The Art of Naming - Articles - Zimbio

OMG, don't: Hipster Baby Names

Wed, 16 Oct 2008 13:42:07 GMT

posted by omgfrank

THIS ARTICLE gives some good tips on how to avoid giving your kid a name they will hate you for, such as names you would give a dog, names that start with "I" or "Z", and names celebrities give their babies (case in point, pictured above are Jason Lee, his fiancee Beth Riesgraf, and their son Pilot Inspektor Riesgraf-Lee). The article makes a good point - if cool people are so ahead of it all, why do they give their kids such ridiculous names?

Kisses to Laura.

Names

Sun, 30 Apr 2007 20:07:00 GMT

posted by leilakin

JULIET:
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

Leila’s Musings on Names

In response to a discussion and question posted by Barbara Ann O'Leary, who founded her online Evoking Authenticity community forum, I have journeyed into the question: What is a Name?

What is a Name?
When musing on this question, I think of the Bard’s famous lines, quoted above. Are they true? Is it perhaps, that a rose by any other name is not the same?

I feel that there is something vital, something essential (as in of the essence), something true and authentic about our Name.
I capitalize Name because it seems to command a certain respect. Name. In the beginning was the NAME. And the name contained the energy of the named.

Certainly we exist before we are named. It’s not that naming is preter-phenomenal to our existence, but it seems that naming is a distinctive moment in our existence. As if, that thing there, this thing here is hereby this essence named this!

So, I existed as something, some form of energy before my mother said you are Leila. But in the naming moment, something clicks, and voila! There is Leilaness about me and all other Leilas , just as there is Janiceness about youJanices, and Barbaraness about all Barbaras, and Adamness about all Adams.

I see it as something similar to being born under a star sign. I mean, come on, there are only 12 sun signs, but there are 6 billion or more of us on the planet right now! So, there is something Piscean about me, that is true for all Pisces, naturally, as with each of the 12 signs. There is something essential in the energy pattern that is associated with a name, a sign. It seems that a lot more energy has gone into researching and cataloging the various characteristics of astrological signs than names. While there are many resources for the meaning and origin and historical use (etymology) of names, I think there is something that we, as the Named, have personal experience that can speak to what it is to be with the names we acknowledge.

I really don’t see Names as labels. Leila is not a label for me. Writer or dancer or poet are labels/roles. But, I find that my Name does not feel like a label.

What’s in a Name? The Power of Naming
It seems that a Name can contain Secrets to patterns that our being takes, tends to take, can take.. potentials (dormant or active), a flavor of being, a title, an identifier, an identity (but not always).

It’s interesting that there is so much energy put into naming, the act of giving a Name, of naming something… that energy goes somewhere.. into the named, into the subject, who now embodies something, some force, some essence, some part of the energy of that naming, of the Name.

I like the idea of considering that name is a verb and a noun. I Name myself the Name, Leila.
And thus, contain some essence of that which is Leila-ish.

When I looked up “name” at http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Name
I was fascinated with the synonyms, and the thesaurus references. Words I saw there, that struck me as interesting, include: Appellation, Moniker, Title, Designation, Sign, Character, Distinction , Reputation (like, the name you’ve made for yourself…)
Name as verbal or symbolic representation really stood out to me. I like the symbolic aspect. For years I’ve researched the meaning, origin, history, and occurrence of my birth name, Leila. It’s meant a tremendous amount to me to have a relationship with my name, to feel my acceptance and recognition of it is intentional and authentic, true to me, and who I feel I am.

You see, I’m 100 % certain that I would be very different if I were not given the name and lived with the name and identified with the name, Leila. Over the years, I have learned that my name, Leila, means many things in many languages, but some of the common themes are dark purple, the dark of night, the play of the cosmos, and soulful love.
I've given these meanings a lot of thought, meditation, and attention. I've explored what it means to be or feel, express and embody those things. In some ways, the meaning of my name has guided me, informed me, and inspired me.
What can I learn from the meaning of my name, I've asked. How am I embodying the qualities of my name that I aspire to? Am I truly Leila? How can I be more Leila? Am I .. Authentically Leila?
And in a lot of this exploration I discovered that my signature changed. I have signed my signature like this since I was a teenager:

It's like a giant, spiraling adventure and question with a lot of exclamation and distinction. It seems very much like me! And it looks like it's dancing and transforming.

It was interesting to play with what I found in the etymology and history of names.
I found Shakti Gawain’s explanation of her name in her book, Living in the Light. She talks about how it was a process, an adventure, and that over the years she started being called Shakti, and it stuck, until one day she realized she identified herself and thought of herself as Shakti, and had her name legally changed.

Whatever naming is and names are, what our names mean and the energy they carry definitely affects us.
One thing is for sure: there is a distinct power in naming, claiming, and recognizing a Name.

Do you know what your name means? What is your relationship to your name? How do you claim it, be it, identify with it? Have you changed your name? If you were to change your name, what would it be?

Can you experience yourself beneath your name?
Absolutely! That’s just it! I do not think that I am only my name, Leila. I am not just that. It, Leilaness, is part of me. But there is more me, all of me, that is not just Leila.
I live day to day with the awareness of the being here, this being here that experiences this here like this right now that is not just Leila but is also Leila.

Usually, for me, Leila is a subject that is experiencing things. The Leila part of me is the character in the adventure, the protangonist in my life story, the heroine on her journey.

