My name used to be Pete Vander Giessen. “Peter” means rock. It was a good name. I liked being supportive and solid. But people tended to sit on me when I didn’t want them to.
(Also, “Pete” is generally considered to be a man’s name, and I turned to have been a woman all along.)
“Vander Giessen” is the Americanization of a Dutch surname. I love it, but it gets misspelled a lot. And lots of folks confused “Vander” with a middle name. (I did not have a middle name.)
My name is now Penelope Valentine Gale. Note that the initials are the same!
“Penelope” is an old name, which might mean “weaver.” Or it might simply be associated with weaving, courtesy of a character in The Odyssey. I like it, because sometimes I’m protective and warm, like a woven blanket. And sometimes I’m tricky and clever, like the weavers in a few stories that I like.
I go by “Pen” if you’re a professional colleague, “Penny,” if you know me well, and Ms. Gale if you don’t know me at all. 😉