The Value of a Name

This is just a side note; something that I was thinking of as I drove home today.

To me, names mean something.  It is not just a set of letters that your parents threw together, but something that defines you.  If you ponder it, your parents thought long and hard about what to name you -- and if they didn't have the time, because you came out as a boy instead of a girl (oops, my bad), they still thought hard, maybe just not so long.

The point is that I believe names mean something.  There is a reason that there are books of names, and there are reasons that people with the names in the book seem to resemble the description of their namesake.  Of course, this isn't accurate 100% of the time, but I would say that in general we can all see ourselves in the names we bear.

My name holds the meaning as follows:

"Alexander \a-lexa-nder, alex(an)-der\ as a boy's name is pronounced al-ek-ZAN-der. It is ofGreek origin, and the meaning of Alexander is "man's defender, warrior". From the Latin form of the Greek name Alexandros. The name was probably coined originally as a title of the goddessHera, consort of Zeus. Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) conquered and ruled the greater part of the known world before his death at the age of 33. History describes him as a man of highphysical courage, impulsive energy, and fervid imagination. It was a royal name in Scotland.Alec and Zander are modern offshoots. Sandy is a Scottish pet form; Alessandro is an Italianform; Alexandre and Alixandre are French. See also Lexer. English poet Alexander Pope;American statesman Alexander Hamilton; actors Sir Alec Guinness, Alec Baldwin; AmericanSecretary of State Alexander Haig; Soviet writer and dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn; writerAlexandre Dumas."


For more information see Alexander (from www.thinkbabynames.com).

Maybe it resembles me, and maybe not.  Whether it does or doesn't isn't the most important point.  The most important point is that your name is your name, and whether you like it or not it is part of you.

Names can be given to you at birth, and names can be given to you along the way.  There is always a reason for the name, and always a clear image associated with it.  Numerous people in the bible are given new names as they progress through life, and almost everyone is given a nickname at one time or another (I happen to have several).  It is not that their original name lost its meaning, but that people can ascend to new heights, and new names.

There are two different kinds of nicknames:

One, the kind of nickname given to you because your name is long, for example, "Hi, my name is Alexander," "Oh, can I call you Alex?," "Ummm...," "Great!  Nice to meet you Alex.... Actually wait, can I call you Al?"

And Two, the kind of nickname given to you for a reason.  For example, when you do something special, or when it becomes a term of intimacy or endearment.  Of these names I have several... Al, Alex, Xander, Der, etc.  You might notice that these names can overlap with type "one" of nicknames.  They can, but if you call me "Alex" because in your eyes that is who I am that is different than if you call me "Alex" because you didn't want to take the time to say "Alexander."

Names given to you for a reason are powerful.  There is no replacement for your given name (or a given name).  It is called a given name for a reason, and that is because it was a gift.

Your name is the second most valuable thing your parents ever gave to you.  The first was life, and the second, was your identity.


What's the value of a name?


Maybe nothing, but if you look closely enough... maybe everything.