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"NAMES ARE STUPID" by Avery Kailyn Jessica Hollowell Pitts Sponsler Hannah Paige Lynn. WE ARE CRAZY
{{otheruses}}


KAJ TEAM
{{Refimprove|date=June 2007}}
[[Image:Child baptism.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Ceremonies, such as [[baptism]], can be used to give names.]]

A '''name''' is a label for a [[noun]], ([[human]] or [[animal]], [[object (philosophy)|thing]], [[place]], [[product (business)|product]] [as in a [[brand]] name] and even an [[idea]] or [[concept]]), normally used to distinguish one from another. Names can identify a [[class (set theory)|class]] or [[Category (mathematics)|category]] of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given [[wiktionary:context|context]]. A [[personal name]] identifies a ''specific'' unique and identifiable individual person. The name of a specific entity is sometimes called a [[proper name]] (although that term has a philosophical meaning also) and is a [[proper noun]]. Other nouns are sometimes, more loosely, called names; an older term for them, now [[obsolete]], is "'''general name'''".

The word "name" comes from [[Old English|OE]] nama; akin to [[Old High German|OHG]] ''namo'', [[Latin]] ''[[nomen]]'', and [[Greek language|Greek]] ''όνομα'' (''onoma'')<ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2374127 Onoma], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', at Perseus</ref>, possibly from [[proto-Indo-European language|PIE]]: *nomn- <ref>{{cite web |title = Online Etymology Dictionary |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=name&searchmode=none |accessdate=2008-09-20}}</ref>. (The asterisk before a word indicates that it is a hypothetical construction, not an attested form.)

The use of personal names is not unique to humans. [[Dolphin]]s also use symbolic names, as has been shown by recent research.<ref name="dolphin names">{{cite news|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/060508_dolphins.html|publisher=National Geographic News|title=Dolphins Name Themselves With Whistles, Study Says|date=May 8, 2006}}</ref> Individual dolphins have individual whistles, to which they will respond even when there is no other information to clarify which dolphin is being referred to.

'''Naming''' is the process of assigning a particular [[word]] or [[phrase]] to a particular object or property. This can be quite deliberate or a natural process that occurs in the flow of life as some [[phenomenon]] comes to the [[attention]] of the users of a [[language]]. Many new words or phrases come into existence during [[translation]] as attempts are made to express [[concept]]s from one language in another. Many of these names have meanings that can also be very helpful during this process.

Either as a part of the naming process, or later as [[word usage|usage]] is observed and studied by [[lexicography|lexicographers]], the word can be defined by a description of the [[pattern]] to which it refers.

Besides their '''''grammatical function''''', names can have additional or pure honorary and memorial values. For example, the [[posthumous name]]'s primary function is commemorative.

Care must be taken in translation, for there are ways that one language may prefer one type of name over another. For example, there are "merchants' and sailors' terms" for their own convenience: the spellings [[Leghorn]], [[Genoa]], and [[Rome]] do not appear on Italian maps. Also, a feudal naming habit is used sometimes in other languages: the French often refer to [[Aristotle]] as "le Stagirite" from one spelling of his place of birth, and English speakers often refer to [[Shakespeare]] as "[[The Bard]]", recognizing him as a paragon writer of the language. Finally, claims to preference or authority can be refuted: the British did not refer to [[Louis-Napoleon]] as Napoleon III during his rule.

==Philosophical accounts of names==
===Romeo and Juliet===
In the play [[Romeo and Juliet]], Juliet famously says:
<blockquote><i>'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;<br>
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.<br>
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,<br>
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part<br>
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!<br>
What's in a name? that which we call a rose<br>
By any other name would smell as sweet;</i></blockquote>
It has been argued that Shakespeare reveals the boundaries of the term name by proposing that a rose would smell sweet regardless of what we call it, therefore suggesting someone's name should not change them.{{Fact|date=July 2008}}

===Russell===
{{main|Theory of descriptions}}
[[Bertrand Russell]] believed that ''true'' names must never be equivalent to a description, but conceded that most of the apparent "names" in English really were equivalent to descriptions, specifically to [[definite description]]s. In this position, there are two different functions nouns can serve:
*Describing (and perhaps indirectly referring)
*Referring (directly, without description)
Russell's position is that that most or all English names really do the former. This position came to be known as [[Descriptivism]] with respect to singular terms, and was prominent through much of twentieth-century [[analytic philosophy]].

