1) The author relates her unusual first name "Alyne" and its meaning of "Woman of Distinction". 2) Her middle name "Dilek" means "Dream" in Turkish, reflecting her Turkish heritage. 3) She settled on the username "noblwish" which incorporates meanings from her first and middle names and has come to represent her "true name", as it reflects her noble intentions.

1. The Essence of “Aly”
by Alyne Harding
One of my favorite songs, performed by Pink, goes, "Don't Let Me Get Me!" I
relate to a lot of the emotions expressed in that song, but for the most part, I've
always "gotten" who I am. It was everyone else who couldn't "get me," just like
they couldn't "get" my name. If you know my name, then you know me.
When I was born, Ali McGraw was a very popular actress. No one questioned
how she pronounced her name – it rhymed with "ollie." "Alyne" seemed to stump
everyone who said it and most people who heard it, so my parents gave me the
nick name "Aly" and told everyone to pronounce it like Ms. McGraw. That
seemed to be an easy solution all through the ‘70’s and half of the ‘80’s. Then,
"Kate & Allie" came out and no one has been able to pronounce ANY of my
names right, since! Okay, that's an exaggeration -- for a few years, EVERYONE
could say, and spell, my last name without a second thought.
The name “Harding” was first used in Scotland by a clan of Viking descent.
Sometime later, they became British subjects. In the mid-1600’s, a branch of
Protestant Hardings moved to Ireland as part of an attempt by the British Crown
to squeeze out, or breed out, the native Catholics. Interestingly, there’s a Dublin
inn known as “The Harding Hotel” and I once received a flyer advertising a
famous Irish Pub called “Harding’s.” Try as I might, I have been unable to find a
connection between my family and the Irish Hardings, mainly because my
ancestors came to America at about the same time that the Irish Hardings left
Britain. The American Hardings also left Britain for religious reasons – they
came here to start the Baptist church. Most of my relations are still Baptist, albeit
BAD Baptists – at a recent family wedding, there was dancing and drinking
aplenty (not that I’m complaining)! I don’t know what the name “Harding” actually
means, but I’ve always figured it had something to do with “impertinent” – in
every possible definition of the word.
"Alyne" is a very unusual name and I’ve only ever met one other woman who had
it. My parents got it from a brass-rubbing of a medieval gravesite of one our
ancestors. For years, I wondered what it meant. You don’t find such names
printed on bookmarks in bubble letters hanging around in Hallmark Stores.
However, when I was 14, a darling woman in my church managed to research
the definition and made just such a bookmark by hand! "Woman of Distinction,"
read the calligraphy on the back. I loved it! It was SO me!
I discovered another meaning several years later. This one requires a bit of
prologue. See, I was born on May 11, my great-grandmother Adeline’s 86th
birthday. Adeline was a tad scandalous for her day and my ultra conservative
parents were afraid to name me after her for fear that I’d take on certain
characteristics of hers – such as flirting with men 50 years her junior or, my
favorite: habitually climbing out her nursing home window to grab a beer across

2. the street, then re-entering the home through the front door, making SURE she
said "hello" to the befuddled receptionist. At age 22, I was glancing through an
old copy of Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary when I came across a section in the
back entitled, "Definitions of Common English Given Names.” I didn’t expect to
find "Alyne," but I came awfully close. A-L-I-N-E was listed and one of the
possible pronunciations was the same as mine (uh-LEEN). "Y" was often used in
medieval times where "I" is used today, so I figured the names must be the
same. The definition mentioned that the name was of Celtic origin and that it
was a contraction for the French name "Adeline.” The definition of "Adeline" read
"Woman of Noble Birth.” I called my mother and told her about my discovery.
She laughed and admitted that I had, indeed, inherited some of Adeline’s savvy
and that she was glad of it. I guess God has a sense of humor!
I’ve often been told that I have big dreams for someone so far past adolescence,
but then "Dream" IS my middle name! That is, it’s one meaning of "Dilek" – as is
"Wish," "Hope" and "Desire." I was named for my mother's good friend and
sister-in-law. She's from Turkey and had given both of her daughters, my
cousins, Turkish names. My mother, already a fan of eclectic girls' names,
thought it would be fun if I had a Turkish name, too.
When I first decided to enter the Information Super Highway, I tried to come up
with a unique user name. At first, I attempted to meld my name with Adeline’s
somehow, but I was only partially satisfied with the result. The fact is, as much
as I have in common with her, I’m not Adeline. I’m someone entirely unique. I
played with other options and finally settled on "noblwish." It incorporates the
definitions of both my names, while staying within the 8-digit limit that was, at the
time, required by early ISPs.
As the years, and ISPs, have gone by, "noblwish" has come to mean more to me
than just a user name. I once read a story wherein a tribe of people tattooed
their "true names" around their bellybuttons during a coming-of-age ritual. As I
read, I wondered what my "true name" could be. It didn’t take long for me to
realize that it was, in fact, "noblwish.” Not only is it indicative of my legal name,
which is, in itself, quite indicative of me, but the very word brings to mind good
intentions (noble wishes). Although my actions may not always have the best
results, I always have the very best intentions.
For anyone who still has trouble getting the gist of Alyne Dilek Harding, maybe I
should get "noblwish" tattooed around MY bellybutton. In a groovy glow-in-the-
dark ink, no less! The only question is... what font?