What's in a Name? 07/02/2005 In the beginning, soon after the creation of mankind, God gave certain instructions to Adam. It seems to me that none of those instructions have been rescinded for I see the human race still pursuing those commands even today.Take, for instance, the business of giving everything a name and consider this:Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. (Gen. 2:19-20 Nearly Infallible Version)Now consider that we still name things as and when we discover them. Is this not merely a continuation of the process begun so long ago in that perfect garden? I would take things even further and claim that all of science is an extension of the naming process. We find things and name them, the better to classify them, reduce them to a size that we can cope with and then think about the relationships between the names that we have made.This may be extrapolating too much from the passage but there is no denying that names can be powerful things. Many primitive societies regard names as extraordinarily powerful and keep their personal names to themselves, having other names that can be used instead for daily use. In this way they avoid the possibility of the true name becoming known by an enemy and then used to cast curses or spells against the owner of the name.Of course, today in our advanced society with science to explain the world to us, we are above such beliefs. Yet names still hold a peculiar power. Perhaps Shakespeare was not as accurate as we thought when he proclaimed that "a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet."Consider your own name as an example. Now, I don't propose to research the names of everyone who reads these words and then expound upon the ways in which their names have influenced their lives, but I do offer myself as a guinea pig to this particular experiment.As the header to this blog reveals, my name happens to be Clive Allen. A very ordinary name in England (although the name Clive is rare in America - perhaps Robert Clive, with whom the name originates, was not as famous here as he is in Britain), I shared this name with many others, one of whom was a famous footballer in the 1980s.Because the English have a finite number of names, the practice began of adding names to ensure that confusion was less likely. I was given two of these extra names, to be inserted after the first name and before the surname, so that I actually have four names. One of the names given me was my father's first name but I shall keep this secret so that none of you readers will be able to use it for ju-ju against me. The other was my mother's maiden name, Matthews. I am told that this was done by my father, who felt that, since I was going to be a doctor in later life, I could hyphenate the two surnames to become the imposing-sounding Dr. Matthews-Allen. Oh, how our dreams for our children are so often thwarted.So, my actual name is Clive H. Matthews Allen. Not a bad handle to be saddled with, you might think (unless you found out the H., in which case you might think, "Oh, poor boy"). Let us investigate further, for this experiment is hardly begun.I am sure that in our schooldays we all discovered that names can be read backwards. This gives rise to some amusing accidents, Nodrog and Arabrab being a couple that I can remember from those days. My own name turns out to be Evilc Nella, or sometimes Evil C. Nella. Now I can see my friends sitting up and taking more interest. Ah, they will be thinking, this explains so much. To them, I would point out that this makes me the opposite of evil, not its embodiment in human form (well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it). Certainly, my mother, who always saw me as a blue-eyed boy (although my eyes are more a sort of gray), would have agreed with my interpretation.This is not the only game that can be played with names, however. I noticed that one could attempt to pronounce the initials with the surname. This makes me Chmallen. Try to pronounce this and you will find that you are saying something very close to the word "chameleon". From that time forth, I became the Chameleon and continue so to this day, a sort of secret anti-hero of the imagination.It happens to be rather appropriate to my character as well. I am good at blending in with backgrounds, for instance. In common with my adopted creature, I can assume camouflage in most situations and appear to others as the person they want me to be (just don't try me against a backdrop of tartan). We all have our survival strategies and this just happens to be mine.I am a people-watcher, too, so that it might be said that my eyes swivel to take in all things, just as the chameleon is able to move his eyes independently of each other (one eye on the prey, the other watching for predators). Understand, I make analogy here. I'm not that weird-looking, honestly.Then there is the matter of movement. The chameleon moves very slowly with a strange rocking backwards and forwards, so that he appears to be taking one step that is then half taken back, then completed. The effect is rather like a leaf trembling in the breeze and this, of course, is a part of the camouflage that the chameleon is so expert in. It is also a good description of the way in which I think. I am a slow and ponderous thinker, rarely leaping to conclusions, and my progress could be said to be slow and steady, with frequent checks to make sure I do not go astray. Rather chameleon-like, in fact.So now we see the reason for the chameleon header up there. You are reading the words of the Chameleon, dear friends. But that is not all. There is more in this matter of names still to come.Many years ago, when I first discovered and entered the weird and wonderful world of internet chat, the great god Yahoo decreed that I should choose a name by which I be known. Of course, I immediately thought of "Chameleon", only to be informed that some imposter had already stolen that name. I tried many combinations but all had been taken. Yahoo even tried to help by suggesting I add a number but that was impossible; I am THE Chameleon and play second fly catcher to no-one.Then it occurred to me that I could shorten the name; become an abbreviation of myself, in fact. So I tried the Cham - and it worked. I am the Cham, the Cham I am, numberless, not even number one, but the original, the only, Cham.It was a little later that I noticed a curious coincidence within my chatname. The letters CHAM are a simple anagram of my initials, CHMA. Coincidence? Well, maybe.Our research is complete, I am stretched out upon the operating table with all (well, nearly all) secrets revealed. Can we draw any conclusions from just one such experiment? A sample of one is no basis for broad generalization, it's true, but there is another volunteer waiting in the wings. Step forward, good reader, and offer yourself up to the dissecting scalpel.There is more to this matter of names than meets the eye.
