My husband Maruf and I decided to use our son’s name to honor our family. His first name, Merganjon (Mergan for short), is the same as Maruf’s father’s. My father-in-law passed away when Maruf was only fifteen, and we decided to name our son after him. “Mergan” means “archer” in Uzbek, and “-jon” is a suffix that means “dear.” Our son’s first middle name, Henry, is the same as my maternal grandfather’s middle name. We had already decided on this name, but the fact that Mergan was born on the same day as my grandfather made this even more special. Finally, Mergan’s second middle name, Marufovich, is a patronymic common in post-Soviet countries. “Maruf” is my husband’s name, and “-ovich” means “son of.” Even though it makes for a bit of a mouthful (especially as our last name is eleven letters long), we decided on this name because it celebrates Mergan’s cultural heritage as both an Uzbek and an American. This way, wherever he lives, he can choose to use a name that “fits in” with the culture – or not. We would rather leave the choice up to him, so he can be comfortable with a name that honors his culture and family.
The baby name story for Merganjon Henry Marufovich was submitted by Angela.
