My family is Mexican-American on my Dad’s side. Some immigrated more recently from Mexico, some have been in the Texas region since before AfroEurAsia even knew they existed. My great-grandmother’s name was Andrea (On-dre-a). In some ways, you could say she inspired this personal project of mine since her name is my middle name. Her name carries meaning. It carries stories. I have a lot of grandmothers and a lot grandfathers and they all have names that carry meaning. I find a lot of meaning in those names. Sometimes, the best history starts with a name.

This blog will serve as a holding spot. It’s a holding spot for stories about the names of my ancestors. Of course, it may not literally be an explanation behind the meaning of their name. But the more you read these stories you’ll see that it’s always been about so much more than a name. The name is just where it begins.