Yamato Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 (edited) Straff, what I mean is, probably 6000 years ago, all of our names probably had meaning. Tribes named things to have real meanings, right? Correct me if i'm horribly wrong. Observer, it sounds like it would be awesome if it worked. Same kind of idea as not telling your kid their gender so they don't grow into stupid gender roles. Edited October 27, 2012 by Yamato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zenith Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Straff, what I mean is, probably 6000 years ago, all of our names probably had meaning. Tribes named things to have real meanings, right? Correct me if i'm horribly wrong. I feel the need to correct you somewhat; names had meaning well after 6000 years ago; you only have to look at a last name like Baker to see it; I'm guessing that 500-1000 years ago is when names started becoming less meaningful, or at least, last names did. First names probably stopped 2000-3000+ years ago, if you ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetness Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 http://www.behindthename.com/ Names have meaning. You might not consider that meaning when naming a child, but it's still there. My real name, for instance, means "crooked nose." Well, the original form. My mom changed the spelling to make it more girly. And I've met people who didn't fit their names. Specifically, just about every Sean (or variation thereof) that I've ever met. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straff Venture Posted October 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Yeah I agree with a lot of this and I probably didn't elaborate my opinion enough. What I really refer to is the 'proactive' meaning. So while people see our name as having meaning because its 'our' name and they couldn't imagine us with any other name (like Observer said, which is a great point and I wouldn't have remembered it otherwise), which is the 'reactive' meaning, there is also the meaning that our parents chose before or just after we were born ('proactive') which seems generally absent from our original names. This is a great topic to discuss, keep it going Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yamato Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 That's a very interesting point Straff, I totally agree with you. Didn't mean to sound argumentative. My parents named me what they did through a process of elimination, so no real meaning there. Zenith, I didn't mean 6000 as a specific date, I was just saying it to mean a long time ago. Still awesome that you know that though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuoni Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 http://www.behindthename.com/ Names have meaning. You might not consider that meaning when naming a child, but it's still there. My real name, for instance, means "crooked nose." Well, the original form. My mom changed the spelling to make it more girly. It has my name right And it does define part of me since I partially act as I perceive it Of course "volod" is close to "own" over "rule", but both will do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Well, mine is fairly easy, being the Norse deity. I choose it due to my Scandinavian heritage and the fact that I was almost named Thor by my parents. That name website also has my given name's meaning correct: "tiler of roofs." Doesn't particularly fit me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralis00 Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 My real name's meaning is "Whelp, or young dog" but it itself is based off of another word that means "dove". It is also used as a variant of another name meaning "victory of the people". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Observer Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Predictably, my name isn't even in the system. In a wordy sense, my name carries no meaning. Symbolicly, it holds quite a bit. If you ignored the "Shape my personality until it fits the name" sense, it could almost seem prophetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurkistan Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 (edited) Well my fake name has a rather silly story behind it. Long ago and far away, the necessity of faking an Italian accent was forced upon me. I failed miserably, as was my wont, and so rather claimed that I had instead used a perfect Kurkstanian accent, from the grand land of Kurkistan. At a later date, I found it necessary to register on a forum, and so I used the first thing to pop to mind. I kept the name because I like to have a persistent online identity and/or I lack imagination. Edited October 28, 2012 by Kurkistan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightflame Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 My chosen warrior name for the long-running Warrior Cats series. Oh how I love Warrior Cats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EHyde Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 My real name does have a bit of a story behind it, too. I was going to be named Helen, after one of my grandmothers, until my parents decided at the last minute that they didn't like the sound of Helen Hyde and called me Ellen instead. I sort of get their point--I mean, Helen Hyde would be a completely awesome name for a supervillain--but throughout a lot of middle and high school I sort of wished I'd been named Helen instead, until I discovered that in Alien, Ripley's first name is Ellen. Then it became cool. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Observer Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Yeaaah! Alien!! Ahem. So, any further response to my name theory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralis00 Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 So, any further response to my name theory? Considering I know more than thirty people with the name of Brandon (Not including Sanderson), I highly doubt it. They do not have similar personalities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zenith Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 Considering I know more than thirty people with the name of Brandon (Not including Sanderson), I highly doubt it. They do not have similar personalities. I agree with this. You tend to match the name to the person, not the other way around; your perception changes on the person of that name who you're most familiar with or whatever. