rebellious', 'bitter' or, in a more positive outlook 'strong waters' or ' wished-for child'. Personally, I feel like the meaning 'rebellious' resonates more with me and who I am as a person.

As for my last name, there were always people who poked fun at my name, specifically non-arabs and especially westerners. My last name is Bin Safwan. "Bin" simply means "child of" in Arabic, my name, translated, is not "Rebellious Trash Rock", but rather “Rebellious child of rock”. In my personal opinion it feels a bit rude to assume someone’s last name is ‘garbage can’ and make fun of them for it, especially when the name is not in your language. Names are to be respected, not humiliated.