- Write about your name. Where did it come from? What does it mean?
This one’s easy, my name is Edidiong. It originates from Akwa Ibom, a state in Nigeria, and it means blessing. I like my name a lot. Out of all my siblings, I’m the only one with a traditional name, and it makes me feel a little closer to my culture.
I like to think of my name as a self-fulfilling prophecy. I try to be a blessing to the people around me. I’ve always been that way, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve made a more conscious effort to live up to it. I love my name.
However, I know not everyone can pronounce it easily, so I usually tell people to call me Eddie (it could be spelled Eddie, Edi, Edie, or Eddy). I like that name too, at least with friends. Of course, not in a professional setting.
Strangely, the masculinity of the name Eddie makes me kind of happy. Even the name Edidiong is gender neutral. I am a proud woman, and I’ve never wanted to be anything else. But growing up in Nigeria, I often felt like being a woman meant being seen as less intelligent, less capable, or reduced to appearance. So something in me clung to that neutrality, the idea that I could just be seen for what I do, not what I am assumed to be. I don’t fully know how to explain it, but that’s the closest I can get.
I also looked into my last name, Cornel. My grandfather was Cornelius T. Udoh, and the name Cornelius has colonial origins. My dad’s middle name was shortened to Cornel instead of Cornelius, maybe as a way to reclaim some power. Now Cornel is my last name, and because of how hard my dad worked to provide for my family, I love that name too.
So yeah, that’s the history of my name, and now you know one more thing about me.
Best regards,
Edidiong C.
Creating My Autobiography 