Living With One Of The World’s Most Unfortunate Last Names
It taught me to accept what is within my control and how not to take things personally.
When I was about 9 or 10 years old, my mother pulled me aside for an important conversation. She explained that people would likely tease me because of my name, and I had to be prepared.
“If anyone makes fun of you, ignore them.” She told me. “You have to let it roll off you, learn not to care and to go along with it.”
I acknowledged it and understood what she said. I turned back to my mother and asked her, “Mom, what’s wrong with Drew?”
She wasn’t talking about Drew. She was talking about our last name, Fagot. Pronounced just as it looks, “fagit.”
Some people claim that its pronunciation is “fuh-go” and while that’s not entirely wrong, names often change to fit the culture they’re in.
Like many surnames, mine has origins. It comes from the French word for firewood gatherer. According to records, only 372 people in the U.S. share this last name, and about 3,000 worldwide. So yes, I guess you could say I’m one in a million.
Football was my first love when it came to sports. During tryouts, it was common practice for coaches to put each player’s last…
