Megan Kesen: The Story Behind My Name

It is always interesting to hear stories behind names. Some people have a touching story about a family naming tradition, some people’s names were picked out before they were born, some people’s names were picked based on a remarkable trait at birth, and some people don’t seem to have any reason behind their name. Since I am one of the latter, I have always envied people with meaningful names. My parents picked the name Megan just because they liked how it sounded, so I think it very interesting that the name Megan Kessen turned out to fit me very well, based on the personality traits and heritage linked to it. The name Megan defines who I am as a person because of the name it is derived from, the translation of the name it is derived from,

“Kessen” came from a nickname for Christian, which means “follower of Christ.” This suits me, because I am a person of great faith. Through involvement in my parish community, dedicating my time and talents, I value drawing closer in my relationship to God. I have lectored at Mass since I got confirmed in 2014, which involves reading the Scripture and leading the congregation in prayer. I also volunteer at the hospitality program Coffee and Donuts that is held after Mass and the Fish Fry during Lent. I make my faith a priority and dedicate five to ten minutes before bed each night to prayer. I do my best to ensure God is the focus of my life. In addition to the tracing of the last name Kessen back to the name Christian, Kessen has roots in Germany. One of my dad’s uncles had done a genealogy study years ago, and my Grandma still has the information from this. There was a man, a distant relative of mine, Nicholas Kässens, who lived in Esterwegen in 1802. There is not much data that could be found beside the facts that he moved to America in 1868 and that he is definitely related to my family. Although many things may not be certain, German heritage is, and this is something that I identify with. When I was faced with the prospect of starting to learn a new language in eighth grade, German was what really appealed to me. I followed my instincts and chose to study German, and instantly fell in love. After two years of taking German in school, I was offered the opportunity to take a trip to Germany with my teacher and about ten other students. As we traveled through Germany, the experiences really tugged on my heartstrings. The happy, friendly culture, the quaint history, and the breathtaking landscapes drew me in, and when it was time to come home, I did so disappointedly. Now, I am strongly considering doing an