My name is for someone who likes to talk but doesn’t like to start the conversation. Like mountains towering out of the plains. It is an interesting quirk that eventually fades into a pleasant part of the everyday. A name for someone who wants to be unique without seeming pretentious. My name is not special. But it is different. It is something that I am proud of but do not have to discuss. Like an irrelevant but still interesting plaque hanging on the wall.

My name is supposedly one of Dutch royalty. If I was Dutch this might be important. My parents just liked the way it rolled off the tongue. They liked the fact that it was uncommon but still adaptable. Like them. I would be lying if I said my name was based in some deeper meaning. Nevertheless I am proud of it.

My name is often followed by an interested hum from those who did not know it. Often it is stated as a question. “Willem? Interesting.” Then follow the questions about why it is not the more typical William. I answer these with a lighthearted “I’m not really sure”. I have fielded these questions too many times to be either offended or honored by them. I have realized over time that people are just genuinely curious. I appreciate that.

I love to blend in with the crowd. For this reason I usually shorten my name. Will is classic yet sleek. It is a black tuxedo. A Mercedes pulling up to a nice restaurant. Something that is elegant but not flashy. Something that can fit in any era. Will could be an old man or a 10 year-old kid. It provides me with just the right amount of anonymity.

Sometimes I wish I had a flashier name‒ Jordan. But flashy names come with big expectations. Maybe if I was a famous music producer, friends with Drake and Kanye West. Maybe I would like to be named after my dad, who is already named after his‒ Altin Roger Paulson III. Bold, but a bit of a mouthful. Not exactly something I picture my friends calling me. Other times I wish I had a foreign name‒ Alexei. The son of a mysterious Russian oligarch, with a villa on the Caspian Sea. But I am none of these people. I am Will Paulson. Just who I want to be.