Clive
Mad Does this explain why you hand out nicknames to your kids very early on? You're trying to give them more names to play with? Date Added: 07/02/2005
Gone Away The matter of handing out nicknames is a habit of mine that I don't fully understand. Sometimes it is possible to see a sort of twisted logic, to follow my devious thinking and arrive at the same conclusion I did (the Bubaker is an example); at others, there seems no reason involved at all - the name arrived and stuck (Boogie is an example). But you are right in that the process does give you more names to play with. And that, if names are indeed powerful, can only be an advantage, huh, Mad? Date Added: 07/02/2005
Ned Growing up, I was the only Andrea I knew. I lived in a world of Suzies and Debbies and Lindas. Occasionally one might be so bold as to be a Lisa, but rarely. My middle name is so odd as to never have been heard by anyone outside of the country of Denmark. And so, I grew up being the only Andrea there was, ever. This can lead to feelings of isolation and of being very different when you are a child but it becomes a very strong sense of identity later in life. In fact, I had grown so used to being the only Andrea that anyone would ever know, the only Andrea that worked at my company, so complacent with saying "just write Andrea on the fax, I am the only one" that when another girl named Andrea had the temerity to become employed there just two years ago, I greeted her with an ungracious "which of us is going to change her name"? That is where nicknames are important too. For instance, I have a son Matthew, but of all the Matthews I know (and it has been in the top five names for boys for years in this country) there is only one I know who is called Mad. My name is almost exactly the same as my father's name, you change a "w" to an "a" and you get Andrea from Andrew. My middle name is his mother's name, and his middle name too, except his is short 3 letters. I never appreciated this as much as I do now. A feeling of strong connection, of having a name that is mine, and belongs to me alone. Strangely enough, I am also very comfortable wearing Ned. It fits me. Now of course, I feel compelled to rename my children. Thanks a lot. Date Added: 07/02/2005
Gone Away The pleasure is all mine, dear Ned. And, if I may make so bold, there is something completely Ned-like in the question, "Which of us is going to change her name?" Matthew became Mad simply because he was not, is not and never could be a Matt. The name began as Maddy but was soon shortened to Mad. He likes it and it has its advantages, not least in that it gives people pause when first they are introduced to him. After a while the other meanings of the word fade away and one realizes that he is indeed the one and only Mad. I'm proud that my son is unique. And you have given excellent support for my premise that names are powerful, Ned. Your experience of your names shows how our lives can be affected by what seems such a small thing. Thank you. Date Added: 07/02/2005
Harvey Young Hmm. My full name is Harvey William Young. Had my mother and father decided to marry prior to jumping in the back of the car my last name would have been Waters. Despite the oversight, my parents decided that I should be named after my father, and his father, hence the Harvey William in my name. Harvey is a tough monicker to lay on a kid in Philadelphia who is not Jewish, so my family gave me the nickname "Skipper". That oly works until you are about twelve years old whereupon I officially changed my nickname to "Skipp" the extra "p" is what made me unique. I moved to Pittsburgh over 20 years ago to take a job. Since in my adopted town all of my acquaintences are rooted in my professional life, everyone here calls me Harvey, except for my senile neighbor who can not for his very life remember my name. I have twin boys. Now imagine my dilemma. Me being the third Harvey W in a line of Harveys (except for the back seat thing) I wanted one of my sons to carry the name. Yet, how do you choose. Is it luck of the draw? Is it the first one out? I solved this by naming both of my sons Harvey (no George Foreman jokes from the gang). However, we use it as their second name. My simple theory was this. If the name has value in the future my sons could drop their first name and become, in one case, M. Harvey Young. What a name for a Doctor or company president. If that did not work then they could simply choose to remain Alexander H. Young in the other example. Thanks for making us think of our names and thereby relive the horrible memories of being made fun of as children. Date Added: 07/02/2005
Gone Away Oh, the memories of schooldays, when a name could mean the difference between being one of the crowd or a figure of fun. I admit that the H. in my name remains secret even now thanks to those memories. Harvey is a very American name; I never met a Harvey until I came to America. So it is something to be proud of, Harvey: wear it with true patriotic pride. But Skipper? Now there is a name to be conjured with. It means, of course, "Captain", as in "the skipper of this boat be me, arr me hearties". And look at your situation now, where you are indeed in command of your own ship, the good ship Consultancy, that so many of us would aspire to. Once again I say, "Coincidence?" And honest, I only thought of George Foreman once, for a tiny microsecond, when you told us of naming your twins... ;) Date Added: 07/02/2005
