They call Me Fifer | Teen Ink

They call Me Fifer

May 17, 2010
By JordantheFifer BRONZE, Hanover, Maryland
JordantheFifer BRONZE, Hanover, Maryland
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

In English, just as in German, my name means someone who played the fife in the millitary, and then reached a commanding rank. In German it is pronounced the same way, but with a "P" Pfifer.

I was born Jordan Alexander Fifer, the Jordan comes from my father's favorite basketball player, Michael Jordan, Alexander came from who knows what. My German last name is the result of a long forgotten lineage to my European ancestors. Irish, German, Polish, my heritage lies there, in Europe.

My mother came from a Polish, partially Irish, background. Her mother was adopted. This has always left a curious gap in my family history. I could never truly know my background. My fater's side is more clearly defined. The Fifer's were of German descent, and we moved to America long ago.

My family calls me Alex, and so do my friends. My teachers call me Jordan, but some call me Fifer, or Mr. Fifer. It is always something that I wanted to understand, my last name. And for the last few years, I have. I have inherited a forgotten German heritage, and to this day I wonder who I truly am.

At school they say my name, either Alex, Jordan, or Fifer. I am most often called Fifer, and I actually enjoy it. At times they do it to annoy me, others pronounce it as though it has three f's. But my name is always welcome, if not mysterious to me.


The author's comments:
I had decided to focus on my last name for this piece, and what it meant to me, rather than my first name.

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GoldenBear said...
on Dec. 8 2014 at 7:27 pm
I really enjoyed your post, even more so because I was friends with your parents in Germany, and I was happy to see their joy at you being born.  I liked your name so much that my youngest son's middle name is Alexander.