===Kripke===
In 1970 [[Saul Kripke]] gave a series of lectures arguing against Descriptivism, and holding, among other things, that names are [[rigid designator]]s, expressions that refer to objects independently of any properties those objects have. However, often descriptions are used to ''pick out'' references, to explain to others which objects are being discussed by reference to an agreed-upon property. According to this theory, it does not follow that any of the agreed-upon properties constitute the meaning of the name.

Kripke's work led to the development of various versions of the [[Causal theory of reference]], which in various forms claims that our words mean what they do, not because of associated descriptions, but because of the causal history of the acquisition of that name in a vocabulary.

==In [[mythology]]==
In multiple world mythologies and [[folklore]], knowing the name of a thing is considered to have power over a thing (to varying degrees).

In [[Arthurian mythology]], part of the code of [[honor]] and [[chivalry]] practiced by [[knights]] is that a knight who loses a [[duel]] must reveal his name to the victor. It is considered a breach of honor or decorum to reveal one's name before combat. A frequent topos is that a defeated knight will, after revealing his name, ask the victor what his name is: if the victor turns out to actually be a much more strong and famous knight (e.g. one of Arthur's knights) the loser actually saves face, because he was beaten by a knight obviously held to already be stronger than him, and thus there is no shame in defeat. However, if a strong and powerful knight is defeated, and the victor turns out to be a relatively unknown and not particularly strong knight, it is a grave humiliation. As a result of this pattern, it is considered extremely odd within the rules of Arthurian society when a knight refuses to take off his helmet or reveal his identity, even after he has won a duel. Sometimes this results from the victorious knight simply not knowing ''his own'' name, as was the case with [[Lancelot]] and [[Percival]] during their early careers; this inability to reveal their own name even in victory led many to incorrectly assume they were trying to intentionally insult the vanquished. A major exception to this rule is [[Sir Gawain]]: Gawain considers himself to be the greatest of his uncle Arthur's knights, and he feels that his honor is so great that he does not need to hide from revealing it. Thus at the opening of any duel Gawain will simply openly announce "I am Gawain", as it will not diminish his honor to reveal it.

==In religious thought==
{{see|Names of God}}

In the ancient world, particularly in the ancient near-east ([[Israel]], [[Mesopotamia]], [[Egypt]], [[Persia]]) names were thought to be extremely powerful and to act, in some ways, as a separate manifestation of a person or deity.<ref> "Egyptian Religion", E.A Wallis Budge", Arkana 1987 edition, ISBN 0-14-019017-1</ref>This viewpoint is responsible both for the reluctance to use the proper name of [[God]] in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] writing or speech, as well as the common understanding in ancient [[Magic (paranormal)|magic]] that magical rituals had to be carried out "in [someone's] name". By invoking a [[deity|god]] or [[spirit]] by name, one was thought to be able to summon that spirit's power for some kind of miracle or magic (see [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 9:49, in which the disciples claim to have seen a man driving out [[demons]] using the name of [[Jesus]].) This understanding passed into later religious tradition, for example the stipulation in [[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] [[exorcism]] that the demon cannot be expelled until the exorcist has forced it to give up its name, at which point the name may be used in a stern command which will drive the demon away.

====[[Biblical names]]====
In the [[Old Testament]], the names of individuals are meaningful; for example, [[Adam (Bible)|Adam]] is named after the "earth" (Adam) from which he was created. ([[Genesis]] 2)

A change of name indicates a change of status. For example, the patriarch [[Abram]] and his wife [[Sarai]] are renamed "[[Abraham]]" and "[[Sarah]]" when they are told they will be the father and mother of many nations (Genesis 17:4, 17:15). Simon was renamed Peter when he was given the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 16).

Throughout the [[Bible]], characters are given names at birth that reflect something of significance or describe the course of their lives. For example: ''[[Solomon]]'' meant [[peace]], and the king with that name was the first whose reign was without [[war]]fare. Likewise, [[Joseph (Hebrew Bible)|Joseph]] named his firstborn son [[Manasseh]] (Hebrew: "causing to forget") as a gesture of forgiveness to his brothers for selling him into [[slavery]].

Biblical Jewish people did not have surnames which was passed from generation to generation. However, they were typically known as the child of their father. For example: דוד בן ישי (David ben Yishay) meaning, [[David]], son of [[Jesse]]. In a sense, they used their fathers' first names as their own last names, a practice done by most [[Muslims]] today.

