Why I changed my name

Last month, I legally changed my name from Sholeh Johnston to Amayah Pelegrin. The process has been rich — scary, joyful, liberating and many other things, and I wanted to share some of my story in case it’s helpful to others considering a name change, as I was supported by and encouraged by the stories of others I came across in my journey.

I hope whoever you are and whatever moved you to click through, it’s useful.

The power of naming

My journey started a few years ago with a growing realisation that my name no longer felt like my own. I felt captive and strange when people called me “Sholeh”, and the name was heavy in me, like a stone.

These feelings emerged during a period of intensive therapy and healing from childhood trauma, and, as I sought to understand what was happening, I began to look into the power of naming, and the cultural, contextual, familial and ancestral energies that are associated with names.

Names are symbols, they carry meaning and significance, which is determined by the intention behind why they were chosen and by whom.

The act of naming is a ritual, fuelled by intention and full of meaning. It can signify belonging — to take your spouse’s name in marriage, or to name something or someone after ancestors, powerful people or significant places. It can be a ritual of valorisation — to attempt to give a name that truthfully captures the unique essence of someone or something; or recognition — in the case of…