Q. Is your name really “Davinci Logan Yonge-Mallo”?
A. That’s what it says on my legal documents.
Q. Okay, then. Let’s begin with the surname. “Yonge” is obviously an Anglicised version of your Chinese surname, but where does “Mallo” come from?
A. Actually, “Yonge” is the name of my favourite street in Toronto.
I stole borrowed “Mallo” from one of my best friends in high school — or rather, from his mother. After my father forbid me from studying physics and theoretical computer science when I was in high school, Mrs. Mallo advocated to my parents on my behalf that I be allowed to continue. When my father refused and ordered me to stop visiting the university library, Mrs. Mallo arranged for her husband to drive me there after school. Finally, when my father locked me out of the house for continuing my studies against his wishes, Mrs. Mallo welcomed me into her home where she encouraged me to study whatever I wanted.
Many people thank their parents for their academic accomplishments, but in my case, my parents had absolutely nothing to do with my success in school. Instead, Mrs. Mallo deserves much of the credit. I legally changed my surname to reflect this fact.
Q. What about the middle name, “Logan”?
A. That, of course, is the name of the most famous Canadian mutant super(anti)hero.
Q. You named yourself after a comic book character?!
A. Is that any stranger than being named after a religious figure, a mythological or fictional character, a historical person, or a profession?
If it makes you feel any better, “Logan” is also the name of the mountain containing the highest point in Canada.
Q. What about “Davinci”? What kind of name is that?
The name “Davinci” comes from a conversation I had with some friends in elementary school. We were sitting around chatting about what we were going to name our future children. (We were about thirteen years old at the time!)
The conversation shifted to a discussion about why so many common names in English seem to originate in religion (and more generally in history and mythology). We started throwing around other possible sources of names. One friend suggested capitalism: he claimed that he was going to name his children after brands of clothing or shoes, such as “Nike” and “Esprit”.
My suggestion was that scientists should be honoured by having children named after them. Of course, “Newton” and “Einstein” were trotted out as the obvious test cases. It was pointed out that “Newton” is already a given name, and that furthermore, its diminutive form is “Newt” (which all of us thought was super uncool). “Einstein” is the name of Marty McFly’s dog in the movie “Back to the Future”, which we had watched recently. So both of these were summarily ruled out.
We began running through the names of famous scientists in history, which soon expanded to include Renaissance artists (because of the influence of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). I noted that if a person was named “da Vinci” he could still be called “David” as a nickname. I’ve liked the name ever since, which is why I chose it when I legally changed my name.
Q. But “da Vinci” isn’t even a name, it’s a geographic (or locative) epithet meaning “from (the town of) Vinci”. The guy’s name was Leonardo.
A. I’ve heard that among Italians everyone knows who you mean when you refer to “Leonardo”, but in the English-speaking world, “da Vinci” is treated like a surname that is used to differentiate between this Leonardo from other ones.
Q. Okay, even if it is a name, it isn’t a first name.
A. It is a first name. My first name.
Q. The proper way to write Davinci is “da Vinci” (with a space, a lowercase “d”, and an uppercase “V”).
A. That’s the proper way to write the geographic epithet of Leonardo di ser Piero, from Vinci. My name is written Davinci.
Q. Should I call you Davinci?
A. If you want. Most people call me David.
Update: I’ve removed a reference to a certain someone who didn’t want her name to appear on the Internet.
– davinci
I find it amusing that people would argue with you over your name and in such detail. Do they have nothing better to do?
Well, I spent a lot of time around graduate students and other academics. Some people in academia pride themselves on being pedantic.
Other people are just curious. It’s not a bad thing to have a memorable name.
– davinci
I know all about academics, I live with one remember!?!? As a result, I’m turning into a world class debator. It’s fun picking the opposite side – whatever that may be – just to watch him argue away.
And you’re right, it is good to have a memorable name. I was wondering why you chose what you did. I remember the Mallos. Not that I was really friends with them or anything, I know Ace was. I’m glad Mrs. Mallo was such a positive influence on you.