What's in a name?

Nothing? Everything?
It depends on who you speak, what you believe but one thing's for sure names do not all sound the same. Not to the ears of humans and not to the ears of animals. It's the same for foreign languages. If we are not used to the accent what sounds romantic or sweet to some can be harsh to others. Personal ideas, feelings based on life experiences or (dis)likes influence how we feel or think about a name too.

If you have time listen to what is said here. It's meant to be funny by the way. Try to hear what is said about certain letters. It makes sense certain letter combinations sound louder than others. It takes more power to speak (in the example given spit) them out.


Do not take what you just heard seriously. You can still say 'teacher' instead of 'neacher'. Louder sounds of letters or letter combinations do not spread viruses faster but some of us may spit more. If it comes to that: a disease caused by a virus will not be spread by people without symptoms. Being tested with a PCR test with a positive result proves nothing. If you do not feel sick you are not and no threat to others.
Louder pronounced letter combinations also sound more like guttural gurgles and more unfriendly, especially if we are not used to them. A name with hard or deep guttural sounds does not sound friendly. Such a name may be good for a dog like a Doberman or Rottweiler but is not necessarily suitable for the average man let alone a small child.

A name is not always chosen carefully or with love. Being named after grandpa or grandma is not always appreciated. I know all about that. Having a boy's name when you are a girl or a name that is suitable for each gender feels so wrong to me. I have bad experiences with that too and after all these years, my ugly names still annoy me and make me feel unhappy. I should have changed my name when I could still afford it. Nowadays, apart from asking the king's permission - as if the man cares - you need to pay about 1000 euros and wait for months if it's possible at all.
I find it unpleasant to be constantly compared with someone else and a name that doesn't sound good and doesn't feel like mine. I am named after my grandmother but the church always asks if I am my grandfather. My grandfather a man who died nearly 60 years ago.

For me, there is a lot in a name. A name should be unique and fit the person or one should at least have a positive ring to it.
If you believe there's something into a name and care about the meaning of a name you can investigate what is written about your name(s). There are many books published about names and their meanings, and the internet has plenty of information too. You can even find overviews of how often a name is given each year in a country.

Naming a child after a celebrity is more common nowadays than naming it after the grandparents. Those who name their children after someone have a certain thought in mind about the person in question and likely hopes their child will resemble or be associated with this person. After all, everyone likes to share in the success and positive thoughts about a celebrity and nobody wants to be compared to a dictator, the brand of a toaster or the municipal waste collection service.

If it comes to animals: When your pet hunts you down in the house, attacks and bites you and you have named him Hunter, it is time for a change of name. In this case, the name Hunter was changed to Hunk. It took time and energy to re-educate this animal but it was worth it. Hunter went from being aggressive to one of the most affectionate and sweetest animals I ever met. Who calls her pet Bitch should not expect too much from it. The word, toning does not sound nice and it will certainly not be pronounced like that. Bitch sounds bitter, short-tempered and in this case, the animal behaved that way. You could say there was something in that name. This pet needed one too, a sweet name to have a fair chance to be liked.

Will we ever get used to foreign names? Names we would never give our children or which we associate with a dictator, terrorist or someone we look down on or would rather not be reminded of? For longer the name Adolf wasn't popular although children were named Dolf (Adolf without the A) which still sounds strange to me.

I don't know what exactly happened but my grandmother was disappointed in her brother. This wasn't for a small reason since she tolerated more than most people. As a result, she felt bitter about naming her son after him. Perhaps the son started to look too much like his uncle?
I do believe unconsciously, the one who is named after someone starts comparing himself with that person. You need to be aware of your name, be alert not to fall for it. It's easy to copy certain behaviour once growing older. After all, it is human nature to profit from the good name and fame of others. If the celebrity you are named after is in the spotlight, you as the namesake feel automatically more seen and heard.

How did being the namesake of my grandmother work out for me? You would think that with more than one name, l have a choice, but that was not the case. None of my names is beautiful, and I've never felt comfortable being called by my grandmother's names. My names never felt as if they belonged to me.
I already had the feeling that all the bad things were coming for me.
My grandmother only just survived the concentration camp and suffered pain for the rest of her life. To me, it felt as if the curse that rested on her - the heavy, humiliating, deathly ill life - was passed on to me together with her names even though she was strong, a fighter, did not let herself be silenced. Despite all the setbacks, didn't she allow herself to be belittled. No matter how bad things were, she tried to get the best out of her life, even if it was far from easy. Would she have preferred a different name? I never asked. It may be that she eventually grew into her names or that she simply did not care because those who knew called her mum, Mrs. or granny.

#kittywu #psychology #life #names