====Talmudic attitudes====
The [[Talmud|Babylonian Talmud]] maintains that names exert a mystical influence over their bearers, and a change of name is one of four actions that can avert an evil heavenly decree, that would lead to punishment after one's death. Rabbinical commentators differ as to whether the name's influence is [[Metaphysics|metaphysical]], connecting a person to their [[soul]], or bio-socio-psychological, where the connection affects his personality, appearance and social capacities. The Talmud also states that all those who descend to [[Gehenna]] will rise in the time of Messiah. However, there are three exceptions, one of which is he who calls another by a derisive [[nickname]].

==Technical names for names==
{| border="1"
|+ Names for names
! Name of a... !! Name of name
|-
! Person
| [[Anthroponym]]
|-
! Place
| [[Toponym]]
|-
! Body of water
| [[Hydronym]]
|-
! [[Ethnic group]]
| [[Ethnonym]]
|-
! False name
| [[Pseudonym]]
|-
! Author writing under an assumed name
| [[Pen name]] or [[pseudonym]]
|-
! Other names
| [[-onym#Words that end in -onym|-onym-suffixed words]].
|}

==Naming convention==
:''For Wikipedia's own naming conventions see [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions]]''
A '''naming convention''' is an attempt to systematize names in a field so they unambiguously convey similar information in a similar manner.

Several major naming conventions include:
* In [[astronomy]], '''[[planetary nomenclature]]'''
* In [[classics]], '''[[Roman naming conventions]]'''
* In [[computer programming]], '''[[identifier naming convention]]s'''
* In [[computer networking]], '''[[computer naming scheme]]s'''
* In the [[science]]s, '''[[systematic name]]s''' for a variety of things

Naming conventions are useful in many aspects of everyday life, enabling the casual user to understand larger structures.

[[Street name]]s within a city may follow a naming convention; some examples include:
* In [[Manhattan]], [[roads]] that go across the island (East-West) are called "Streets", while those that run the length of the island (North-South) are called "Avenues". Manhattan streets and avenues are numbered, with "1st Street" being near the southern end of the island, and "219th Street" being near the northern end, while "1st Avenue" is near the eastern edge of the island and "12th Avenue" near the western edge.
* In [[Ontario]], numbered [[concession (contract)|concession]] roads are East-West whereas "lines" are North-South routes.
* In [[San Francisco]] at least three series of parallel streets are alphabetically named, e.g. ''Irving, Judah, Kirkham, Lawton, Moraga, Noriega, Ortega, Pacheco, Quintara, Rivera, Santiago, Taraval, Ulloa, Vicente, Wawona''.
* The same tendency is seen in the [[Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts|Back Bay]] neighborhood of [[Boston, Massachusetts]], where Arlington Street is followed by roads to the west running parallel to it and named Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester, and Hereford.
* In [[Washington, DC]], east-west streets towards the south (toward the [[Potomac River]] are lettered A, B, C,..., omitting J and Q to avoid confusion on street signs and addresses, but after these are exhausted to the north, the streets are named with simple words in alpabetical order, omitting a few letters such as "x". The first cycle of names consists all of one-syllable words; then followed by a cycle of two-syllable words; then followed by a cycle of three-syllable words, and before these are exhausted, Maryland is reached. (Washington has north-south streets that are numbered, going from west to east.)
* In [[Montgomery, Alabama]], the old major avenues are named for the Presidents of the United States, in their order of entering office, omitting John Quincy Adams. Hence, these streets are Washington Ave., Adams Ave., Jefferson Ave., Madison Ave., Monroe Ave., Jackson Ave., but not much farther than that. This was just the old plan from a long time ago, and it was eventually dropped. For example, there is not a Buchanan Ave., a Lincoln Ave., or a Johnson Ave.
* In [[Brampton, Ontario]], different sections of town all have streets starting with the same letter and the alphabetical order reflects [[chronology]].
* In [[Phoenix, Arizona]], roads east of Central Avenue are termed streets while those west are Avenues.

Large corporate, university, or government campuses may follow a naming convention for rooms within the buildings to help orient [[tenants]] and visitors. Otherwise, rooms may be numbered in some kind of a rational scheme.

