Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý The wait is over. The royal princess is here and we know her name. After months of speculation it was announced she would be Charlotte Elizabeth Diana;Ìý a tribute to history and a nod to the future.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý I was supposed to be named Karen. That was the plan before I was born but a second-cousin beat my entrance into the world and was given that name so my parents went with a different choice: Shelley.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý There are 78,454 citizens in the U.S. with the name Shelley. I couldn't find how many maple leaf-wearing Shelleys there might be but I am guessing not a lot since it is only the 634th most popular name in use today.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Carefully considered business names can be a powerful marketing tool for companies. There is the "Lawn & Order" property maintenance firm, the "Indiana Bones Temple of Groom" doggy daycare boutique, the "Found Sock" laundromat and the "Surelock Homes" security business. Well chosen names.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Family owned businesses may choose to attach their surname to the company moniker to provide a personal touch or establish credibility within a community. But sometimes you have to wonder if they ever asked for input on the chosen name. Consider the "Barf Bed and Breakfast"; the "Gross Food Mart" or the "Loud Funeral Home." Then there are occasions when it was just too ironic to question, such as the law offices of "Ditcher, Quick & Hyde"; divorce attorneys in the U.S.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Shakespeare famously posed the question "what's in a name" in act 2 of Romeo and Juliet to which Juliet responds how meaningless and artificial names are. Was Shakespeare right? Do names matter?
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Research over 70 years has looked at this question as it related to academic performance and job success. Findings indicated students with unusual names were given lower scores on subjective tests, income level of immigrants who changed their names was 26% higher versus those who hadn't, and the content of creative writing assignments indicated biases and stereotypes when students were given particular character names to write stories about. Many suggest that in fact there is absolutely no correlation between names and outcomes and that these studies indicate a problem with the methodology. Nonetheless it raises an intriguing thought. What kind of signals, if any, do our names send?
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý What boon—or burden—is there if we share a name with someone famous, noteworthy, infamous or notorious? Does the reputation of a name get affected by the actions of others? If the association is with someone who has garnered a positive reputation it likely matters little, except as a conversation starter. We'd most likely feel differently if the name has been tarnished in some manner.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Should the name of a killer be released publicly? Terrorists? Law enforcement officers under investigation? This is something news editors and journalists struggle with. What about the victims? If the perpetrators names are released, shouldn't the victims be as well? Don't they deserve to be more than a numerical statement? Yet printing or speaking the names opens news outlets to criticism.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý I don't like the fact I know the names of those wielding the guns in recent mass shootings yet cannot as easily recall the names of many of the victims. I know the names of ruthless dictators around the world but not the hundreds of thousands living under their corrupt regimes. I can name everyone on this season’s cast of Survivor, but I cannot tell you the names of everyone who lives on my street.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Names matter because people matter. It’s how we identify each other, how we tell our current stories, and how we connect to our ancestors. So whether we are named Tex, Moses, Charlotte or Shelley; Smith, Jones, Windsor or Washington, let’s live in a way that brings honour to all those in the past and all those yet to come who will share in the richness of the name with us. That’s my outlook.
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