What's in a name? A lot.

No wonder I have a schizophrenic illness... My parents call me T.J., my friends call me Tom, my business associates call me Thomas, and my wife calls me Tamu.

I kinda like mine too :-)

funny - I wonder how many people here at ATS have come to really like - and feel comfortable with - the names they've chosen for themselves?

I like this idea of darklords - exploring what is really in a name

I was never crazy about my first name when I was a kid - but I do like it now - and I have absolutely no idea why I didn't like it then - or what changed my mind

a friend of the family gave me a nickname when I was in my early teens that I really liked - and it stuck for a number of years - even with my own family

I had no idea that it meant something - he never offered any kind of explanation

it wasn't until just a few years ago I found out what it meant - funny and appropriate :-)

no one really uses it any more. Just my sisters - one in particular - and now I kinda miss it

reply to post by Spiramirabilis

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That's exactly what I mean. Names are a complicated business. There's energy involved and that differs from name to name, person to person, probably even from intention to intention.

When the lady called you 'puddin', the whole sum vibration of it, that includes the vibration of the word, of her voice, charged with good intentions and positive energy, resonated so well with you that you actually went back just to feel the resonance again.

reply to post by darklord

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:-) absolutely - intention

there are so many ways to look at this - I hope the thread gets into all of it

but - just sticking with obvious reasons maybe - for now - I think we can hear intent better than we think we can

I think sarcasm, derision, anger can all leak out of words - radiate their intent - even when people think it's hidden

affection can be felt - from a word that's not necessarily affectionate

the choices we make when using words - and the tone - the subtle inflections

I think (especially here - with the written word) things can be misinterpreted and be the source of some pretty bad feelings - one persons pet name is an insult to someone else

someone thinks they're being funny - other people just do not :-)



it is a very good example - because I literally returned because being called puddin' made everything right with the world

:-)

it's interesting to think about - but how many decisions do we all make based on things just like this that may or may not even enter our awareness?

situations and people we seek out or avoid - based on words and tone - intention

like I said - I love this idea - this subject - starred and flagged

hope it goes long

[edit on 7/4/2009 by Spiramirabilis]

reply to post by darklord

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I want to add - since the OP is about our names - that the idea behind all this is even more important because our names are part our identity

how we see ourselves - and how people look at us - based just on a name

I remember once someone telling me they could never respect anyone named Cindy

(all you Cindys reading this - not my opinion) :-)

how interesting is that - when you really think about it?

characteristics are built into names

and do we grow into or live up to the names we're given?

I absolutely understand why some people choose new names for themselves



[edit on 7/4/2009 by Spiramirabilis]

I have a "name", almost forgot it. People call me by different nicknames, I don't identify with any of them, or my name - which I use only for legal stuff.

I presume I was able not to identify myself with my name because as a child I did not like it, thought it means nothing and it's boring, I wanted to be called "Augustin" after a circus performer I saw once. I don't care much about it now, I feel like I have no name and don't need any

Here I named myself "Pai Mei" after the character from Kill Bill. Then I put a picture of Sitting Bull for my avatar. Who know what "name" I will like for myself later

That does not mean "I" change all the time. I am the same as I always was, I see names are just "stuff", "fashion", not much importance. Yes others can form an impression on you because of your "name". I am against such a thing. These modern names have no meaning or sense or connection with the person - in ancient times people got nicknames, see Sitting Bull - and those had more meaning. People are even shaped by names, I mean they themselves modify to fit them. That why I think it's better to have no name, let others call you how they want - using nicknames.











[edit on 4-7-2009 by pai mei]

reply to post by darklord

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Could it have to do with the frequency of sound certain names have and that mixed with the person's personal frequency and how those 2 either mix or clash?


Maybe the sound of the nickname was at a certain frequency that just didn't gel very well with your own natural frequency....


I have a nick name that most of my friends call me . I wouldn't ever want anybody i'm just meeting for the first time to call me it as it's not like the coolest nickname but it's just what I've been called for the past 8 years or so......


The thing is though, it only sounds natural or good when certain friends say it and it gives me a " this is cheesy, un-natural vibe " when other friends say it..

My one friend ( friends since 5th grade I'm 24 now ...) started calling me it eventually and it just didn't sound right coming from his mouth, almost like it was forced, but the way 2 of my other friends say it, i can't picture them calling me anything else......


There is much more to this then we all know..

Great topic though.....S & F......

reply to post by AccessDenied

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woah.. that experiment worked! :O
this is an interesting topic

reply to post by Spiramirabilis

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agreed...i rarely pay attention if i hear my name called, but i perk up if i hear access or AD...it's just a part of my identity now...

reply to post by Spiramirabilis

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Sure, I absolutely agree with you. Even with a neutral tone, we can sense underlying motives, intentions and feelings like joy, sadness, anger, sarcasm, confusion etc. Words give out strong vibes, much like someone's presence.

"affection can be felt - from a word that's not necessarily affectionate"


Can't tell you how true that is. And when it's so with just plain words, why then names much have a tenfold effect on us!

About written words being misinterpreted, I've long been aware of how certain words and sentences just don't seem to carry their full value in a written conversation. In fact, they are more likely to be misinterpreted, like you said. But that's never the case when the words are spoken.

