What's in a name?

Gaze

Gaze

Donor
MBTI
INFPishy
Was Shakespeare right?

Juliet:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
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Of course, we're not necessarily direct reflections of our names, but do you think your name really means something? Did it shape you in some way - the way everyone treated you, what people thought or expected, or how you saw yourself or your options? Has it defined you?

Do you think you would be a different person if you had a different name?

Is there another name, besides your given name, which you think would better reflect who you are as a person?

Tell me, what's in a name?
 
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I would think my own name had minimal influence on shaping me, simply because John is so common.

Now, if my first name were gaylord, I would venture a guess that it would have had quite a bit of influence on my life. :D

NeverAmI is a name that reflects me.
 
Haha.... heres a bit of ancient Jewish culture.

To an ancient Jew your name was of great imporatance as they believed that it shaped your life. If your name meant wise then you wouls grow wise and if it meant a smelly mule then you were to be like a stinky stubbern man.

It's why name changes are so important in the Old Testament, it meant more then just a new identity it meant an new purpose and point of life.

as for modern man, I think my name adequatley reflects my personality.

Christopher meaning one with Christ

Colby- being the name of a farm(and cheeze) explains my country background and nature

Taylor- simple common and upfront. I physcaly am about as common as any other man in the U.S.
 
We are in a unique position now as a society given the fact that we CAN actually have our name reflect who and what we are. We are all doing in right now on this forum. As we interact and spend more time in cyberspace, our online names become more important. They are created by us, to reflect what we believe and feel we are. We can shape how others online perceive us by the names we chose. Just as in real life, not all of us will be honest with these. But it's certainly an interesting subject.

Do I think I would be different if I had a real life different name--probably not, unless it was something really outragous that brought on a lot of negative attention.
 
I really quite hate my given name: Monique Helene. i frown when people call me Monique. I just don't feel like a Monique. i imagine someone named Monique Helene to be oozing with sultry poutiness. I'm too quirky to work that angle. I think my nickname(Nickey) works just fine. Sometimes people call me MJ because those are my initials. I don't mind that.
 
In some ways yes, my name has had some impact on my life, For once many associated myself with perhaps peace, kindness, and well the spiritual as Gabriel is seeing throughout various beliefs. I do not believe that my name determined my personality but indeed it was an inspiration for me to try and behave the way the angel is associated with. Now in the English language the way you pronounce Gabriel is quite different then lets say Italian, French or Spanish. So kids would make fun of me and call me GAY briel all the time, which indeed was a bit hurtful as it was an excuse for them to abuse me both physically and emotionally( I already knew I was gay at this time, just kept it to myself). My feminine and shy personality as a child did not help much and kids will use the constant name calling as a form of abuse.

Now I don't have any problem with my name. I love it and I am very proud of it. I just do not think that if it were to be a different one I will be much different, mt core personality would still be the same.
 
i agree with shakespeare.. a name is just a name, it does not define who you are. only your actions can do that.

i like my name though :) but i'm not so attached to it that i couldn't be fine being called something else.
 
Does a name define who we are? No. Does it affect how other people treat us? Depends, I'm sure most are aware of the study where identical resumes, in terms of education and experience, where sent off to employers and it was discovered that people who have ethnic sounding names received fewer interviews.
On the day to day bases though I doubt it makes much difference. My name means queen but I wouldn’t act any different if it meant peasant.
 
My name backwards is way cool
 
I don't think names really affect us, unless, of course, we have a name that for some reason is considered very negative. We are who we are, regardless of name. There are much more important influences on who we become, although I suppose a name could affect us to a degree. I just think there are much more important influences.

I've never really felt my name fit me. Most people I've met who shared my name have been outgoing, flashy, and shallow. When I was younger, I thought my name was very beautiful, but not at all fitting for me. Now that I've outgrown that stage where I feel awkward and ugly, I like my name and wouldn't change it, but perhaps that's just because I'm used to it.
 
