Names, Continued -- Some Liked Their First Name And Disliked Their Surname; Others Said They Were Happy With Their Entire Moniker. But No Matter These Grade-Schoolers' Level Of Name Satisfaction, Their Parents Had Their Reasons For Christening Them Benny Or Brian, Jed Or Jess.

When we asked Family Talk readers recently to talk about their names, we were flooded with responses.

Teacher Cindy Tomashek at Ardmore Elementary in Bellevue took the project one step further: She asked her second- and third-graders to write about their names and then go home and ask their parents to also write about their names.

Tomashek shares: "Ardmore is an open-concept school in the Bellevue School District where . . . children learn together in an environment without walls! Many students are in the English as a Second Language program. I asked each child to write about his or her name; following each is a parent comment about the name.

"The sharing and understanding of others that came from this project has been an inspiration to all of us!"

And now from the students and their parents:

HE SHARES IT WITH FRANKLIN

My name is Benny Haong. I like my name because part of my name is Ben, Ben Franklin, who discovered electricity. - Benny Haong

I picked Benny's name from the names baby book. Haong means "yellow." Benny means "quick and hard-working" in Chinese.

INITIALS WITH MEANING

I like my initials because they are B.C. as in Vancouver, B.C., and B.P. as in Gas Station, and B.C. as in back in time. My name is Brian Chunil Park. - Brian Chunil Park

I tried to pick my kids' names among common ones, easy to call and remember, yet there is a meaning. Brian means "wisdom." For the middle name, I used the family tree so my kids will know that we are from Korea. Chuntl means "only one in the whole world."

A NAME WITH RHYTHM

I like my name because it is like a rhythm. See MATThew C. MATTson! - Matthew Christopher Mattson

Matthew was named after a family member on his dad's side of the family who brought the last name Mattson from Sweden. When they immigrated to the U.S., the name Mattson was given to all the sons of "Matt."

HAPPY WITH HIS NAME

I like my name. David doesn't mean anything. Jordan came from the city of Jordan. McNair Ajzenman means "man of steel." - David Jordan McNair Ajzenman

When I named my son, David Jordan McNair-Ajenman, I wanted him to grow up knowing who he was. The combination of two families and many cultures, he is the first McNair-Ajzenman ever born. He is the beginning of his family line. His family is black, white, Middle Eastern African, Polish, Scottish, American Indian and Israeli.

HE HATES HIS SURNAME

I hate my last name because it means "little pig" in Chinese, and I was born in the pig year, 1983. Jed is a real American name. - Jed Tsai

I have an tedious name to write in Chinese. I like to name my child with a short name, which is also not so common. Jed is a short name and not so common. It is pronounced somewhat like jade. Jade is a symbol of peace and luck in the Orient. I wish my child has the luck and the nature of peace and luck.

IT'S HIS LAST NAME HE DISLIKES

I like my middle name because it is named after Ben Franklin. I like my first name because it is named after my great-grandfather. I don't like my last name because they call me "hotdog Bunn" and "Bunn face." - Jess Bunn

Jess Franklin Bunn is named after his great-grandfather on his father's side.

NAMED BY COMMITTEE

I love my name. I am glad to think my name is so much to everyone. First when I read mom's writing I think I am piece of a junk, but I know now I am peace. - Yasutaka Kashima

Each Chinese character has own meaning.

Yasu is "peace." Taka is "respect parents and grandparents." When Yasutaka was born, parents and grandparents talked and decided his name.

THEY BOTH LIKED `ANDREA'

I would like my name to be Tracy Robinson. I like that name because I use that name if I am playing house. My nickname is Andi. - Andrea Beachou DiSantis

After going through the baby name book, Andrea's dad and I decided on her name. There were many names neither of us liked. Some names only one of us liked. But Andrea was liked by both of us!

Andrea's great-grandfather's name was Andre and so she is his "namesake." Metaphysically, "Andrew" or "Andrea" represent strength. Andrea has great inner strength.

TOO HARD TO SAY

Well, my last name was Porter. Then we changed it to Cohen. I liked it, but it's too hard to say. - Nathan Avery Cohen

Nathan was chosen because it means "a bringer of peace" in Hebrew, and because of Nathan Hale, who was a patriot, whose famous line was, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." It is a name from the Bible.

A NAME WITH A LOT IN IT

My name has a few words in it. Christopher has Chris-top-her. Christopher has Christ in it, too. My middle name is my grandfather's first name, William.

My whole name is . . . - Christopher William Rawson

We chose the name Christopher because we liked it and it is compatible with the sound of his last name, Rawson. His middle name, William, has family significance because it is his grandfather's first name.

A NAME THAT MEANS NOTHING

I like my name because it says nothing. But I hate my last name because everyone make fun of it: Mao sound like mouse. - Narin Mao

From Narin's big sister, the family translator: My parents said that they just put it. It doesn't mean anything, they just made it up. But our name had to be sound the same and it had to rhyme like our names: Naran, Narith, Mary and Malin.