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Observer Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 I agree with this. You tend to match the name to the person, not the other way around; your perception changes on the person of that name who you're most familiar with or whatever. I think this works as well. As to what emeralis said, I never said the name will change you in the same way. That would make no sense. Each person is different, and sees names a different way. The name would only slightly tamper with their original personality, and the tamperin would follow along with their own personal perceptions. But how others see you works. Unless you are counted as others. In that case not much has changed. I guess that only way to prove this would be to take twins and expose them to the exact same things, but give them different names. Huh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straff Venture Posted October 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 I think this works as well. As to what emeralis said, I never said the name will change you in the same way. That would make no sense. Each person is different, and sees names a different way. Interesting point about perception. I would say this is largely based around name trends over time and geography. For example, if I was told someone I had never met was called John I would probably imagine them as an adult white male, though I am certain there are a staggering amount of times when I would be wrong. Other people might think differently depending on the Johns they knew on a local level but I would account most of the variations to cultural tradition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady_Yasha Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 You created that identity for yourself, no-one else chose to call you that, therefore it is personal to you in more ways than a name that was decided by someone else ever could be. I didn't choose to be called James, hell it's not even the best name I could think of. If anything I'd prefer Mat... or Kaladin. And even then I have a nickname so I don't get called James very often except by people I refuse to impart onto them my nickname You wear your internet pseudonym like a mask, protecting you from scrutiny; it empowers you, makes you confident and less likely to feel embarrassed when you feel you're wrong. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurkistan Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) You wear your internet pseudonym like a mask, protecting you from scrutiny; it empowers you, makes you confident and less likely to feel embarrassed when you feel you're wrong. But I'm never wrong, so... Edited October 30, 2012 by Kurkistan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Observer Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 You created that identity for yourself, no-one else chose to call you that, therefore it is personal to you in more ways than a name that was decided by someone else ever could be. I didn't choose to be called James, hell it's not even the best name I could think of. If anything I'd prefer Mat... or Kaladin. The identity you create may be self-created, but it's still tailored to fit the name. It's much less influential than I originally thought, but still a factor. You wear your internet pseudonym like a mask, protecting you from scrutiny; it empowers you, makes you confident and less likely to feel embarrassed when you feel you're wrong. True that. I was just wondering if it also had an impact on how you acted as well, much the same way I've hypothesised about the name you go by changing you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady_Yasha Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 But I'm never wrong, so... I created an article on Coppermind called "earthquales." So far, no-one can prove I'm wrong about my theory 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zenith Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 I created an article on Coppermind called "earthquales." So far, no-one can prove I'm wrong about my theory +1. I have nothing else to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iredomi Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Well I joined not long ago and was reading through Elantris (my first Cosmere book, now on my reread of it still just as good) at the time. So I wanted a name made from the aons. And I also like Doctor Who. Ire means time and well Domi really means love it is the name of their God which sort of gives it another meaning of Lord in being used that way. So yeah loosely my name means Timelord. And that's that in my long winded broken English. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nepene Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 My name originates from the Edgar Allan Poe poem, the raven. I was in a rather poor mood from a long in the past breakup with a lovely lady and was reading online quotes and poetry to relieve my poor mood. At the same time I was trying to think up a new name for an irc chat because xchat asks for 3, and I at the time only had two. "Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!" This line appealed to me, respite from memories, and so I made a name based on Nepenthe, the "drug of forgetfulness". 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otomo Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 otomo comes from the game Legend of the Five Rings, the Imperials Family that's known for their political prowess and manipulation. Muahaha. Often confused with the Akira creator, who I'm sure that's where they lifted the name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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