What's in a name?

I have a very odd name. Mohammed Andyhardy bin Rahmat.

I think its super pretentious. It makes me out as some kind of Eurasian. But I am not. I am 100% Singaporean Malay of Javanese descent. Both of my parents are non-Eurasians. They bear no traces of Caucasian blood in them.

Most of my friends had more normal Malay names - Adam, or Shamsul, or Ariffin. etc.

When I asked my mom why I had such a strange hybrid name, she told me that she wanted a name that would stand out, that would shield me from stereotype. On paper, at least, I appear non-Malay. I am Muslim on account of the prefix Mohammed and that I am identified as to be the son of Rahmat. On paper, I was racially indistinct.

And so, I passed myself off as some kind of mixed race/ rojak. I lied to people and said I was Chinese and Malay. *scoff* (three reasons for that: firstly, i had race issues, i didn't want to be malay. secondly, i was tired of explaining to people why my name was so strange. Also I thought that I had to fit in. I should be more Chinese cos everybody else was Chinese!!!)

In Freakonomics, Levitt and Dubner (2005) wrote about how parents in America named their kids. They conclude that parents are attempting to suggest something about their expectations of their kids potential.

Sometimes, I lie awake and think about whether or not I have lived up to my name.

References
Levitt, S.D. and Dubner, S.J. (2005) "Perfect Parenting, Part II; or: Would a Roshanda by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?" Freakonomics, Penguin Paperbacks.