What's In a Name?:
My Interview with Jeff Miller

The Informant: I'd like to talk to you a little bit about what it's like to be named Jeff Miller here at Santana High School. Would that be all right?
Jeff Miller: Sure. Go ahead.
The Informant: First off, will you please state your name for the record?
Jeff Miller: Jeff Miller.
The Informant: And you attend school at...?
Jeff Miller: Santana High School.
The Informant: To your knowledge, Jeff, are there any other Jeffs here at our school?
Jeff Miller: Yes. There are a few others that I know of.
The Informant: What are their names?
Jeff Miller: Well, there's Jeff Fry and Jeff Freymiller.
(Editor's Note: Jeff actually named another Jeff, but his name eludes me at the present moment. Also, I accidentally taped over the interview, in a very unprofessional manner. At any rate, the name of this other Jeff does not concern us.)
The Informant: So, to confirm, there are students currently enrolled at this school with the names Jeff Fry, Jeff Miller, and Jeff Freymiller?
Jeff Miller: Yes.
The Informant: I must say that your names sound an awful lot alike. Does this ever create any confusion for you or the other Jeffs?
Jeff Miller: I don't know about the others, but when I was in a class with Jeff Freymiller, the teacher would sometimes call me by my full name, "Jeffrey Miller," and I would never know if she was talking to me or to Jeff Freymiller.
The Informant: Are you aware of the origin of your name?
Jeff Miller: No, not really.
The Informant: Are you a miller? Was your father ever a miller?
Jeff Miller: By name only.
The Informant: Have any of your relatives worked in a mill?
Jeff Miller: Perhaps some distant relative, but I have no knowledge of it.
The Informant: Do you know offhand if any of Jeff Freymiller's ancestors worked in a mill?
Jeff Miller: No, I don't.
The Informant: What do you think of the name Freymiller?
Jeff Miller: It scares me.
The Informant: One last question.
Jeff Miller: Go ahead.
The Informant: How much do you think I can bench press?
Jeff Miller: (laughs) I wouldn't want to say.
The Informant: One-twenty-five, baby! Yeah!

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