Alma Flor Ada: Hello. My name is Alma Flor Ada. It's a somewhat different name. I have never met anyone with my name. The name Alma is rather common in Mexico and I have heard of Alma Rosa, I have heard of Alma Delia, but I have never met anyone with the name of Alma Flor. My name was chosen by my grandmother. Alma Ada would not sound very good in Spanish. It's sounds too close to almohada which means pillow.

Ada is not a common last name so choosing my name was a little challenge. My grandmother thought that I was given a long name people would have to pause before saying the last name and then confusion would happen. So she though of Alma Flor as one long name, people would have to say Almaflor pause and then Ada.

Unfortunately at the time of registering me in the city hall, they did not accept Almaflor as one long together name. They thought it was a non existing name and they did not approve. So they made it two separate names, Alma Flor and then Ada.

I wish that at some point in my life I would have had the strength and the courage to bring it back together, Almaflor, as one. And I'll tell you a secret. I distinguish very much the people who are really my close friends, because they will call me Almaflor. And the people who barely know me will call me Alma, instead of Almaflor. So maybe when we meet, you will know how pleasing it is to me to be called by my full name, Alma Flor.