The word that means you
When a baby is born, its family gives it an important gift—-its first
name.
There are many reasons why parents give their children certain names.
You may be named after one of your parents, or another relative. You may
have a saint’s name. Your given name may even be a family name. Or
perhaps you are named for a famous person, place, or event.
The Pilgrims sailed from England to America more than 300 years ago. A
number of children were born during the voyage. One of them was named
Oceanus. Can you guess why?
In Greece, first names are so important that people celebrate name days
instead of birthdays. Every person is named after a saint, and each
saint has a special day. Greeks celebrate their name day on the day of
the saint for whom they are named.
People have probably always had names. Long ago, people had only one
name. Many people believed that their names were magical. If you knew
someone’s name, you had power over him. So people kept their names
secret. Instead of their real names, they used nicknames or false names.
Even today, people in some parts of the world keep their first names
secret. One
of the most precious gifts a Navajo Indian can give someone is to tell
them his or her secret name.
Most first names have a meaning. The English name John comes from the
Hebrew and means “gift of God.” Theodore, from the Greek, has the same
meaning. The English name Thomas means “twin.” The Japanese name
Ichiko means “number one child.” The name Kuma means “younger” in
the language of the Ashanti people of Ghana. The Arab name Abdullah
means “servant of God.” The East Indian name Dhan means “little rice
plant.”
In Iceland, first names are more important than last names. A person
here is properly called by his or her first name, even though everyone
has a last name. For this reason, Icelanders are listed in the telephone
book by their first names, not their last names.
Many names that sound different in different languages are really all
the same name. The Russian Ivan, the Spanish Juan, the Turkish
lahaja, the German Johann, the Irish Sean, and the Czech Jan are
all the same as the English John. The French Marie, the Irish
Moira, the Turkish Miriem, and the Italian Maria are all the same
as the English Mary.
It does not really matter what a name means. It does not matter how many
other people may have it. Your name means you wherever you live.
