Arjun Singh Rathore
Ram the first thing which comes to our mind is ‘Maryada Purshotam’ and for Sita it is ‘Sati Savitri’. How parents name their children follows trends like any other cultural expression. It is about taste as well as broader social shifts. Naming the children on mythological characters is all time favourite, but with the time and circumstances the trend and the names have changed.
People don’t name their children Agasty, Angiras, Bharadvaj, Kashyap, Vasisht, Vishwamitr, etc., because they synchronise these names with the characters of Rishi-Muni’s from the Indian mythology. But at one time the names like Ram, Krishan, Brij, Shiv, Ganesh, Govind, Gopal, Sita, Radha, Parviti, Durga etc., became the favourites as they depicted with the names of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. But with the times the first modernisation in names came with the fusion of names like Ram Rattan, Radha Krishan, Brij Bhushan, Kewal Krishan, Shiv Shankar, Govind Gopal, etc which has the combination of both the names of God with an additional soft character. Naming of child has always transformed as per the circumstances prevailing around. During the times of foreign invasions the names like Prithviraj, Shivaji, Partap, Chanderagupt, Bajirao, etc., were the symbols of bravery. Chanakya, another name which is more popular as ‘Chanakyanti- a collection of aphorisms’.
In every era the names not only identify but do build the character and personality of individual. From the times of Mahabharat, the names like Karan and Arjun are still the epitomes of bravery and despite of hundreds of years, parents still love to name their children on these two Mahabharat characters. Govind, the name driven from Lord Krishna to the tenth Sikh Guru depicts both Sadhuvad and Warrior. Similarly the one character which comes to anyone’s mind on hearing the name Mohan Dass Karam Chand is ‘Ahinsa Parmo Dharma’.
Similarly there are some names who are very powerful in character but being glorified for their bad deeds, like Ravan, Kans, Shurpnakha, Gabbar, Mogambo etc., are enjoyed by all but no one wants to name their children by these names. Even prefix like Doctor in front of Dang also falls in the category of bad boys.
Then there are some traditional names where for any soft name you put a ‘Kumar’ and for martial spices like Rajputs and Sikhs you write ‘Singh’ as suffix and the character is identifiable.
Now a days the names are of different taste and category. Parents usually avoid going into history but while naming their children they go into deep thought process and often prefer short and catchy names. Some parents even use the effects of sounds in names to infer someone’s physical and personality traits.
Our names are an incredibly important part of our identity. They carry deep personal, cultural, familial, and historical connections. They also give us a sense of who we are, the communities to which we belong, and our place in the world. Our names have the potential to influence our behavior, physical appearance, career path and life choices, popularity, and how others perceive us.
When we encounter someone for the first time, the first thing we do is introduce ourselves by saying our name. The first impression always predicts several essential characteristics, and not just attractiveness. Our name says all about our personality and identity. It influences & determines our fate and initial perceptions. Besides, even our surname may reveal something about our physique and vitality.
A common feature that humans have is having a personal name. A unique name includes the first name given at birth and a surname aimed at identifying a person. Except in some rare cases (e.g., children growing up in isolation, orphans, a child belonging to certain isolated tribes), everybody has a name, and naming conventions are often determined by culture, thus allowing more or less flexibility when choosing a name.
The most important anchorage to our self-identity throughout life remains our own name. Although choosing a name looks like a test of creativity, parents do not know that choosing a name will influence how others see a person and what the person is most prone to become. A name is used to identify an individual and communicate with the individual daily, it serves as the very basis of one’s self-conception, especially concerning others. However, many factors influence and define the personality, such as genes, socio-economic environment, personal experiences, culture, and the role taken in life (e.g., family and workplaces). But, at a more fundamental level, names define more about ethnicity, which also leads to social barriers and stereotypes. Within a culture, names can be common or rare. Their meaning can carry a positive or negative connotation as fashionable, unfashionable, liked, or disliked.
Consequently, proper names affect how people treat us and how we feel about ourselves. People who dislike their name tend to have a poorer psychological adjustment, due to a lack of confidence and self-esteem.
People with an unpopular or negative-sounding name are more likely to be involved in crime, even when controlling for the potential influence of other aspects such as social environment, background, and demographic factors. A possible explanation relies on the fact that having a negative-sounding or unpopular name might influence a person’s behavior and attitude being prone to social rejection with the consequence of increasing the risk of developing a disagreeable personality.
Each name has associated characteristics, behaviors, and a look, and as such, it has a meaning and a shared schema within a society. The name given at birth impact later physicality, thus hypothesizing that name stereotypes would manifest physically in facial look.
Surnames are not just the markers on the Y chromosomes, passed from father to son, they are also associated with physique, suggesting a possible inheritance of character from ancestors, who are likely named after their caste, profession and even the place of domicile.
Across cultures, communities, religions and countries, names differ. Similarly, we frequently encounter people having the same name but different personalities. Likewise, individuals are defined by their environment, life events, personal experiences, and attitude. Thus, having the same name does not imply being equally (un)successful in life. Infect, the choice of an individual’s name is a matter of concern within the culture. Individuals expect to inherit the power of the given name to reflect and commemorate ancestors. Therefore, children are advised to behave accordingly to their name, shaping and influencing their behavior, sociality, and personality. Indeed, before choosing a name, parents reflect on the family history, values, and aspirations because the name teaches, inspires, and motivates individuals across generations, about religious and philosophical beliefs.
Our name has the power to influence our career path, the place where we live in, academic achievements, longevity, the quality and the effort we put in our work, being employed for a job or admitted in a school, and even the person we would commit to.
The effect of ‘name-signaling’, what names reveal about one’s ethnicity, religion, and socio-economic background is very impactful in someone’s life. This process starts at a young age, in which a child’s name strongly influenced how he/she was treated by the teacher, consequently affecting test scores and school achievements, demonstrating an implicit tendency of relating names to different characteristics, to draw conclusions and judgments regarding that person and even personality. So, a tricky question is not any more “What’s your name?”, but instead “What signals does your name send and what does it imply?”
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