My Name

My name is Richard James Hunsperger. There are three names within my name and each has its own purpose. My first name, Richard, was chosen by my mother and refers to her father’s first name. Her father died while my mother was pregnant with me and she felt it incredibly meaningful to name me after him. And so my first name was given to me in memory of my late grandfather. After he died, however, my mother’s mother (my grandmother) decided to remarry a man whose first name was James, though he liked to be called Jim. When I was born my parents decided to name my middle name after my grandfather James. And so my middle name refers to my mother’s stepfather (my grandfather). My last name comes from my father and from his father. The name itself can actually be traced to Europe quite awhile back. It was, however, an adopted last name for my grandfather as he was adopted in Germany when he was a teenager. There was a recession in Germany at the time and my grandfather’s parents gave him to an orphanage simply because they could not afford to feed and take care of him. My grandfather still holds a lot of anger for this. And so my last name originated from my grandfather, who was adopted and had a son many years later. As it turns out, I am the last person in my family with the opportunity to carry on this last name. The reason for this is that my father was the only boy in the family and I am his only son. Therefore, the name may die with me if I am unable or unwilling to have a son.