How To Unpack The Incredible Power In Your Name

What’s in a name? It’s what Juliet famously asks Romeo and what Tony asks himself when he learns Maria’s name in West Side Story, and it’s what many wonder when trying to name their child.

The truth is that picking a name for your child is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. Their name will not only follow them for the rest of their lives but will represent them throughout every moment from their birth certificate to their death certificate. But names are such a common part of everyday life that we often take them for granted and forget the power behind them.

A Brief History of Names and Name Variations

Why do we have names? It may sound deeply philosophical, but the reason why is surprisingly simple. The simplest way to describe a name is "an abstract linguistic symbol for an individual person," meaning it’s simply a way to identify someone. Names are not only unique to humans as a species, but there are also plenty of different naming tactics across cultures. Many languages and cultures also have different variations for the same names, as well as nicknames and diminutives.

While different cultures have used different customs in naming children for thousands of years, some of the most popular names in Western countries are often of biblical or Hebrew origin. Popular biblical names for boys include Joseph, Matthew, Simon, and John, while popular names for girls are Mary, Sarah, Ruth, and Rebecca. Many of these names have variations in different languages, with two of the most popular being Joseph and Mary. Popular variations of Joseph include Giuseppe (Italian), Jose (Spanish), Youssef (Arabic), and Jozef (Dutch). While Maria is the most common variation of Mary and is included in several languages as Italian and Spanish, other derivatives include Marie (French), Miriam (Hebrew), and Mariah (English). 

One non-biblical name that has countless variations is Katherine (and countless creative spellings). Some of the most common variations include Caitlin (Irish), Ekaterina (Russian), Caterina (Italian), and Catalina (Spanish).

Naming Traditions around the World

There are many different customs of naming children around the world, and we often come across them in literature. If you’ve ever read a Russian novel, you’ve likely been confused by the characters' many names, and that’s because Russians use patronymics as middle names. 

To explain this concept, we’ll use examples from the classic Russian novel Anna Karenina. The two protagonists are Anna Arkadyevna Karenina and Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin. Both characters have patronymics as middle names. A patronymic family name is the name of the child’s father followed by a suffix that is either “vich” (if the name ends without a vowel) or “ovich” (if the name ends with a vowel) for boys, and “ovna,” “evna” or “avna” for girls because the suffixes translate to “son of” or “daughter of.” Since Anna’s father is named Arkady, her name is Anna Arkadyevna, and since Konstantin’s father is named Dmitri, his name is Konstantin Dmitrievich.

Countries like China are rare in that their names go by family name (last name or surname) first and given name (first name) second, whereas most cultures use the given name first and family name second. The family name usually only has one syllable, and the personal name has one or two syllables. For example, Chinese basketball player Yao Ming’s family name is Yao, and his personal name is Ming.

In Greece, many practice a tradition of naming children after family members by birth order. Traditionally, the first son takes the name of his paternal grandfather, the first daughter takes the name of her paternal grandmother, the second son takes the name of his maternal grandfather, and the second daughter takes the name of her maternal grandmother. While not all Greek families follow these strict rules, it’s important in Greek culture to stick to first names that are within the family. A perfect example of this is in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where the majority of the children are named Anita, Diane, and Nick (mainly Nick, but you get the point).

Your name might have a lengthy history or an interesting story behind it that you can only find out by asking your family. 

How To Learn the Meaning of Your Name 

We all know that you can Google your name to find its linguistic origin and meaning, but there’s a good chance that there’s a history behind your name that you can’t find online. Your name might have a lengthy history or an interesting story behind it that you can only find out by asking your family. 

If you want to go a step further, take time to research your family genealogy and learn the names of your ancestors. You can get this information on genealogy websites like Ancestry, alongside details on your family history from census records or immigration records. Even if you only find information on a few ancestors, there’s something special about knowing the names of your great-great-grandparents. Leaning more into your family history allows you to visualize what their lives were like and practice gratitude knowing that you wouldn’t be around if it weren’t for them.

The Science Behind Names

Have you ever noticed a rush of emotions when you hear your name? It turns out that your brain has an interesting reaction whenever it hears your name. According to a 2006 study, hearing your name activates different areas of your brain. This includes the “middle frontal cortex, middle and superior temporal cortex, and cuneus."

All four of these areas of the brain serve important functions. The middle frontal cortex is responsible for motor skills, abstract thinking, creativity, and social skills, as well as “many of the important processes that make you yourself,” like your “emotions, perspective-taking, and developing theories-of-mind.” These processes “help form your identity and personality.” The middle and superior temporal cortex is responsible for auditory processing, and the cuneus is responsible for visual processing. This means hearing your name is basically a wake-up exercise for your brain, which is what enables you to hear your name in a crowded room and what causes you to respond to your name so quickly. Additionally, “hearing your own name causes your brain to react as if you’re engaging in the behaviors and thought patterns that serve as some of your core identity and personality markers … In fact, this reaction is so powerful that similar patterns were observed in patients in a persistent vegetative state.” Your name is a powerful key to your attention and your identity. 

Closing Thoughts

We really only think of names when it comes to naming babies, often forgetting the power and family history that names hold. Different naming customs across the world show that names are sacred and unique to each culture, proving they have much more power than we realize.

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