Why I Chose a Name Nobody Can Pronounce

 I could open with a Shakespeare quote about names — in fact, I did in the original version of this post, written back in 2018.  But let’s skip the poetry and get to the juicy truth.

I love that my name is April. Growing up, it stood out for exactly 30 days a year and earned me plenty of “clever” comments, the classic being “you must have been born in April.” Nope. December girl here.  (You know the kind where you are close enough to Christmas to get the “combined birth day/holiday gift). I used to joke that if I ever had a baby, I’d have them in April and name them December.

 

Well — I did have a baby. In April. I went with Niko, and the baby in the original version of this post is now a ten-year-old aspiring NFL Quarterback.

So when it came time to name my jewelry brand, my name had to be part of it. The obvious route was “April Barnhart Designs.” (Yawn). It’s perfectly, forgettably fine.

Then, in a brand development session, Aprilierre was on a long list of various fun names, I was intrigued. Not because of what it meant — because of how it looked. Write it in script and the A is exactly how I write mine the L loops into the R’s, the letters flow like something drawn rather than typed. It’s pretty.

 

 

I make beautiful things with my hands, so yes, I chose my name partly because the letters are beautiful. I have no regrets.

The logo is red because red has been my favorite color for as long as I can remember. It’s the color of my favorite lipstick — the kind you put on when you want to feel like the most empowered of yourself.  That’s not my deep brand strategy. That’s just my personality.

 

 

But here’s the part that made it stick: say it with a French twist and Aprilierre loosely translates to “of April.” My hands forge every piece that leaves my bench — no molds, no mass production. Of April, literally.

And then there’s the detail hiding in plain sight. The French word for stone is pierre. Look at the name again: April… ierre. Of April. Of stone. Perfect for a woman who works with stones in silver, tucked right into the letters I fell for because they were pretty.

Sometimes the universe does the branding for you.

There you have it: a name nobody can pronounce, chosen because it’s beautiful, the script my favorite color. Of April. Of stone.