What's in a name?

 “What is in a name”, asked Shakespeare, in Romeo and Juliet, “a rose by any other name shall smell as sweet”.  Many young people these days either adopt or give their children names that leave a lot to be desired. In this age that dynamism and liberalism have captured our imaginations to the point of a complete trending is shaping up the name tags. We can only be forgiven if we fail to pronounce somebody’s name appropriately. Many believe that a name holds the power to shape a child's self-esteem and his identity—and influence how he is seen and treated by others. They argue that your name defines the type of a person you are. It gives you a definition of you. Many will definitely and cautiously select proper names with good connotation because of the belief that names affect everything from a child's self-confidence to his performance in school and his subsequent future endeavors and success. In the Holy Book in Isaiah 9:6 the names given to Jesus Christ are highly significant, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace”. In fact, it has been said that there are 500 proper names and descriptive terms used in the scripture to define God.

The names given in the Scriptures to our Lord are highly significant. There are many of them, because one or a dozen or very many names could never tell the wonders of His person and work. These names are not just picked from nowhere. They are significant to the person receiving it, unlike in modern times when we give our children names just because there is somebody somewhere who either sings well or plays football even without checking whether that person being given that name will ever be nurtured to exercise the gift of singing or playing football. Names today have ceased to distinguish people, or to signify their characteristics, or their mission in life. I found of a lady who named her 8th child Dora, just because she had a neighbor who had a child by such name. She did not know that Dora is an abbreviated form of Theodora, which means, “the gift of God.” Does it mean that other 7 children were not gifts from God!

Going back to the question posed by Shakespeare, “What is in a name?” Do names matter? To a remarkable extent, they do matter a lot. Though they are given to us by our parents, names are our identity because they are marks that bear information about who we are and at times, where we come from (ethnic origin), or at least those of our parents. However, where we come from is not important but it helps us trace our origin in case of one getting lost. This I am talking from the African context. Despite their universality, there is a great deal of difference from one culture to another in how names are given. Generally, in cultures with a keen sense of ancestry, children get their names from the family trees of their parents.

In some cultures, names are taken from events which happen during the pregnancy of the mother or shortly after the birth of the child, and in others, names are divined through magic and incantation. In some cases, the name given at birth is only the first of several names a person will bear throughout life. When this happens, the new names are given either to mark important milestones in life or to ward off evil spirits by tricking them into thinking that the person with the old name has disappeared.

My worry is why young people are keen on changing everything in society including naming without understanding the concept and repercussion of names they give to their children. May our good God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ give us guidance and wisdom as we take responsibility as parents on which name to give. Christian names can help children see that their own names and stories are deeply tied to the great people who are mentioned in the Bible. Such children would be obliged in one way or another to try to emulate those Bible characters. However, we need to know that everyone is connected to the larger story of God's ongoing love for us. Therefore, it is important to appreciate God by giving proper names to our children to signify our worship of Him.