My given name is Jessica, but everyone calls me Jessie - I'm not a Jessica. I just...am not.

I'm not even sure how I feel about "Jessie"...it's closer than Jessica, for sure.

My first and middle names combined, though - "Jessica Lynn" - that's me. "Jessie Lynn" isn't.

I've thought about this before. a lot. haha.
 
I don't know the meaning of my name.

My Chinese name is pretty...stuish, tho. Really really stuish. And I feel kinda "what?", if not intimidated.

For nicknames and usernames, I've taken it seriously, in terms of "a name is a prayer".
 
My name doesn't affect my life much, only people keep spelling it wrong.
Laurie apparently is uncommon for girls (the feminine being Lori), even though it's a unisex name. I also keep being called Laura or Lauren.
Aside from that, it doesn't affect me as far as I'm aware.
Although I do like the meaning - 'victorious' :D
 
Name is just label which is stuck invisibly on your body. Name is that tool so people can address to you.

Mine original name is Ravin and it means Sun Rays.

now take mine user id Roger. Roger means famous spear. Just i like this name, so i kept it. I think main thing of human life is their choices and their actions, Not names.

I don't think it creates huge difference. :)
 
I think names have more of an affect than we would like to admit. Marketing experts spend endless amounts of money to carefully name products, wars, and criminal excesses. There must be a reason for the expenditure of all of that money.

While Shakespeare is genuinely correct, few smelled as keenly as the bard. Most of us smell Operation Valentine's Day Vase.
 
What's in a name? Associations. Have any of you gone through the song and dance of having to name a character? Or assisted a couple with coming up with a name for their child? It can be an incredibly difficult process.

"How about X?"

"Hmm, no. I knew an X once. I thought he was an asshole. I can't name my kid after somebody I don't like."

"Okay, how about G?"

"No, that rhymes with E... and besides, that's a dorky name. I don't want my kid to be teased in school."

I wouldn't say it has a paramount influence on the way people treat you, but in certain circumstances, it might have an effect. Big, small, it depends. And that effect, in turn, gets projected back onto the way you see yourself. Let's face it, part of who you are is the way people treat you and any influence on that particular issue is worth at least some consideration.

Furthermore, let's not overlook the way your name sounds. The auditory quality of the words we use have an effect on the way our message comes across. Think of the difference between the words "noise" and "racket." Noise has that nasal, elongated quality to it that is softer than the blunter sounds of the word racket, therefore making "noise" a little more neutral sounding and better suited to a diplomatic message. The words both mean the same thing, but yet one has more impact. Kind of makes you think what sort of impact your name makes and what people automatically assume about your character just by the auditory signature of your name.

Food for thought.
 
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TheDaringHatTrick said:
What's in a name? Associations. Have any of you gone through the song and dance of having to name a character? Or assisted a couple with coming up with a name for their child? It can be an incredibly difficult process.

"How about X?"

"Hmm, no. I knew an X once. I thought he was an asshole. I can't name my kid after somebody I don't like."

"Okay, how about G?"

"No, that rhymes with E... and besides, that's a dorky name. I don't want my kid to be teased in school."

I wouldn't say it has a paramount influence on the way people treat you, but in certain circumstances, it might have an effect. Big, small, it depends. And that effect, in turn, gets projected back onto the way you see yourself. Let's face it, part of who you are is the way people treat you and any influence on that particular issue is worth at least some consideration.

Furthermore, let's not overlook the way your name sounds. The auditory quality of the words we use have an effect on the way our message comes across. Think of the difference between the words "noise" and "racket." Noise has that nasal, elongated quality to it that is softer than the blunter sounds of the word racket, therefore making "noise" a little more neutral sounding and better suited to a diplomatic message. The words both mean the same thing, but yet one has more impact. Kind of makes you think what sort of impact your name makes and what people automatically assume about your character just by the auditory signature of your name.

Food for thought.
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This^^
 
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