Name Calling

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." William Shakespeare

When I was growing up, it was a common practice to give a son the same first name as the father. While I think that has sort of fallen out of favor, I do like the idea of passing along family names, or of honoring a friend in that way. A young woman I know is having her very expensive college education completely financed by her great-aunt. She has the same first name as the aunt. Her two sisters have not received any money for their tuition from Auntie. Tongue-in-cheek, she wondered if her parents had a financial motive when they were choosing a name.

I think expectant parents would pass on a family name if the person was one they loved and admired, and if they also liked the name. Really now. Your grandma may be your favorite person in the whole wide world, but would you name your baby girl Edna?

Someone new calls to mind someone old. Psychologists call it transference, and it's often done in a negative way. A new person in your life reminds you of someone who once wronged you, and you find yourself without meaning to, putting all that old bad stuff on the new person. They carry around an unfair burden, paying for what someone else did. And you miss out on getting to know them as a unique individual. It's a sign that you have some unfinished business from the past.

Look around you. That person you have a distaste for? Is it for something they have done, or have you named them after someone else?

Susan