What Does My Name Mean
What Does My Name Mean?
Is It Really Important To Know Your Name's Meaning, Or Should You Be Asking A Different Question Altogether?
If you're like most adults, you have asked yourself at least once, "What does my name mean?" To answer that question, perhaps you have researched the origin of your name, looking for clues to why you may have been given your particular name. Maybe you have found - like so many others - that name meanings aren't what they used to be. What I mean is, the meanings attached to our names were often highly significant at the time a particular word was first used to name a human being. As time went on, however, and more people were given that same name, the original meaning became watered down, or lost altogether. As a result, the answer to the question, "What does my name mean?" has become muddier, and harder to pin down.
Let me give you an example. The famous Norse explorer, Leif Ericson was given his name "Ericson" because he was, literally, the son of Eric, or Erik Thorvaldsson, better known as Erik the Red. When Leif himself had a son, he named him Thorkell Leifsson (literally "Leif's son"). Today, however, the names Ericson and Leifsson certainly don't carry anywhere near the meaning or power they did in Leif's day. This is a simple example of a truism... discovering the original meaning of a name isn't nearly as important as it used to be. Instead, when you ask yourself, "What does my name mean?", you might better be asking, "What is the impact of my name on my personality and life, for good or ill?" Happily, that's a much easier question to answer.
Since the earliest of times and across many cultures, names have been thought of as tools for growth and as mediums for personal evolution. Of course, your name's primary purpose is for identification, but the ancients had a clear understanding that a person's name effects more than his or her identity. They knew that each person's name carried with it an energetic frequency that can have a multi-faceted impact on the name-bearer's life, personality, and success. Therefore, rather than asking, "What does my name mean?", they would counsel us to focus on "What is my name's impact?"
Native American peoples thought this aspect of "Nameology" so vital that they would often take on a new name when transitioning from one important life phase to the next, and it was quite common for each person to "wear" many different names during his or her lifetime. The same concept is found frequently in the Bible, where we see...
- Abram renamed Abraham
- Sarai renamed Sarah
- Simon renamed Peter
- Saul renamed Paul.
In Jewish tradition, even today, during times of extreme illness a Rabbi will sometimes change the suffering person's name in order to create a more energetic frequency and a stable foundation for recovery.
"What Does My Name Mean?" OR "What is My Name's Impact?"
In this vein, when you find yourself asking the question, "What does my name mean?", and the more important corollary, "What is my name's impact?" you should take into account that the name you were given by your birth parents may have one or more built in variations that you can make use of as your life transitions from phase to phase.
Here are just a few examples of what I mean by this.
- A man named Tim Brown, having been promoted to branch manager at the bank where he works, opts to be called Timothy Aaron Brown, lending both weight and credence to his new title. This is a great example of the man "owning" the role he's been given.
- A woman having been pushed around - first by schoolmates, and then by co-workers - decides to go by Constance instead of Connie, as she has her whole life. Not only do others find it easier to respect her, she finally begins to respect herself.
- A troubled teen, after several run-ins with the law, makes the decision to be known as Stephen rather than simply Steve. It's his start down a new path, and his life direction changes for the better.
The bottom line is this. Your name can "mean" many things, and most of those meanings, at least the original intentions, have been lost to antiquity. To spend much time hunting down the original meaning of your name most likely won't accomplish much, because the people you rub shoulders with every day won't know or care what your name means, no matter how much you try to tell them. But - and this is vital - they know how your name sounds, and how it looks on the printed page. Subconsciously, they - and you - assign a certain "weightiness" to your name. Take the time to examine your name's power and influence over your life, how your name has impacted you, and you will have truly gotten to the important factors surrounding the question, "What does my name mean?"
If you're interested in learning more about your Name Anatomy, as well as how Name Therapy or Name Tuning may be able to help you, why not consider one of my Name Evaluations?