Name Associations

Lately I have been thinking about how other people in our lives influence our attitudes towards names. Are we particularly drawn to names belonging to people we love and admire? Do we shy away from names associated with bad memories and tales of love lost?

I think the names of people we have encountered in the past can certainly influence our opinions of people we meet in years to come. My early school days provide a classic example of this. A school bully named Sarah created many complications in my life for a couple of years. Posing as a friend, when she ran into trouble she would always blame me for her actions. Now when I meet other women called Sarah, I relive my childhood for a few seconds and hope this new Sarah is not also nasty. As much as I try to hide my hostility, ‘Sarah’ is definitely not a name that brings me any happiness (no offence intended to all you Sarahs out there!).

Michelle, on the other hand, is a name I am rather attached to. While it holds no amazing linguistic meaning, it is the name of a close friend. Needless to say, every time I meet someone else called Michelle, I remember her name instantly. All the Michelles I have met so far have been lovely girls. Is this because they are genuinely good people, or because I want to keep the name Michelle in my good books because of its association with my friend?

Similarly, the names we choose for our children are, to a certain extent, influenced by our thoughts and feelings of people who are in our past and present lives. Daniel was the name of my first love, and let’s just say, he turned out to be a complete jerk! Because of this, I would never call my son this. Further, if one of your close friends has just called their new daughter Isabella, you probably won’t call your newborn daughter this too, even if it’s just to avoid the copycat label that will no doubt follow!

Does this idea also apply in your family? Would you also avoid calling your son or daughter after your brother or sister? As much as I love my friend Michelle, I probably wouldn’t also call my daughter this simply because it would just be way too confusing! However, using Michelle as a middle name for my daughter would be a great way to honour my friend!

Love,
The Name Dame