What's in a name?

I follow a blog called the "This Is Me Challenge". I've mentioned them before, they give challenges for bloggers/scrapbookers to help tell the story of them. This week's challenge was:

WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND YOUR NAME?

Margaret: 

Derived from Latin Margarita, which was from Greek μαργαριτης (margarites) meaning "pearl", probably ultimately a borrowing from Sanskrit. Saint Margaret, the patron of expectant mothers, was martyred at Antioch in the 4th century. Later legends told of her escape from a dragon, with which she was often depicted in medieval art. The saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and her name has been widely used in the Christian world.

Saint Margaret of Antioch

I don't know if I've ever looked up the meaning/history of my name in that sense before. I love that it means 'pearl', and that Saint Margaret escaped from a dragon. That's pretty damn cool...

Really my name is a family name. My great-grandmother Goertzen was named Margaret.

 Grandma Goertzen was (i've been told, she passed before I was born) kind of a grumpy woman, and she was not a fan of my grandmother. In my great-grandmother's eyes, Nadine (my grandma) was the woman who stole her son away and converted him to 'that awful church'. My dad tells stories of his angry, not very-nice grandmother, and how she was always slightly rude to his mom. Which is so crazy to me, my grandma is THE most sweet wonderful person, I can't imagine not liking her.

Anyways. When my parents were expecting me they didn't know if I was a boy or girl, and had discussed a few different names. Because my due-date was Christmas Day they had thought of Nicholas, which was a name they obviously fell in love with since that is what they named my brother 4 years later. But when I arrived, and I wasn't a boy, they had to decide on a different name. I've been told I was named Margaret as sort of a peace-offering to my great-grandmother, and to keep the name in the family.
I like to joke that Great-Grandma Goertzen decided she would watch over this girl who was given her name and make her the rebel of the family- because... I kind of am.

I've gone through alot of nick-names. Very few people actually call me Margaret. And it's taken me a long time to actually love my full first name. I always felt that my full name (Margaret Elizabeth Goertzen) sounded like an old woman. But I've grown into it, I think. I like how traditional and beautiful it sounds all put together.
My mother wanted to call me Maggie from day 1, but they started calling me Meg first and that ended up sticking when they realized my initials spelled my nick-name. I went by Meg nearly my whole life, and a few years ago started going by Maggie and Love it.

I also am called Mags, Margie, Margarita, Magdalene (by Tia), Megert, Meggie... pretty much any variation on Margaret, Maggie, and Meg that you can think of. Except for Megan. Never call me Megan.