I do think words in general, not just names, account for a lot of subconscious feelings and decisions. People need to be more aware of how words and names resonate with them. It can be so beneficial. You can probably catch a lie by how the words feel, and know the underlying motives of someone who's trying to sweet-talk you into something.

But getting back to the topic of names, yeah, they say so much more than we can guess. Certain names can just give out vibes of different attributes. I read somewhere a long time ago that a poll taken on names that sounded 'sexually appealing' showed how people agreed that names containing certain letters like Z, K, etc can be more 'sexy' then names that don't.

That way, so many names out there probably give us a feeling of what what kind of personality might be attached to them, making us behave appropriatly with the people in question. (think 'Cindy')

The people themselves might feel like their names are a reflection of a certain characteristic of their personalities. The question is, is that it? Or is it the other way around? I agree with you Pai Mei. I also feel that a lot of the times "people are shaped by names, and modify themselves to fit them". This is an example of the power names can have over people. Pai Mei you've done well to discard your name, and this avoids your personality being manipulated and being moulded to fit a particular name. And that gives your personality a kind of independence. Letting people call you what they want, and not having a fixed name for yourself, I think it's a novel idea.

Then there is the spiritual side to names. Consider you were a performer called 'James' in one of your past lives. Now, in your present life, if anyone called you 'James', you'd immediately manifest one of 'James' attributes, probably his most dominant one. In this case, possibly showmanship, or confidence. Because old names stir deep memories within your soul. This can explain why different names sometimes make us feel like different people. A name can make you feel confident, or intelligent, or witty, or compassionate etc.

Besides that, there could also very well be a phychological reaction to different names. The millions of thoughts, ideas, opinions, views your mind creates through out your life can account for a few ill-favoured names, or some favored ones, all because of some very subtle inferences you mind has made from various experiences you've been thru since your birth. And that's not just the case with names, of course, but since we're only talking about names...

I'll say it again. Words, names, all much more complicated than they seem...

reply to post by LucidDreamer85

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Yup, that's exactly what I'm saying. That's at least partly the reason for the different feel of different names. Their vibrations and their different frequencies affect us whether we are aware of it or not.



This might be an example of how the nickname, combined with the voices of certain people might not resonate well with you.

Or, maybe you're just not used to it

[edit on 4/7/09 by darklord]

It has been said that the power to name a thing is the power to make that thing real.


Interesting that in Genesis, it is said that God gave the power to "...name all things..." to His creation, Adam.



A very dear friend gave me my first, and only, nickname. And he was the only one to use it.



He died many years ago, and I doubt that I will ever be called by that name again.

reply to post by darklord

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it explains the heavy use of emoticons - doesn't it? :-)

I at first hated them - but I started to use them when I realized - they really help (sometimes) explain your intentions

(I also started using them because someone in their profile page said they HATED people who used them, so...)

after a while - it became punctuation - like an exclamation point. I just automatically jot down a smiley. I have come to notice that many times when I use it - I'm actually smiling - it's become that much a part of the way I express myself

so much of this must be a new phenomenon - the instant chatting - electronic communication which is not always writing so much as actually speaking - but in writing

there must be things that are evolving out of all this that we couldn't foresee



I just liked that

but on the subject of names - for instance - Cindy - what I think of first is Little Cindy Lou Who and little Cindy Brady




I know there must be more - those are the only two I can think of

certain names do seem to have images attached to them - maybe some names come with baggage or accessories that are cultural - so we have preconceived ideas about who those people are

[edit on 7/4/2009 by Spiramirabilis]

reply to post by Bhadhidar

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I understand

a nickname can be a very intimate, familiar thing between two people

reply to post by darklord

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Haha, yeah I found the EXACT thing, but you know numerology is like the I Ching, vague description that describe pretty much everyone!
And indeed some of it was right on with my personality.
Whatever you do dont pay money for a reading. But anything free is interesting!
I think numerology is important because our world works in mathematics, physics and everything all follow math.

same with me. my friend use to call me jj now he calls me my real name and now we just dont hang out or even talk he use to be in a hole ot of clubs and sports which took up all of his time now he has lots and lots of time and yet we dont hang out

Look at my username...people probably think I am some flat slob when that is the complete opposite!

From personal experience, I will give some light on names I found through out school that hold some weight with these definitions.

Mike - Trouble maker, child at heart, "immature".
Alex - Relatively shy, funny, nice
Riley - Athletic, nice, trust worthy

I could think of many more but these ones stick out in my head the most.

Anyone with similar views?

reply to post by osama=obama

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Get him to call you JJ and see how things work out. Friends are invaluable. You need to reach out and make the effort to bring hem back, in my opinion.

I think that is an even more fascinating exploration. People get to pick their own usernames, not so - or at least not as likely - with birth names and nicknames

reply to post by FritosBBQTwist

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Well that's one way to look at it, that people with those names usually carry personalities like that. Maybe their personalities have been molded to fit those names. The resonance of each name probably causes a different effect on one's personality. Yet another way to look at it is that you see them as such because of their names, and the way they resonate with you, or some preconceived ideas that your brain holds. Yet another way to look at it is that their parents or whoever named them, subconsciously sensed their true personalities at their birth, and accordingly gave them a name (again subconsciously) that resonated with their personalities.

There are so many possibilities. I think the result is a mixture of them all.

Though let me just say we can't generalize everyone with a certain name, but to some extent it might work that way.