# NF: What's in a name? Your name, in specific...



## Nightwine (Nov 11, 2008)

I was having a discussion about this with my coworker/friend.

She is very much attached to her name, Emily. She thinks of herself as Emily, strongly identifies as it, feels very concrete as 'Emily'.

I like my name. I think it's rather pretty. I'm rather happy with the first and middle name combo my parents chose. But I don't think of myself as it. When I'm thinking about myself and the vast universe/reality/spirit plane/whatever, my name drops away. I'm sometimes struck when looking at my name written out that that is what people call me, and it looks a little foreign. I'm not at all concrete with my name.

Does that make sense? I'm really curious how others feel about their appointed 'titles'.


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## Surreal Breakfast (Oct 24, 2008)

I wouldn't want to change my name because it would feel weird. I can turn my name into my personality:

Non-conformist
Idealist
Counter-culture
Kind
Oppressed
Lazy
Artistic
Strange


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## Nightwine (Nov 11, 2008)

Name poems ftw 

I wouldn't change my name. That's not the point I meant to make. I have at one time or another considered changing my last name, deciding against it with the idea that it will change if/when I get married. Realized that my last name ties me in to a group. If I changed it to some random last name, it would lose that connection point. But I've never considered changing my first name.

I don't know how connected I would feel to any name I could take. I know to answer when that set of sounds is called, and I know to write it on all my important documents. But when I think about who I am, I'm nameless. That's more what I meant.


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## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

I am not my name. I felt so detached from my birth name that I tried on multiple names over my lifetime, only to settle on "snail" because the symbolism suits me. I finally found a name that says something real about who I am, and I plan to keep it until I change to the point where it doesn't fit anymore. Then I might be someone else, but I think it is good to change the name to fit the self at any given moment rather than changing the concept of self to fit the label, or changing your perception of the arbitrary label that already exists in order to make it fit the self. When people try to call me my original name, It feels like they are referring to someone else. I feel like the name doesn't fit the person they are using it to describe.


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## NephilimAzrael (Oct 26, 2008)

Well my first supposedly means of darkness and my second supposedly means victorious prince of priests.

So I suppose it means the victorious prince of the priests of darkness. :laughing:


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## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

That suits you well, Nephy.


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## de l'eau salée (Nov 10, 2008)

My name (Erik) is defined as "Honorable Ruler," and was the name of a few kings and stuff, so I don't really think I live up to my name or it fits me. I am in no way a ruler or a king or any part of royalty or high status. Whatever, I kinda like my name anyways though


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## lunniey (Oct 19, 2008)

My name..
i never knew what is my name means..
so i google it a while ago.. 
it turn out that my name originally means Lion in Latin..
anyway.. i don't feel anything about my name..
i don't feel that i like it, but i also don't think that i want to change it roud:


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## Nightwine (Nov 11, 2008)

My name means "Victory of her People" or "Of a Victorious People" 

All in all, I think it's a good name for me. I just think, at a certain level inside, I lose the name, I don't think of myself with any title. It's a floating label on the outside layers. I think it's possibly more due to the fact of feeling a part of myself more lasting than this existence, and I probably wouldn't carry this existence's name around all the time, heh.


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## Ogion (Nov 1, 2008)

Well, i like my name (Jonathan), it sounds nice 
It comes from jewish history, meaning "God's gift", "Gift of God" or "God has given". 
But since i am not religious this menaing is lost on me...(My parents aren't really religious either, but they liked that name too)

Ogion


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## Nightriser (Nov 8, 2008)

I'm not fond of my first name. People have told me that I should be happy to have a "fancy" or "sophisticated" name, but that very connotation that seems to accompany my name is probably what I dislike most about it. The sound of it isn't particularly pleasing, and the meaning, "glory," doesn't fit either. I like my middle name, Rebecca, better. I would just change the spelling...

So what about family names? What do you think of your family names? I personally like mine. There's some interesting history to it. In light of these previous posts, I think I like it more partly because I feel a stronger connection with it than my given names. 

In a slightly tangential statement, I'm particularly fond of Eastern European, Persian, and Indian names. Jafarzadeh, Samardzija, Ramanujan, Janda, and Ayton (okay, so that's Scottish) are some names I like.


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## Mystic Jenn (Oct 30, 2008)

Jennifer 
1. White Wave 

2. smooth; white; fair 

3. Fair one. It is a variant of the name Guinevere, who was King Arthur's queen. 

4. "gift from God". *Rock on!!! LMAO!!! Now I can go around and actually say "I AM a gift from God!":laughing:*

FYI: 

1970-1985: Jennifer = #1 name in USA 


51st most popular name in America in 2006 


My middle is Lane: A path, but the cool thing...it was inspired by The Beatles. My Dad had the song Penny Lane stuck in his head and he thought Lane would be a pretty middle name for me. :happy:


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## NephilimAzrael (Oct 26, 2008)

Sounds like a great name Jenn


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## Ogion (Nov 1, 2008)

Hey, you know that the name is from Wales? (At least the one of KingArthur-stories):
Gwenhyfar

Ogion


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## Mystic Jenn (Oct 30, 2008)

Ogion said:


> Hey, you know that the name is from Wales? (At least the one of KingArthur-stories):
> Gwenhyfar
> 
> Ogion


Sure do! :happy:


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## prufrok (Nov 28, 2008)

I was named after a cousin of my mothers, whom she loved dearly. It is for that reason alone that I have not considered changing my name. For the longest time I hated my name. Now I tolerate it. I still hate saying it, I get tongue-tied to this day, and NO ONE can understand me, the first time I say it. I *always* have to repeat it.

