The name is the first mark that is printed, above all human beings. It is a word and, as such, it carries with it a series of meanings and a long chain of associations.
In addition, in general, the name implies an intention of the person who gives it, partly conscious, partly unconscious.
Almost always the name is given by others, it is not chosen.
And almost always there is also some story behind why they gave you that name and not another: that was the name of your grandfather, or those names were in fashion.
Your mom thought it was a cute way to name you or your dad thought it was a proper name for famous people.
Your name can also be a tribute to a deceased person, or to a figure that your parents admire.
They may even have given you a name to compete with their friends, or to impact those around them, or to pay homage to a saint or to God. There are plenty of reasons, at least for the one who names you.
The truth is that with those associations, those meanings and those intentions, they also outline a part of . They plant or remove an expectation about you.
They also give you a subtle mandate about the kind of person they expect you to be. Giving someone a name is equivalent to giving them a place within a worldview.
The functions of the name
A person’s name has three basic functions: it identifies them, places them within a certain culture, and suggests a life project.
Identify why it is what will usually differentiate you from the rest in a shared context, for which you will respond.
It enrolls you in a culture in the first place because of the origin and the understanding of that name, by those around you; secondly by your last name: it says to which family you belong.
The name also suggests a life project, due to the expectations, fantasies and motivations that your parents or the adults who named you had.
By giving you a name they are also making something of a bet on your destiny.
What they feel and what they think at the moment you were born is reflected in the way they name you.
Likewise, although those who name you do not know it, most names have their own etymology and, therefore, their meaning.
This meaning could be located within what we call “collective unconscious”. It is something that society manages, but explicit. Thus, it ends up also outlining the meaning of that life to which a name was given.
Name determinations:
The more common a name is, the fewer constraints it will oppose on whoever bears it.
On the contrary, when it comes to a far-fetched, foreign, strange or even ridiculous name, its influence will be much greater.
The same happens when the name of a dead person is carried, or when the name of another person in the family is carried: the father, the mother, or someone close to them.
In the case of exotic names, they usually denote strong parental fantasies.
They want to stand out through their children.
They know that others will have difficulties or feel strange when it comes to naming their children, but that is precisely what they are looking for: to attract the attention of others, to put a stamp of difference.
There are names so rare or so elaborate that they end up being ridiculous. It is usual that they are the result of ignorance or alienation from the parents.
It is known that in Ecuador several children carry the name “Eveready”.
In Colombia, a person with the name “Usnavy” appeared, because his father, a soldier who went to the war in Korea, had seen that word printed on a United States ship.
In all these cases, the name induces to be in a certain way.
Sometimes it causes subtle disagreements or open rejections.
Something of our destiny is at stake in that name that was given to us without permission and that most of us grow to appreciate over the years.
Perhaps because we are doing it more to our measure, more ours.
Can a name make you live longer?
A curious study carried out by Lisa D. Cook concludes that a name can extend a person’s life, although it can also be harmful… »
Edith Sanchez.
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