What is in a name
Names have been entrenched as an identity marker for all civilizations including ours. Of course we have bestowed this nicety upon the animal kingdom, fish, birds and even stars of the zodiac all without their permission and resorting to Latin and Ancient Greek and even Sanskrit to feel important.
This identity is given or created. Some of the reasons for creating certain names no longer exist. That was when a trade or an exalted position became a name as in Blacksmith, Miller, Weaver, Duke and Prince. Ancient wars were fought under names. A call to arms was often based on perceived slight, unseemly aggression and even greed. Now, feelings, attributes of nature, gem-stones, flowers, politics mythological figures are some of the sources where names are culled from. It is a delicious brew which identifies, enchants or demystifies at the same time.
In certain cultures surnames do not exist. Only tribal affiliations do. A child was not given a surname name and identified as his father’s biological appendage. The father’s given name became the child’s surname. This still holds in the Middle East and South Asia. The Chinese are partial to numbers so it is easy to find Second uncle and third sister. African tribal names may just denote the day of birth. A popular male name in Africa ‘Kojo’ means born on Monday.
In an act of sublime patriarchy, my grandfather chose the names of females in his family down to the second generation grand daughters. He was not even alive when some of them were born but his children would not dream of denying this posthumous wish. he also created names which were unheard of. My grandfather was a lover of poetry so all the names were poetic. He gave his six daughters the name of heart but attached it to a quality. So i grew up with aunts who had names like ‘heart overflowing’ heart joyous’ ‘heart with beauty’ It appears that no one in the universe has my mother’s exquisite name. I cannot utter it as it may get stolen. I don/t know where substack emojis are or I would insert a laughing hysterically one here.
As we have no knowledge of all the communicating tools used by animals so we have given them names to make identification easier for homo-sapiens. A writer called Edgar Rice Burrows made his protagonist a Homo sapien called Tarzan talk to animals in an imitation of their own sounds. It was easy for him as he grew up with them. For the rest of us its Jane Goodall and ‘Chimpanzee speak’. None of us has mastered that. If the care givers of Dolphins in Marine parks swear the dolphins talk to them despite the lack of scientific evidence one wonders if they respond to names given to them or sound vibrations. ?
Authors of science fiction starting with Aldous Huxley hinted at the power of individuality a name can bestow so they deleted names and turned society into numeric zombies controlled by drugs. Most contemporary tales of warring factions of people are only known by a character trait. Yet pregnant mother’s still pore over baby names. Baptism ceremonies and even circumcision of male infants all circle around the name the child will carry. Contemporary mothers have solved this. The child carries both surnames and often a hyphen is inserted in between. With the choice of name comes the landscape of imagining. Father to son or mother to daughter our society is not ready to dispense with names yet. This is a ritual rife with sweetness, propiatership and finally wish projection.
What happens when a name gets stolen? An unworthy person who is a total stranger simply adopts a name which belongs to a family. When this is discovered an avalanche of outrage is verbalized. Should it not be a compliment instead? Imitation is often considered to be the best form of flattery. Social or historic distinction is stored like miser’s gold so to speak. Even imposters have a rakish charm i told a distressed teller of a family tale.
“But there is a racial difference as well! “
As all hierarchies, racial divisions and financial status lustre get dismembered one by one and the world is defined by a moral provenance names are no longer designed to carry family tradition from generation to generation. Virtue signalling of epic proportions is the mantra of this decade. Be kind, no toxic thoughts, yogic breathing will replace anti anxiety medications. Someone steals your name just smile. I did decades ago. From Pasternak’s novel ‘Dr.Zhivago’, I lifted the name Of Lara. Added another A so it would not be mispronounced and gave it to my elder daughter. Everyone was intrigued. Its a Russian name no cultural link here I was told repeatedly. It is one of the most romantic names in the world and a collection of poems was written in its honor was my standard response until the curiosity died down.
Many societies still cling to tribal affiliations and only given names exist. A Saudi male known as a Prince of the House of Saud will assume that his membership in a family is the only identity code he needs. At last count there were a 1000 such princes. Even the country carries the name of the ruling family. In Britain the House of Windsor reigns yet The Country is not called by its name. The tradition of multiple given names is part of the tradition of European Royalty, while the native tradition of North American indigenous tribes is to choose attributes of bravery, elements of nature and the sprit of animals. Here is a highly creative and often beautiful result. The Dalai Lama has given names as well but he assumes a spiritual title as does the Pope in Rome.
The desire to name a person flourishes. The desire for individuality as well as fraternity with others is part of the human psyche. What a name truly contains is also the wishes which still reign supreme so a child receives them and possibly live up to them. Omens and superstitions also seep into this exercise. So a universe rests within a name. A comforting thought indeed.