Why are names important?

Have you ever written your name on the school desk? Or use it while testing a new pen in the shop? How many times have you noticed in the streets graffiti featuring the names of people? The name is the first thing we ask when we meet someone new. Everything in this world has assigned one. They describe and demonstrate the essence of every object and every event. Every name has a meaning, a reason why it has been connected to specific objects and events. It is believed that it plays a tremendous role in the destiny and life of its owner. A person's name has a unique connection to our density and our life. It is the one and the most important word for an individual.

They (names) are more than a bunch of letters grouped to sound pleasant to the ear. Names are more than a convenience allowing people to talk to each other. Names are a gift from God. These words contain His power. They give things meaning. They bring us meaning (Giovagnoni, 2020).

People choose names for their newborns based on different factors such as the unique meaning, origin, family tradition, or simply how pleasant it sounds to the ears. Anyhow, most people do not realize the importance of name. Some people change their names or adopt a nickname or a pseudonym. However, name choosing is one of the decisive parts of human life, hence it requires prudence.

Figure 1: You must remember your name!

Why are names so important?

We are perceived with our name

First of all, people perceive us through our name. They create an image of our background based on it. How people refer to us tells a lot about our relationships and how close we are to those individuals. Apart from this, people have fewer difficulties remembering mainstream names. It is a fact that teachers can remember names with two syllables easily.

People prefer politicians with simpler names—and lawyers in American firms with fluent names rise in the legal hierarchy to partnership more quickly than their non-fluently named colleagues. (Alter, 2013)

On the contrary, if one aims and dreams going down history, one will need an exceptional name because it adds authenticity, originality, and fame.

Way to remember and honor our loved ones

Furthermore, as mentioned above, they help us get to know each other and ourselves better. Most of the names have a story behind them that helps us understand our origins or maybe even our destiny and mission in life. Some cultures believe that name and the fate of the person are intertwined. For example, in the Bible, Abram became Abraham, meaning “father of a multitude”, which was his destiny and role on earth. Every name has power and energy that determines the future of its owner. Apart from this, it is believed by many that naming a child after someone transfers the energy and destiny of the person to the child. There are multiple cases of babies named after a family member who has passed away. Naming a child after a beloved person is a way to honor the person and keep them alive in memories. As far as the name lives, the person lives with it. However, if names have energies, then naming infants after the deceased seems like a bad idea.

They can keep us alive

Names are not only a way to keep people that are no longer with us around, but to preserve our life too. As long as people mention us, we exist. Our actions are driven by the fear of death and disappearing. Therefore, people are searching for ways to leave their mark. Some people try to leave a sign of their presence through their work, their creations. Some people, who can not create something valuable, use different means, for example, walls and signs in the street. X person was here. X person did exist. As long as this wall stands, X will exist. This is the motive standing behind all those names written on the walls in the street, on bathroom walls, and on desks.

Figure 2: Brooks Was Here, So Was Red

To conclude, names are the most important possession in our lives that we have to carry since the very beginning of our life, until the end, and most probably after it. They connect us to our past, to our origin. They tell the story that helps us understand our mission in life, and makes strangers learn more about us, which might not always be true. It is believed by many that names have energy that can determine the destiny of the person. Children, named after their ancestors, will most likely start to look like them. However, it is not proven that calling your own children by someone else's name will hand down the same life to them. However, children are often called after someone to honor them or to keep their memory alive. This is not the only way how names can preserve the memory of the person and help him live even after death. Many people try to fight the fear of death by writing their names everywhere, marking their place, and leaving part of their existence on something strong that is supposed to last forever. On account of the aforesaid, names are the most important part of our lives, and it is our biggest mission to make our names memorable and respected by others for centuries on end.

References:

• Alter, A. (2013, May 29). The Power of Names. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-power-of-names

• Giovagnoni, C. (2020, October 25). The Importance of Names. Compassion International Blog. https://blog.compassion.com/the-importance-of-names/

• Veklerov, K. (2013, February 20). Making a mark: Someone was here. The Daily Californian. https://www.dailycal.org/2013/02/19/making-a-mark-someone-was-here/

Image references:

• Figure 1: Spirited Away. (n.d.). [Gif]. https://www.icegif.com/spirited-away-35/

• Figure 2: Brooks Was Here, So Was Red. (n.d.). [Photograph]. https://www.flickr.com/photos/34675063@N02/5977425935