Parents may follow a naming convention when selecting names for their children. Some have chosen alphabetical names by birth order. In some East Asian cultures, it is common for one syllable in a two syllable given name to be a [[generation name]] which is the same for immediate siblings. In many cultures it is common for the son to be named after the father or a grandfather. In certain African cultures, such as in Cameroon, the eldest son gets the family name for his given name, also, giving names such as "Thomas Thomas" (but the names are not European names like this one).

In other cultures, the name may include the place of residence, or the place of birth. The [[Roman naming convention]] denotes social rank.

Products may follow a naming convention. [[Automobile]]s typically have a binomial name, a "make" (manufacturer) and a "model", in addition to a model year, such as a 2007 [[Chevrolet Corvette]]. Sometimes there is a name for the car's "decoration level" or "trim line" as well: e.g., [[Cadillac Escalade EXT]] ''[[Platinum]]'', after the precious metal. [[Computers]] often have increasing numbers in their names to signify the next generation.

Courses at schools typically follow a naming convention: an abbreviation for the subject area and then a number ordered by increasing level of difficulty.

Many numbers (e.g. bank accounts, government IDs, credit cards, etc) are not random but have an internal structure and convention. Virtually all organizations that assign names or numbers will follow some convention in generating these identifiers. Airline flight numbers, [[List of space shuttle missions|Space shuttle flight numbers]], even [[phone number]]s all have an internal convention.

===Brand names===
{{main|Brand}}
The process of developing a name for a brand or product is heavily influenced by [[marketing research]] and [[marketing strategy|strategy]] to be appealing and marketable. The brand name is often a neologism or [[pseudoword]], such as [[Kodak]] or [[Sony]].

==See also==
{|
||
* [[Anthroponymy]]
* [[Arabic name]]
* [[Chinese name]]
* [[Family name]]
* [[Given name]]
* [[Greek name]]
* [[Hebrew name]]
* [[Hungarian name]]
* [[Icelandic name]]
* [[Indian name]]
* [[Indonesian name]], including single-word names
* [[Japanese name]]
* [[Javanese name]]
* [[Korean name]]
* [[List of adjectival forms of place names]]
* [[Most popular given names]]
* [[Name at birth]]
|
* [[Name generator]]
* [[Name letter effect]]
* [[Number names]]
* [[Pakistani name]]
* [[Palindromic]] name, such as [[Anna]], [[Bob]], [[Eve]], [[Hannah]], [[Nan]], and [[Otto]].
* [[Patronymic]]
* [[Personal name]]
* [[Polish name]]
* [[Posthumous name]]
* [[Proper name]]
* [[Regnal name]]
* [[Russian name]]
* [[Surname]]
* [[Temple name]]
* [[Unisex name]]
* [[Vietnamese name]]
|}

==References==
<references />

== Further reading ==
* Matthews, Elaine; Hornblower, Simon; Fraser, Peter Marshall, [http://books.google.com/books?id=SbVJvfu7EzsC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0 ''Greek Personal Names: Their Value as Evidence''], Proceedings of The British Academy (104), Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0197262163

[[Category:Names]]

[[ay:Suti]]
[[bs:Ime]]
[[bg:Име]]
[[cv:Ят]]
[[de:Name]]
[[el:Όνομα]]
[[es:Nombre]]
[[eo:Nomo]]
[[ko:이름]]
[[hr:Ime]]
[[id:Nama]]
[[ia:Nomine]]
[[is:Nafn]]
[[lb:Numm]]
[[jbo:cmevla]]
[[mk:Име]]
[[nl:Naam]]
[[ja:名前]]
[[nn:Namn]]
[[nrm:Noum]]
[[pt:Nome]]
[[ksh:Nam]]
[[ro:Nume]]
[[qu:Suti]]
[[ru:Имя]]
[[sq:Emri]]
[[simple:Name]]
[[sl:Ime]]
[[sr:Име]]
[[su:Ngaran]]
[[fi:Nimi]]
[[sv:Namn]]
[[te:పేరు]]
[[th:ชื่อ]]
[[uk:Ім'я]]
[[yi:נאמען]]
[[zh-yue:名]]
[[zh:名称]]

Revision as of 11:47, 10 March 2009

"NAMES ARE STUPID" by Avery Kailyn Jessica Hollowell Pitts Sponsler Hannah Paige Lynn. WE ARE CRAZY

KAJ TEAM

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