What's in a name?

When I was in college my professors taught me that in order to establish validity to a paper or an essay, begin with a quote. By restating what someone has said before, it lends more weight to your following statements. So to begin, W.H. Auden once said, "Proper names are poetry in the raw. Like all poetry they are untranslatable."

For having the last name of Karazsia, I have found much truth in this statement.

In college my first days of class were dreadful, because I despised roll call. As the professor called the names of students, in my head I would be calculating where they were in the alphabet. By the time they reached names starting with the letter "J," I cringed as my name was soon to follow. Over the course of my life, I have heard my name pronounced multiple ways from KarAzia, Karatzia, KARAsia, or just Kara...and they would wait for me to fill the last two syllables. But, there are benefits of having a Karazsia as my last name. If a person living in the United States has the last name of Karazsia, it is a high probability I am related to them. The name Karazsia is unique, and I take a certain satisfaction knowing I am the only Grant Karazsia living in the world today.

As I have grown older, I have become fascinated with the origins of my name. In terms of names, they generally arise due to occupation or social standing. For example, a person bearing the last name of Carpenter, likely comes from a long line of people who were carpenters in their past.

I began searching for the meaning of my last name and I found that the name Karazsia emanates from Hungary. I then found confirmation in this fact by performing a Facebook search for "Karazsia" and I found all those who possess the name, and who do not live in the United States, live mostly in Budapest, Hungary.

Further research yielded that my last name originates from a Gothic tribe, whom roamed throughout Europe dating back to the 1st century A.D.

After the Gothic tribe, possessing a form of my last name, finished sacking the halls of Rome, and causing chaos throughout the continent of Europe, they eventually settled down in modern day Hungary and remained there until for almost 500 years.

It was not until the early 1900's, where the name Karazsia first appeared on the registry at Ellis Island. Maybe it was the Hungarian stubbornness or the Gothic pride that enabled my ancestors not to have their last name changed in lieu of a more "Americanized" version...regardless, the name stuck. After landing on Ellis Island, my family made its way more inland, stopping in the state of Pennsylvania.

The story of how the Karazsia family came to Linton begins with my uncle, Charlie Karazsia. After graduating from Latrobe High School in Pennsylvania, Charlie, along with his twin brother John, was awarded an athletic scholarship to play football at Indiana State University. A couple of years after receiving his degree, Charlie was hired at Linton-Stockton as a coach and a teacher. A year later, a job teaching position opened up at Linton and my father followed his brother from Pennsylvania.

As the years have continued, the name Karazsia can be found throughout the United States from Texas, to California, Pennsylvania, and continues here in Linton.

In my search, I however did not find out what the name Karazsia means. But, there is a certain charm in not knowing. By not knowing, you are able to place meaning where sometimes meaning can not be found. For me, the meaning of the name Karazsia is lost in the poetry of the untranslatable, a blank slate waiting to bear my mark.

Grant is a staff writer for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at (812) 847-4487, ext. 19. He can also be reached via email at gkarazsia@gmail.com.