I don't think souls have names, nor genders. We know each other by the color of our light.


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## prufrok (Nov 28, 2008)

Holy Heaven! Sorry for all the duplicate postings.


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## Happy (Oct 10, 2008)

No problem. It was due to the glitch earlier.:crazy:


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## Spooky (Oct 30, 2008)

My name means "Beloved" in Hebrew. I like it.


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## SupaKawaii (Nov 20, 2008)

I don't think my name suits me at all. It's very traditional, boring, and safe. Common, too. It was the most popular name for newborn girls in the US eleven years in a row, recently. I preferred my name when I was the only person I knew with it. There are so many people around with my name, that I've become detached from it. My friends think I'm going deaf. I no longer answer to it. I'd much prefer to be called a "noun" name.


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## Alanna (Dec 15, 2008)

I feel very attached to my name. When I'm bored lots of times I'll just write my signature over and over. That being said, I'm not at all attached to the meaning which are: little child, rock, or awakening.

All together they remind me of someone throwing a rock at a little sleeping child. Kind of morbid.


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## gOpheR (Jan 19, 2009)

Alanna said:


> I feel very attached to my name. When I'm bored lots of times I'll just write my signature over and over. That being said, I'm not at all attached to the meaning which are: little child, rock, or awakening.
> 
> All together they remind me of someone throwing a rock at a little sleeping child. Kind of morbid.


HAHAHAHA! 

I've written my name over and over before, mostly just look at it seeing if it really means anything to me.


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## Indigo (Dec 29, 2008)

gOpheR said:


> I love that!


She didn't...


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## RedForest (Jan 23, 2009)

My name - Michael - means "who is god?"
an well, its not me, i guess.. but i like the archangel michael, he is some kind of crazy revenge-angel who haunts all nonbelievers...mahwahaha...

/edit: hmm i started to think a bit about it, and... "Michael" really fits well for an INFP, I think.
Michael, the protector of Faith...


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## turbomursu (Apr 14, 2009)

it's my middle name i use and people know me by. younger i didn't feel so comfortable with it because it's rather uncommon and old fashioned. later on i wouldn't want to change it at all and i've actually even reserved a national domain name from the net by my name. it's very me now, rather uncommon and old fashioned 

first name
Greek form of the Aramaic name _Te'oma_ which meant "twin".

middle name
Means "army man", derived from the Germanic elements _heri_ "army" and _man_ "man". It was introduced to England by the Normans, died out, and was revived in the English-speaking world in the 19th century.

for these meanings i can't say. i like to play first person shooter games in organized fashion though...


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## CJay3113 (Dec 31, 2008)

The name *Court* is a variant of Cort (English, Old German) and Courtland (Old English).

The meaning of Court is "courtier, court attendant; brave; land of the court".


Nice.


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## TheHappyMinority (Nov 3, 2008)

Sometimes I feel very disconnected from my name. It sounds weird to even say it out loud, but I guess I like it? I use variations of my name depending on which circle I'm moving in as a way to separate people from my real self a bit. It also helps me play the 'right' character for the situation... :mellow:


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## Dharma Ga (Feb 5, 2009)

Oliver - Olive Tree, always have olive trees in my short stories now as a kind of signature


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## Saffology (Feb 16, 2012)

I am the third to carry this name in my family. And I intend to name my son the fourth. <3


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## Alaiyo Sakuri (Jan 1, 2009)

I used to hate my name because it was different, but now that's why I love it. It's not terribly uncommon, but I've only met a handful of people with the name (it's a unisex name) and I've never met anyone who spelled *and* pronounced it like mine. I like to think of the extra letter as that little tang in my personality that people don't expect 'til I let it show.


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## geekofalltrades (Feb 8, 2012)

You know, it's funny... My legal first name is William (although I go by Matt, which is derived from my middle name [I love having a weird name situation, by the way; it's a great conversation starter]). William comes from the Germanic Wilhelm, which is roughly translated as "helmet, protection" or "protector." My MBTI type is: INFJ, The Protector.

I love my name.


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## KateMarie999 (Dec 20, 2011)

I dislike my name. It's Kathryn, which means purity. And while I strive to be pure, it's just so common!! I can't tell you the amount of times I've walked down the street, heard someone yell "KATIE!!! HEY YOU!! KATIE TURN AROUND!!" and turned around to find out they weren't talking to me. Also I've had as many as 3 other Katies in my classes in school.

