Of course... but only because you asked so nicely ;).
Hi again blog community and curious folks eager to learn more about my multiple name situation! The TL;DR of it all is that I am happy being called any name and will respond to any name whether it be Vikki, Victoria, Sònia, Vik, or a variation. But for those who like to follow up with "yeah okay, but which one do you prefer?" or "yeah but what should I call you?", I thought I'd put the answer in writing once and for all!
I was born "Sònia Victoria Werner"* (pronounced SAWN-ya Vik-TOHR-ee-uh Wer-ner) during a snowy January night. Sònia is a tribute name to my mother, Trini, who was not allowed to be named Sonia during Franco's Catholic dictatorship, as it didn't sound Spanish enough. Victoria is a name that works in all 4 languages of our multilingual, multicultural home—in other words, it's a name that sounds good in English, Spanish, German, and Catalan. And Werner comes from my German roots and apparently the word "warrior." Cool huh? I like to think so!
Now, buckle up. It's about to get confusing!
Remember my mom, Trini? Yes, the one I was just talking about, that's the one! Her mamá/my abuela/iaia is and has always been one who never takes "no" for an answer. Even though the priest didn't allow her firstborn to be named Sonia at the baptism, she said &$!? it and decided to call her Sonia anyways, even if it wasn't what was written on paper. When I was born, this got confusing to say the least. My actual name was Sònia, but her name was also Sonia—but wait her actual name is not that, it's Trini—we went in circles. So my parents decided that I'd go by Victoria to keep things simple.
When I was growing up, my friends knew me as Vikki**, my teachers knew me as Victoria, and my family knew me as any and all names. Even to this day, some people still know me as Vikki or Victoria and would look at you funny if you asked about "Sònia". But since I'm here to set the record straight, let me tell you how "Sònia" made her comeback.
I started acting very young when my parents enrolled me in an improv class. From there, I branched out into musical theatre, then straight plays, then film/tv, then commercials and voiceovers! But to go back to the start, I remember seeing my name on a callback sheet when I was young (subtle flex). At that time, it said "Victoria Werner." And hey, I liked Victoria Werner, but it was in that moment I felt... off about it. You know those names you hear and you're like—that's a famous name! Or even, that's a name I could see in lights! I somehow didn't get that vibe from Victoria Werner. Victoria Werner felt like a goodie-two-shoes who kept her head down, flew under the radar, and maybe became an accountant. Now, don't get me wrong, I love accountants and need one dearly in my life and businesses, but it just wasn't me anymore. It sounds cheesy to say it all clicked in that moment but it sort of did. Victoria was the daughter, the friend, the academic—but it wasn't the name I chose. It was the name that made things "less confusing". Soon enough, I felt ready to "choose" my own professional name, and I readopted the Sònia. A lot of people I work with nowadays call me Sònia exclusively, which was a weird adjustment at first, but a name I've grown to love and identify with as an artist and as a human being.
Now for some FAQ's I get... (answers in green)
Sònia sounds Russian—are you Russian? Not at all to my knowledge! The ò is Catalan and the Sonia bit is a tribute to my mom who wasn't allowed to be named it.
Wait so what do I call you? Chances are, if I know you personally, you can call me Vikki. If we work together professionally, you likely know me as Sònia. But in terms of what you can call me, just ask! Or assume Sònia is perfectly fine with me as a starting point :).
Do you have a preference? Nope! Genuinely! I love them all!
Are you living a double life or what? I don't actually get this one, but this is how I feel sometimes lol! Long story short, no. I just go by all names and own it and embrace it.
This is all to say, once again, I love all parts of my name and will respond to any and all! With me, there's no need to feel bad or confused or worried you're going to mess up and say the wrong one—they're all correct and they're all me :).
See you all next time! Thanks for following along the (slightly) confusing ride!
* To get fully transparent here and dispel any future confusions or rumors, you may find or see that my legal name is missing the accent. I added the accent onto my name when I was very young 1) due to my Catalan heritage (love that backwards accent moment) and 2) because people kept mispronouncing SAWN-yuh as SOHN-yuh and I thought that the Catalan open "ò" would prompt the "how do you pronounce your name" question. Most times, it does!
** Another technicality for those who ... care? Originally, my nickname was spelled Vicky, but one of my best friends in 6th grade spelled it Vikki one day and I'd never seen it spelled that way before! The uniqueness really resonated with me, so I've been Vikki ever since.
And that's the Sònia Victoria Werner name story all wrapped up :,).
Comments