What’s in a Name?

What’s in a Name?
Some of you that are reading this may know me by another name like G-man or Z-man or other variations of something – man. I answer to all of them and recognize that the use of a nickname represents a type of connection. It’s often a form of endearment and sometimes a label that people apply because for some reason you remind them of whatever.

My brothers and I all have nicknames that end in the word “boy” but begin with terms like cooler, safety and oh. My prefix is “party” as in party-boy. I want you to know that I did not choose this name for myself but rather it was selected as a consensus of opinion by my siblings. Those of you that know my family can appreciate the accuracy of my party-boy label. It seems whenever I come to town – about twice a year – we have parties (yes plural) and our arrival (me and my sons) for a week in Toledo becomes an excellent reason to party.

In my life, I’ve been fortunate enough to create names for companies and organizations and also develop their corresponding image through graphics and usage etc. Naming something is challenging and usually it takes an agreement of the stakeholders for a name to really stick. This is also true for parents expecting a child. The naming books and all of the meanings and derivations are explored and over time a couple of names are selected that have some type of special meaning or allure for the parents as they expectantly wait to bestow it on their new child.

Our first child was a boy and we named him Maxwell Elliott. The first name was something his mom and I both really liked and the middle name was his mom’s maiden name. Perfect; and during the last 19 years with the name, Max has vacillated from being Maxwell or Max depending. I call him Maxwell when I want his attention and add the middle name if he’s in trouble. I know a lot of parents that do that. My mom used to call me Garrison when I was in trouble.
When son number two was born we had picked a name that we again really liked but once we saw the baby we realized that he was not to be a “Lucas”. He just didn’t fit the name as he seemed a bit softer to us. Not having a back-up, he remained nameless for a few days as I strolled around Cedars Sinai hospital pondering a huge range of names. I often found myself staring at the hospital staff name tags hoping for an inspiration.

Finally we decided on Adam. I called my family to tell them the news and my younger brother was set in to panic mode as they were expecting a baby any minute and had selected the name Adam for their new son. Not wanting two Adams born in the same week with the same last name they elected to call their son Eric. It turns out that Eric suits him fine and now about 17 years later, he too has grown into his own perfect name.

Names follow trends and often at pre-schools you can find many children with the same name. Names are designed to project the appropriate label and ultimate essence of whatever it is. Brand names often tell you exactly what they are (e.g. Burger King) and others grow into their name by developing an image that helps frame and define its uniqueness like Google. Picking a name is serious business and something all parents struggle with as do new products and organizations.

The right title or name for a movie or a story is also critical as its how people create their own personal expectation for the content and experience to follow. That’s why I chose to call these little snippets the Book of Szen and not the Book of Party Boy. Enjoy.
Gary

From the Book of Szen
First published November 2006