There is definitely a God here, a Divine presence, a spirit and conglomeration of benevolent, compassionate, and wise beingness in me, that I do not attribute to the unique flavor of Leila. But, as Leila, I can describe the experience, communicate about it, share with you about it, express it, and cherish it.

And there is nothing inauthentic about being Leila and noticing the notLeila. In the end, I really feel it’s all one. All one. And I just look at reality through this peephole most the time.

I feel this is authentically delivered in the spirit of musing on a subject I’ve always been fascinated by: Names!
By the Named, Leila and all the unnamed beingness herein!This content was created by Leila Kincaid.

Personalized Pain

Wed, 25 Sep 2008 11:00:00 GMT

posted by moooooog35

Quick note before I start today:

Got a new movie review of the new movie, Igor, over on Moog's Movie Reviews.

Carry On.

********************

Personalized Pain

I looked like a ‘Rodney.’

That was the explanation I received when, one day as a child, I asked my mother how they decided upon my name.

Mom: "Well...you looked like a ‘Rodney.’"

Oh.

Thanks for the scintillating f*cking explanation, mom.

Let me get this straight:

As a newborn, I looked like an elderly English butler?

As an infant, I resembled a large black man who could possibly play linebacker for a professional football team?

Mother of Christ…please don’t tell me I look like DANGERFIELD!!!

I’m going with ‘black linebacker.’

Granted...I may have whitened with age...but at least I FEEL tough.

My original thought on how they came up with my name was that they gazed upon me when I was born, and exclaimed:

"OH GOD...Look at his rod...it goes to his knee!"

Thank you.

I'm here all week.

Regardless, this same topic came back up a few weeks ago as my wife and I took the kids to “Clark’s Trading Post” in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire motto: “Come visit for the foliage, but stay for the sweet sweet sheep fondling.”

Clark’s Trading Post is a very popular tourist site in New Hampshire, which features:

1) A trained bear show
2) A train

Um...

New Hampshire tourist sites suck.

The train ride actually goes through the woods where “The Wolfman” supposedly lives.

“The Wolfman” consists of some guy who resembles one of the fifteen thousand homeless guys in Seattle (“hi, Dad!”).

(that's a VERY LOW estimate if you've ever been to Seattle)

Regardless...the Wolfman:

He’s dressed in bear skins (I guess we know what they do with the dead bears from the show now) and chases the train with guns, and bombs, and violent threats to the children.

Best. Job. Ever.

This is EXACTLY what I want to do in retirement.

Dressing like a hobo, driving a homemade jalopy through the woods…

…while yelling at children and shooting guns.

This is really no different than what I do today, except for the gun part.

I may have mental problems.

Police, take notice.

Back to the names.

So, we’re in one of the gift shops and my daughter, Payton, is once again rummaging through a rack of “Personalized Key Chains.”

She then thumbs through the rack of coffee mugs (because, you know, 7 year olds just LOOOOVE their java in the morning).

Of course, there is no ‘Payton’ embossed on anything, anywhere.

Payton: “Oh, maaaaaan….”

Me: “Don’t worry honey, I had the same problem. Look – there’s no ‘ Rodney’ anywhere either.”

(My GOD…..It’s almost like black linebackers don’t carry keys!!)

My wife, also digging through on the odd chance that there IS a Payton, pipes up.

Wife: “Well…they don’t have a ‘Payton.’ But they DO have this.”

She hands me a keychain.

Engraved on the keychain is the name:

“Lupe.”

Really?

Lupe?

(for those people who are Spanish-illiterate, Lupe is pronounced: "Ta-Co")

Lupe.

They have f*cking LUPE, but they don’t have a 'Rodney' or 'Payton'?!?

We’re in f*cking NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Seriously…how many people named ‘Lupe’ can be up here at Clark’s Trading Post getting chased by the Wolfman?!

One…maybe two TOPS every, what, ten f*cking years?

I don’t SEE anyone wearing a sombrero walking around here swatting at pinatas, so I’m assuming that there are no Lupe’s present today.

But there IS a Rodney.

Soon to be employed by Clark’s Trading Post.

YOU’D BETTER RUN, LUPE!! I’M A-COMIN’ AFTER YOU!! YOU AND YOUR PERSONALIZED COFFEE MUG!!

This job is gonna be sweet.http://midgetmanofsteel.blogspot.com

Welcome to our blog about The Art of Naming

Thu, 13 Apr 2007 17:27:44 GMT

posted by Marianne
This is our group blog, which is unique because any Zimbio member can post an entry to it. Some members blog about recent news and trends related to the portal topic, others recount relevant personal stories. You can also comment on and rate existing blog entries, to voice your opinion and to help the community identify which members and entries on the portal are must-reads. Got an interesting idea or story to share with other members of this portal? Well, then put on your journalist's cap and add your own blog entry!

Miha: The Coolest Slovenian baby-boy name Ever

Mon, 14 Oct 2008 14:48:58 GMT

posted by daria369
In 2005 Miha was eleventh on the list of most popular boys' names in Slovenia. But no mater which year's statistics of male names we would look at, Miha would always be close to the top. This name is actually a short version of Mihael - English Michael - and is often translated as such. But wait, secret is of coolness is not in the way Miha is spelled as much as in the way this name is pronounced in Slovenia. Say Miha like me-ha (like "ha" in "harmony") There you go! Cool, isn't it?