josh I was 25 before I met a joshua who was older than me -- I had always been saddled with a fear that because joshua seemed like a child's name, I would be doomed to stay age 12 all my life. My middle name is Barton. People may snicker, and my brothers made me hate it when I was young, but I rather like it now. Date Added: 07/02/2005
Gone Away Joshua seems like a name with real presence to me. Don't mess with a Joshua, I'd have said. And Barton! Now that is a name of magnificence! Hmmm, can see how it might be a problem having to lug those heavyweights around with ya... Date Added: 07/02/2005
Way heh heh. Ta, mate. I needed that. Date Added: 07/02/2005
Gone Away .oO(Way never ceases to amaze me. How the heck did he find out what "ta" means?) Date Added: 07/02/2005
Way Alicia read this with surprise, thinking "Andrea" to be common. It is, factually, a familiar name to us all; consider the fated ship Doria. She also laughed at the NIV ref, which I had missed. Date Added: 07/02/2005
Gone Away Ah yes, the Andrea Doria; does it date us that we remember that? But you missed the NIV reference! Now, I thought that you would be the first to laugh at that, Way... ;) Date Added: 07/02/2005
Way At this stage, I'm happy just to come in second. And don't they teach history anymore? Date Added: 07/02/2005
Gone Away History? In schools? Nah, Way, they gave that up at the same time they stopped teaching the kids to read... Date Added: 07/02/2005
keeef Ive never been a big fan of my name, Keith Ashley Bryan. The names are all interchangeable so, because of the school register i was often referred to as Bryan Keith....i am still called Bryan at work on ocassion when i introduce myself to people....listening skills, people! It just infuriates me but i have learned to live with it. I am aware of Allen Snrs hidden name and have prepared a little voodoo doll of incredible likeness, unfortunatley i put it down, on a surface that was not tartan, and now i cant find the bloody thing. One thing this post does not cover is the ability we have to rename things (not nicknames) this is often a minor change and usually a bastardisation of language or somthing that has evolved with 2 or more names. For example, the aeroplane is almost universally called the airplane now and then there are things like Courgette....or Zucchini as it is called here in Oz....I thought Zucchini was an italian football player, but hey you live & learn...and eat too. Then we get into countries, why does the Uk need so many Monikers (correct spelling Mr A?) we have the United Kingdom (Uk), Great Britain (GB) and thats before you get into the seperate countries like England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland. Then there is the Commonwealth etc....all of these conjur (to my mind at least) different images and indeed refer mostly to seperate things based around the central component of England. It is staggering when you start to analyse the way we catalogue things (thanks for bringing it to my attention), and how easy is it for us to spread deceipt and confusion in everyday conversations simply by refering to things under a different name or in a different way. For example if you are asking about someones car....'Hey Dave, hows the new sports car' nice and straightforward.....or Hey Dave, is she still a racey little beast?.......sharp slap from his wife.....I suppose we also see this with the word Blog, a derivative of web log which has become a name in its own right or Captain Slog, the unseen commander of the starship enterprise. Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away Whew, where do I start with this one? Better begin at the beginning, I suppose... I believe "monicker", when referring to names is spelled (or spelt for Britishers) as I have here. Strictly speaking, the UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. So that is the name for the union. Why union? Because it is actually made up of three and a bit countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Ulster (or Northern Ireland). The islands that these countries inhabit are called the British Isles, not because we own them but because the largest island is called Britain. So Ireland (all of it) is one of the British Isles and so are the Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, the Inner and Outer Hebrides and the Orkneys (not the Shetlands which are too far away from the main landmass). The name Britain is also conveniently used to indicate the countries that occupy it: England, Scotland and Wales. Clear now, isn't it? ;) Date Added: 08/02/2005
