Would you be "you" if you had a different first name?

Question

Just wondering to what extent our name affects who we are. Do we adapt our personality according to what we have been named?

Answer 1

that's a really good question, I've known people with some strange first names; Sunshine, Heaven, and I don't know why I can't think of any more. I think it does have an effect upon you, but in a backwards way. For example, if your name was "wonderful" You would learn your name in life before you knew about the word wonderful, and then everytime you heard something being praised as "wonderful" You would feel your pride growing, as if you were the standard of excellence.
On the other hand, if you were named "stupid" You would initially know the word only as your name, and as you grew through life, you'd constantly be seeing negative things referred to as "stupid" and you'd end up feeling personally insulted that your label was being used to refer to such undesirable things.
And all through life, as you meet new people, imagine Introducing yourself as "stupid" or "wonderful." Everyone would get a preconceived notion about you before they even had a chance to evaluate you and you wouldn't stand a chance in social situations of actually being known for yourself, unless it was someone who knew you for a long time. Even then, their initial reactions might cloud the rest of your relationship.
What about people whose names are just plain ridiculous? LIke "Hallerraunnicah" I once knew a girl with that name. Her mother made it up because she thought it sounded beautiful. The other kids all had strange names, too. All through life no one knows how to pronounce it, and when you meet people you have to say it a hundred times as they repeat after you until they finally get it right and then they walk away never wanting to have to say it again. And forget spelling it, no one will ever know how to spell it right. So whenever you're doing paperwork you'll have to repeat each letter one by one and then wait while they repeat it back to you.

Anyways- that's with wierd names, I don't think that names like Joe or Jennifer really have an effect upon people, because they're common enough that we all know enough Joe's that we don't automatically associate it with certain personality characteristics or anything.

Does Joe or Jennifer approach life differently because of his name? Maybe. Perhaps in an effort to stand out he might want to excel, or perhaps because he can blend so easily he decides he shouldn't try to stand out or rise above the crowd.

No- we're born with personalities and I don't think a common name would have any impact at all upon who we think we are / who we become. I do think, though that an uncommon name can impact our personality, but only to the extent that we decide to use it as a tool for whatever our goals were anyway. I believe Oprah would have been the powerhouse even if her name was Kathy.

By the time you realize your name has meaning, you must probably be around 5 or 6 years old, ready to leave the safe circle of your immediate family and venture out into the world for periods of time and learn that your name has another meaning. At that point a lot of our personality traits have already revealed themselves (from a mom's perspective)

Answer 2

Very good question. I think it does affect us to a certain extent. If you have a very common name it's easy for people to learn but easy for them to forget, you might have had 4 other people in the class with the same name as you and so what you perceived your name to be would be different to someone who, say, has never met anyone with their name....
Does that make sense? I have a name which is associated with people from an older generation and so i think that changes the way people perceive me but not necessarily how I perceive myself. I used to hate my name but couldn't understand how anyone could change their own name, thinking it would be impossible to live with. My boyfriend and his friends have renamed me a completely different first name and my real name is never used around them. I quite like it... I answer to it no problem and I like the second persona it gives me, but it hasn't really changed me in any tangible way.
You should read about the naming traditions of the Inuit ,It's really interesting and shows how in some cultures a name can be everything,with people being bound by the responsibility a certain name brings...

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"?

Answer 3

I think you might be on to something. My name is Marisa, and although it's becoming a lot more common these days, I was the only Marisa I knew of growing up and for a long time I was the only Marisa at my school.

It made me stand out as an individual in some way ... Like everyone would say "Oh, Marisa? I know her," and I no one ever needed to specify and last name. As a result, I think I found it somewhat easier to BE an individual, if that makes any sense.

I wonder if my mom had named me Jennifer what I would have turned out like ... I bet not exactly the same.

Answer 4

That is an interesting question because there are some people that their name just fits them and then there are others that do not look like they would have their name. I think that my first name suits me perfectly. My family calls me Susie which was a nickname given to me when I was born and my friends who know me as Olivia always say that I do not look like a Susie but I do look like an Olivia. I think it is just coincidence that sometimes a name just fits. I don't think that we adapt our personalities at all because some of us are called different names by different people.

Answer 5

Well, my name is Kathryn, my mom almost named me Ora Lea. What do you think?

You are treated differently because of the name that someone put on your birth certificate.

I am not a Kathy, I am a Kate. It is all in a name. You are identified by what your name personifies.

Kathryn is on the top 10 lists of successful women names, like Katherine Hepburn, and Catherine the Great.

So, yes, if your name is Tiffany, or Brittany, or Buffy, you are going to be treated differently than if your name is Elizabeth, or Jennifer. if you are taken more seriously, you will begin to believe there is more substance to you than if you are not treated seriously.

Don't name your girl Candy, don't name your boy Toby.. It is not worth their anguish.

Answer 6

I am proof, somewhat as to my identity. I have two names--one that was given to me by my biological mom, and the one that was given to my by adoptive mom.

I believe that we don't adapt our personalities to our name. If that was the case, then many people would have to research their name then feel compelled to act as name is suggesting. I.E. Do you think people who's name is Christopher or Christina, that they live their lives as Christians?? More than likely not.

Our personalities are based on how we were raised at home, how we act at school, work, etc. We just accordingly to certain situations. Not what our name is.

But I am still me, even with the two names. Two identites, one person, who is the same all around.

Answer 7

I would be a totally different person if my name was chuck.
I'm american, but I have an african firstname.
All my life people's first impression of me has always been in some way linked to my "Funny" name.
And I love it. I'm the only Kante(Pronounced Khan-tay) that most people will ever meet.
And so I do tend to do things differently than most, I always lend to things that I do a personal flair, almost a signature.
And I get remembered more often than John's.
If I was a George, oh God that would suck.
No offense to you George.

Answer 8

I grew up with an unusual name at a time when all little girls were called Linda or Diane or Jane. As a result I stood out and was a target for bullies. I learned to stand up for myself and to turn the other cheek. If I had been given a 'normal' name I may not have learned that.

Answer 9

This is impossible to answer. You are "you" because of all your past experiences, emotions, and actions. And depending on what the other name was would play a larger role on your experiences. For example, kids named "Dave" have a normal name and probably don't get singled out much; however, kids named "Dudley" have a more uncommon name, and may very well get picked on or singled out, changing past experiences for that individual.

Answer 10

Yes, I think so. I have a lightly uncommon name- Jamie, and I think it has made me more individualistic because I am one of only a few guys named Jamie. There's Jamie Foxx, but I don't know him personally, and him being a B-list celebrity, he doesn't give me as much popular momentum as, say, Brad Pitt does for guys named Brad. My real name is James, and I could just drop the nickname Jamie and go with James if I wanted to, but since I've been Jamie for so long, it is my identity and all my friends know me as Jamie, so I don't really see the point in changing things now.