What's In My Name?

My full name is Romina Encina Gapol.

My official nickname is Roma which can be pronounced with either a long or a short o. It is derived from the capital city of Italy, Rome. To some, I am called Roms, Romz, Roam, Romi, Romariri or Romaness.

I recognize that Romina is a unique name. Roma is more common as it is also used as a first name. Early on, however, I realized that my name was not as unique. It was June 1987, during my first day as a Prep-B student, that I learned that I was not the only Romina. The girl next to me in the class roster had the same name. She even had a nickname that sounded similar, Rona. Thus, when the teacher said, Romina, two kids looked up: Romina Gelvezon and Romina Gapol.

In college, I decided to use my nickname Roma. It was still unique (How many friends do you have named Roma?) and Romina was a name that I associate with grade school and high school. Since college was a new chapter, it was time to use a new name.

Believe it or not, I do not know where my mother got my name. She does not think that my question is relevant. When I asked Rona though, she said that her mom named her after a model in the magazine. I am not sure if she was referring to the model Romina Urra.

Thus began my long search for the meaning of my name. In bookstores, I would check baby books to see if my name was listed. Most of the time, it was not. One, however, said it meant Women of Rome. I was happy.

I tried searching for the name in the internet and here is what I found:

ROMINA

Pronunciation: /roh MEEN ah/

Origin: Latin, Italian, Spanish, Arabic

Meanings: Woman from Rome, Variation of the name Roma, Roman, Tribute to Rome, Little Rome, From the Christian land

Other Info: The name Romina is celebrated as a Name Day on the 23rd of February in Slovakia.

Sources:

http://www.babynamesworld.com/meaning_of_Romina.html

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Romina

http://www.birthvillage.com/meaning/Romina

http://names-meanings.blogspot.com/

http://www.cocojams.com/names.htm

http://www.all-babynames.com/meaning-of-name-Romina.html

ROMA
Pronunciation: \r(o)-ma\
Origin: Latin, Italian, Indian
Meanings: Place name for the capital city of Rome, From Rome, In mythology, Roma was the daughter of Evander, who named Rome for her. Gypsy, the equivalent name of the Goddess Lakshmi

Sources:

http://www.birthvillage.com/babyname.php?name=Roma&gender=Female