Way Soo...the pilgrims, the entire lot of them, had this, up until now, hidden agenda..."Enough of this mucking around -- let's grab a hat and move to America, and by cracky, we shall call them "airplanes", when we get around to it." Now a zuchinni is one of those onomatopoeias that is actually a cross between a fart-sound, the stench of a hog and the one-eyed leer of a ribald pirate. I am new to "Courgette", but I hear/smell/see the close resemblence. But why does Moniker bring to mind cigars, and a president? Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away Airplanes, aeroplanes, they're all machines that fly. But "courgette" is a French word, "zucchini" Italian. And they both mean a cucumber-like vegetable that is harmless enough in that it isn't really a cucumber (otherwise known as instant indigestion). I really couldn't say, Way, except that I suggest that you consider the cost of the documentary that Clint Eastwood did on the subject - Clint on bill, perhaps? Date Added: 08/02/2005
Hannah I was to be be given the female form of my uncle's name, but I guess I just didn't look like him at birth, being stubby and bald. Nobody knows quite where my first name came from-- it wasn't a common name, it's not German, and it certainly wasn't approved of by the town elders. My middle name is the same as my godmother's middle name.My brother was given an English name, both first and middle. The name I have given my brother for blogging purposes is actually one of my father's middle names (he has two). When I was confirmed in the Catholic church, I took the saints' name of Maria, although my first name is a saints' name. The Maria I chose was Maria Goretti, a young girl who committed suicide rather than allow herself to be raped. One hell of a role model, what?My original chat name, shadeaustar, was meant to signify both heaven and earth, although perhaps I would have done better with Horatio. While perusing alternative theology, I used the chatname Occam's Stubble, which caused most chatters to think me a male. I have lately been wandering through yahoo under the names of Kaeli Trakkel (a character in a book, with whom I have nothing in common), and Hannah the Feathered. Hannah is a stuffed snow owl, and was given to me because of my love of the Harry Potter books. (For those of you who do not know, Harry Potter owns a snow owl named Hedwig) I chose the name Hannah, simply because it starts with the same letter as Hedwig. Unlike our lizardly friend, I have none of the attributes of my chosen totem (other than the fact that I work the midnight shift). I do love white animals, though, particularly snow owls and snow leopards. Does this mean I'm really an Eskimo at heart? Date Added: 08/02/2005
Hannah Apparently I did the stupid paragraph break incorrectly. Please ignore any typing mistakes due to faulty spacing. Date Added: 08/02/2005
josh we're all fawlty around here. Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away Never mind the HTML, feel the comment. Snow leopards are very cool, I agree, And snow owls. Thing is, Hannah, there is more to heaven and earth, Horatio, etc. There is a reason for your love of white creatures, it's just a matter of finding it. And the same goes for names except that they make their own meaning. Our given names can affect our lives; the names we take to ourselves have more to say about our hopes and dreams or the way we see ourselves. The problem you're experiencing with the paragraph breaks is this: there has to be a space between the br and the /. Leave out the space and nothing happens or the program gets really confused and throws a tantrum. Don't ask me why the space is there; I don't know. Blame the nerds who wrote HTML in the first place. ;) Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away Beware of Josh, folks. He's got the flu. And fawlty as well, by the look of it... :D Date Added: 08/02/2005
Ned Although I have been referred to more than once as a disaster of epic proportions, I can assure you I was not named for that ill-fated ship. Moreover, although Andrea is now placed somewhere around 64 out of the most common names for girls, when I was born it placed somewhere around 10,356th. Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away Keef: I forgot to mention that the largest of the British Isles is called Great Britain, not through any self important dreams of grandeur, but simply because it is the largest of the islands. Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away okay, that sorts out Andrea. But who the heck was Doria...? Date Added: 08/02/2005
Hannah Doria N. Grey-- a horsewoman supreme. She was to westerns what Mae West was to breasts :))As for the white critters, is that to suggest that black animals signify the other side? I don't know about other domestic animals, but white cats with blue eyes are almost always deaf. I couldn't begin to tell you why. Just thought I'd toss that in the bucket with everything else. Date Added: 08/02/2005
Hannah I put the space in, and it still didn't work. I give up! Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away Nah, that was Zane (a brilliant writer, by the way). What each color signifies depends on the culture you grew up in and your own personal experience. Obviously, white is usually taken to mean purity in the West but in China it's the color of mourning. Take yer pick. ;) Date Added: 08/02/2005
Harvey Young Hey, I too caught the NIV reference and I laughed out loud. I can't wait to use that one. Good night all. Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away Hannah: I'll let Mad sort out the HTML in the morning. He's the expert. Harvey: Well it is the best version, after all. Nite, Harvey. Date Added: 08/02/2005
