The name is the first mark given to every human being, it is a word and, as such, it has a number of meanings and a long chain of associations; in addition, in general, names implicitly carry the intention of the constituent, partly conscious. , partially unconscious.
The name is almost always given by others, it is not chosen, and there is almost always a story behind it and why they named it after him and not another: it was his grandfather’s name, or those names were fashionable. Your mother thought it was, a sweet way of calling you, or your father thought it was a proper name for illustrious people.
- His name may also be a tribute to a deceased person.
- Or to a figure his parents admire.
- They may even have given him this name to rival his friends.
- Or to impact those around them.
- Or to pay homage to a saint or God.
- There are many reasons.
- At least for those who give the name.
“It is certainly nice to see the name printed; a book is always a book, even if it contains nothing. Lord Byron?”
The thing is, these associations, meanings, and intentions also define a part of your destiny. Sow or remove a wait from you. They also impose a subtle obligation on the type of person they expect from you. Giving someone a name is like giving them a place in a worldview.
A person’s name has three basic functions: he identifies it, places it in a particular culture and suggests a life project, identifies what will normally set you apart from others in a shared context, to which you will respond, this puts you in a culture first by its origin and understanding of that name, by those around you; second by name: it tells you which family you belong to.
The name also evokes a life project, due to the expectations, fantasies and motivations of his parents or the adults who gave him his name. When you put your name on it, you also make something of a bet on your destiny. What they feel and what they think when you’re born is reflected in the way they call you.
Similarly, even if the person giving the name does not know it, most names have their own etymology and therefore their meaning. This sense could be found in what we call the “collective unconscious. “So it also ends up defining the meaning of this life you’ve named.
The more common a name is, the less it will condition whoever wears it, on the contrary, when it comes to a far-fetched, strange, strange or even ridiculous name, its influence will be much greater. the name of a deceased person, or when they have the name of another person in the family: the parent or a loved one.
In the case of exotic names, they often denote the strong fantasies of parents, they want to stand out through their children. They know that others will have a hard time or find it strange when it comes to calling their children, but that’s exactly what they’re looking for: attracting the attention of others, putting up a differential stamp.
There are names so strange or elaborate that they end up being ridiculous, often the result of the ignorance or alienation of parents.
In all these cases, the name induces to be somehow, sometimes this causes a subtle malaise or explicit rejection, something of our destiny is thrown under this name that has been given to us without permission and to which most of us have attached above all else. the years maybe because we do it more our way, more ourselves.
Images courtesy of Chain Ready, Mark Orloff.