“Names are a great mystery. I’ve never known whether the name is molded by the child or the child changed to fit the name. But you can be sure of this – whenever a human has a nickname it is a proof that the name given him was wrong.”
This quote, spoken by Samuel Hamilton of John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden,” left an impression on me ever since reading the novel in my senior year of high school. Adam Trask, one of the main characters in “East of Eden” names his twin boys Caleb and Aron, echoing the Cain and Abel of the Old Testament. By doing so, Adam seems to have set in motion a most unfortunate occurrence, the perpetuation of the biblical tragedy.
An equally thought provoking “name” moment in literature that struck me when I studied the play in high school took place in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” When John Proctor was asked to sign his name on a public document confessing to witchcraft, he refused. He willingly admitted to this crime verbally, but drew the line because he recognized that signing his name would be akin to the loss of his very being. He pathetically remarked, “How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul, leave me my name!”
During a short-lived phase of summer boredom, my sister and I recently played several rounds of name games on Sporcle in which we were challenged to come up with the most popular names for each letter of the alphabet and each decade. This got me thinking about names…again.
Have you ever thought that the waitress whose name tag identifies her as Sue really looks like a Tiffany? Or that your classmate who shares your first name doesn’t do it justice? Have you ever wondered why celebrities cannot refrain from assigning awkward pun-like names to their offspring, such as Rob Morrow’s naming of his daughter Tu Morrow or Jermaine Jackson’s naming of his son, Jermajesty?
Names are far more significant than one would think. They can influence the assumptions that other people make about you, and in turn impact the way in which they interact with you. To some extent, a name is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Studies have shown that people with names that sound attractive and intelligent are more likely to be successful than those with less appealing names.
I have a distinct memory of a teacher in middle school who insisted on learning the name of each and every student in our class on the very first day of class. Not only was it important to her to learn everyone’s name, but it was imperative that she make certain that she knew the correct pronunciation of each name, even if initially a name or two left her tongue-tied. She recognized that her students came from various backgrounds -- socioeconomic, religious and ethnic. What made each of us especially unique were our names. She wanted us to be proud of names that recalled our heritage, honored a lost loved one or simply fulfilled the dreams of our parents.
I’ve always liked my name. It is not overused. I rarely see it on a list of popular names and it is typically difficult to find my name on items such as keychains or Disneyland mugs. I learned this year that my birthday, August 10, is actually National Laziness Day. This fact made me smile because my name in Hebrew means “weary.”The next time you peel the backing off an adhesive name tag, remember to wear your name proudly!
