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But when she was born a girl, the Toyota plan had to be abandoned. Hopeson explained that around the time of her birth, the Toyota Dyna model had also been released, which influenced the name her father eventually settled on.
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Gospel musician and music industry expert Diana Hopeson has revealed the surprising story behind her name, saying she could have grown up with the name Toyota if her father had his way.
Speaking to Kafui Dey, Hopeson said her father was a lover of cars and had already chosen the name Toyota for his unborn child because he was convinced her mother was carrying a boy.
According to her, her father already had three boys and three girls, including a set of twins, and was hoping the next child would be another boy.
“He decided if it’s a boy, he’ll name him Toyota because Toyota had come and he just loved it,” she recalled.
But when she was born a girl, the Toyota plan had to be abandoned.
Hopeson explained that around the time of her birth, the Toyota Dyna model had also been released, which influenced the name her father eventually settled on.
However, the name “Diana” she became known by did not come entirely from her father.
She recalled that her Class One teacher, introduced her to the biblical name Dinah and taught her how to write it.
“I still remember her. She taught me how to write my name,” Hopeson said.
She later modified the spelling to Diana, which she interprets as representing a “double blessing.”
Hopeson also clarified that despite the name being associated with the goddess Diana in Greek and Roman mythology, she gives her own name a different meaning rooted in her faith.
“For Diana Hopeson, it’s like the double blessing,” she said.
What began with her father’s love for cars, therefore, could have given the gospel musician one of the most unusual names imaginable: Toyota Hopeson.
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