josh Hannah - at the risk of sounding showy, Mad and I have been wrestling with HTML for a long time, and if you are having troubles, ask away and we might be able to clear it up for you. XHTML is finicky -- it requires the termination of all tags; to wit, a <p> that is opened must be closed with a </p> -- hence the / in the <br /> tag.) Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away Ahhhh, so that's why it's different from all the other tags... Date Added: 08/02/2005
Way *snorts* (it sounds as if Josh "Lourned Eenglees from a booowk") Harry's Hint: I took that weird string of symbols, typed it in correctly below Mad's URL, and use some copy-and-paste magic when the need arises. (This old dog teaches tricks?) I see the light is still on under the pot over here, and altho the busboy's bucket is overflowing, the air is yet filled with something that suggests the chef is manning the grill...wonderful! Occam's Stubble. Nice; I like the twist of that. Ali pines for the omission of Isle of Skye; don't aske me whye fems pyne. Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away Sorry Ali, the Isle of Skye is one of the Inner Hebrides and therefore included in the list that is the British Isles. Yeah, I liked Occam's Stubble too... Date Added: 08/02/2005
josh I think if Occam was a drill instructor, he would probably have said "Step a little closer to the simplest explanation, maggot" a lot. Date Added: 08/02/2005
josh Funny that Occam comes up, actually. I jst spent 2 days of frustration applying that wonderful principle -- only to find out that he sneaked is probably in there for a reason. I feel like digging him up just to slap him around a bit. Date Added: 08/02/2005
Mad Thanks for steppin' in there Josh whilst I was asleep, good to know the IT support department is functioning well. ;) Date Added: 08/02/2005
glenniah Has anybody noticed that most babies look exactly like Winston Churchill, minus the cigar. My name backwards was synnelg notlob. Has a certain air I thought, not sure what tho. A friend of mine called her child Jonah and was promptly informed that this name had negative connotations I wonder what fate awaits anyone bearing the name of Judas. Well on that note I shall retire and stick to being glenniah Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away So. While I was sleeping... Josh bought Occam's Razor but found it blunt... Mad was sleeping too... And Synnelg reminded us that babies, even though they resemble Winston Churchill, should not be given cigars. But it also brings to mind that friend of mine from long ago, Nahtanoj... .oO(It's far too early to be typing in here) Date Added: 08/02/2005
Snippit Don't you lock up at night? Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away Too many people have the keys. ;) Date Added: 08/02/2005
keeef Gone, Your descriptive meanings of the islands may be a dictionary definition and seen as correct up until around 1970ish, however, It appears that most people now utilise the names for any meaning, indeed the British isles are often refered to as England nowadays. Surely this just shows that the 'labels' we create are flexible and changing constantly. To you, and those of your esteemed generation (responsible for many things including an STD epidemic) im sure your definition still holds weight (or wait to those who can no longer think as fast) but to the generation of dark hatted, long shorted,graffiti artists on skateboards im reasonably certain they couldnt tell the difference between UK and GB and whats more wouldnt care to learn the difference either. By this nature the UK and GB have indeed become one and the same thing. And ponder this too.....Yesterday i saw a Mcdonalds (so what, i hear you cry, Mcdonalds is a fast food chain with a global presence), this was a Mcdonalds Express.....just how fast can fast food be? Can i sue them if my order is slower in an express restaurant than in a normal Mcdonalds as this will be false labelling and as such a crime in most consumer driven countries....i'll get the inane grinning clown one day! Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away Ah, Keef, you merely serve to point out the decline of language and with it the eclipse of understanding. Does it not strike you that, by merging several words into one, as in UK, England, GB, etc., you are killing the fine divisions that do exist between the definitions of those words and so cutting away depth and breadth of meaning? Will we end up one day with only one word (probably "oogabooga") to say all that we are capable of thinking? Don't talk to me of the metamorphosis of language; that has always happened and always will. But what we witness today is the destruction of language. And with language goes all hope of ever understanding each other. But yes, I should imagine that you could sue McDonals in that case. Date Added: 08/02/2005
keeef true, true, the decline in language is ooga to all who caroogab about the oogabo. I agree it is oogaboo matter of oogaboog before oogabooga oogabooga! Oogabooga oogabooga ooga booga boo! Date Added: 08/02/2005
Gone Away I did try to warn him, honest... Date Added: 08/02/2005
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