I'd rather have a more unique name. So I picked a stage name.


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## unico (Feb 3, 2011)

I now like my first name, but used to want to change it. I've never really liked my middle or last name. Now I really relate to the saints and goddess of my name (Bridgett) so I do like my first name now and feel it represents me pretty well.


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## Where Love Died Laughing (Jan 5, 2012)

I dislike the sound of my name (especially since it's really difficult for people who aren't Slavs to pronounce), but I love the meaning and story behind it.

It is Danica (pronounced Dah-nI-tsa, Danica Patrick pronounces it wrong ) and means "morning star" or more accurately, "day star." 

It can be traced back to Slavic mythology where the polar/northern/morning star was the object around which the universe revolved. When Christianity was embraced, it took on a slightly more religious note. 

I like the meaning, but I don't think it defines my character. I hate being the centre of attention, much less what the universe revolves around.


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## VenusianMizu (Sep 9, 2011)

My parents named me Nephtiry after the Ancient Egyptian queen Nefetari, King Ramesses II's favorite wife. I remember reading Ramesses himself described her as "the one for whom the sun shines". Maybe that's why I'm such an Egyptology freak 

I am incredibly modest, so I really don't identity with the origin. When I was a kid, I wanted to have it changed, but although I'm sick of hearing it, people say it's pretty, so I let that go. But the more I think about it, no other name I know of can really describe me, so...


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## skylit (Feb 17, 2012)

My name is ridiculous. I have a name usually given to the opposite sex. My last name turned out to be one that grandpa stole from a big family in the country he emigrated to. But it's my name and I'll keep it and try to bring some honor to it.

I have many nicknames...


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## Hai Kitaro (Feb 17, 2012)

My name is one of the most popular girl names when I was born, so I never fully associated it with JUST me. It was me and five other girls at school, so I guess I never grew particularly attached to it. Sometimes I just look at it and go "Huh." because it doesn't really register as a huge part of me, but I wouldn't change it, partly because nothing else would feel any more like me. To me, it's all just a set of syllables to respond to and identify myself to others with. I don't really have strong feelings about it, I'm just glad it wasn't a name connected to religion or a celebrity or a namesake I might not identify with when I was older.


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## Some Kind of Blue (Dec 14, 2011)

I hate my name (Selena) because many times I'm associated with Selena Gomez. Don't get me wrong, she's a very very nice person, I just hate how that's the first thing that pops into their mind when they hear my name. I wish my name was Avery, it suits me.


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## Geoffrey (Jan 27, 2012)

Nightwine said:


> I don't know how connected I would feel to any name I could take. I know to answer when that set of sounds is called, and I know to write it on all my important documents. But when I think about who I am, I'm nameless. That's more what I meant.


-----I have a quite different relationship with my name. My real name is Geoffrey. I did not hesitate to use it as my screen name. It means, “God’s peace.” It kind of freaks me out how much my name reflects my personality. I use to think that being “God’s peace” meant being peaceful. Now, I feel that peace is the nature of the divine spark breathed into me. Peace is the one thing I am _not _searching for. Rather, in learning to know myself, and thereby freeing/exposing the innate property of the divine spark within, I seem to be able to help others find peace. I fully identify with the meaning behind my name; therefore, I identify with the set of sounds that make up my name. I feel like my name perfectly identifies who I am to others. When I hear my name called, I instinctively turn to answer the call (and the calling).
-----I just came across this little snippet, today, so I am adding to my original response. The snippet concerns Alyosha Karamazov from Fyodor Dostoevsky's _The Brothers Karamazov_. In _The Pygmalion Project: Volume 3: The Idealists_, Stephen Montgomery types Alyosha as an INFP. He writes, "Alyosha is different from other[] [INFPs] in his Monastic attitude toward religion and religious discipline. Alyosha's formal Christian name is 'Alexei,' which alludes to Russia's Saint Alexei (known as 'the man of God'), and Alyosha seems determined to follow in the footsteps of his famous namesake" (47). "What [INFPs] seek in life is a higher calling, some ethical idea to which they can dedicate their lives [. . . .]" (48). During Alyosha's apprenticeship under Father Zosima, he is prepared for "that most sacred, and most paradoxical, of Idealist journeys, the search for self" (50). I wrote the first paragraph, yesterday, and I read the stuff in the second paragraph (and much more), today. Again, I feel a little freaked out.


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## Tread Softly (Feb 8, 2012)

I'm not going to type my name here as it's pretty unique and I'd like to remain anonymous. I don't like it as my parents did not choose it and it does not fit me. At all. The name my mother wanted to give me fit me perfectly (can't type that here as it's even rarer than the name I have now), even those who don't even know the meaning of that name or understand the culture that it comes from say that it fits me well.  I can't change my name as it would be unkind to the person who named me but I think about it regularly, since before I was even able to write my name.


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