Whats in a name, can it inspire greatness or failure?

@ronnyb (6113)
Jamaica
January 20, 2010 10:31pm CST
Dont some names just seem to have a ring to it like by virtue of the name you have you are meant to be great .Imagine a name like Charlotte Bronte,doesnt a name like that seems to have you at the front of the line for greatness as opposed to a name like Jack Brown (no disrespect to any Jack Brown's out there ),which seems somewhat common.Dont get me wrong now ,I am not saying that a name will guarantee you greatness or life as a commoner but you cant help but have a cetain fondness for some names. So whats in a name ,can it inspire greatness or failure? For example when naming your children ,do you avoid teh common names or go for unique ones?
6 people like this
8 responses
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
23 Jan 10
I appreciate what you are saying here but I am not sure whether it’s a name that will inspire greatness because a lot of the names we attribute to greatness more than likely resemble others’ who have already accomplished great things. Certainly more common names are likely to ‘blend’ in and have more chance of being forgotten compared to other more original ones. My opinion is, if you want to be a great person, make the decision today to be that and your name will be remembered anyway.
@bystander (2292)
• Philippines
21 Jan 10
Names of people are like brands of particular products. In people, they suggest gender. In products, they suggest quality or popularity. Beyond the initial perception, even impression, however, names may no longer count much in terms of achieving success or failure, even coming to reality. Everything that happens to a person is his own doing or undoing, not his name. Sure, better names add up to self esteem, but it does not guarantee the success of an individual bearing a good name. Do you find "Barack" a good name? It doesn't suggest gender, neither is it better-sounding or appealing than "John."
@Mitraa (3184)
• India
21 Jan 10
A name is associated with a person or personality. To certain extent, it becomes able to develop positive mental attitude and thus makes path for success! But not necessarily always! It is the only factor 'Action' that inspires and builds up greatness or failure! So take more care of your actions than your name. Name will take the care itself! Thanks for this nice topic and have a nice day!
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
21 Jan 10
I like names that are different, my oldest son didn't like his name when he was young but has grown to like it. I don't want some crazy name that people can't pronounce like some people name their kids nowadays.I wonder where they get such crazy names,
@metschica25 (5399)
• United States
21 Jan 10
Hello! Yes, I believe some names out there just look and sound so much better. At timea a name fits. If you are a free spirit and a painter a name like River fits. There is this beach poet that me and my mom like and his name is Rod Mckuen and I think that fits . For a wonderful writer like Charlotte Bronte her name fits as well. I think if you have a name like Curtis or Bobby Angel people might think trailer trash.Some names are just plain ,but that dont seem to matter. I know people think Madison is a stripper name and I have always loved that name since a small child, and after I saw the movie Splash. I think Candy is more of a Stripper name Though! Guinevere is one of my favorite names out there and I wish it was my name . My parents said if that would of been my name i would of been made fun of . Just like a girl with the name Hidi with the German last name. Each generation names change I think.
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
21 Jan 10
Hello, Ronny. What an interesting point. I think it's what's behind the name, ie the person, who will ensure whether they succeed or fail in life, but I do think other people tend to make assumptions about names based on people they know and how they behave. When my first child was born, we'd chosen Tracy as a girl's name, and David for a boy. I had a son, so he was obviously called David, which is a nice classic name. Tracy was a popular name for girls in the early 1970's, and all the girls born at the same time were called Tracy, so I was glad I'd had a boy, as I didn't want people to think I'd chosen a name just to follow fashion. A couple of years later, my young cousin visited from Canada. She was a spoilt brat, and her name was Tracy. That gave me a second reason to be thankful I'd had a boy. For some years after that, I was very wary if I met anyone called Tracy. I know it's shallow and irrational, but I couldn't help it. These days I base my character assessments solely on the person, which is as it should be.
• United States
21 Jan 10
What's in a name? Everything . I chose Sarah Ruth Beth because I hate, haste my given name . As the other name I felt worthless. It is tiring to defend a name you hate. Almost every time it is used incorrectly, Either people say it or spelled it incorrectly. But as Sarah I feel worthy of all the good things in life. if you want to know my real name , send me a private message and I'll tell you.
• United States
21 Jan 10
This is where I quote Romeo and Juliet and talk about "what is in a name" and how a "rose by any other name would smell just as sweet", right? I don't think names inspire anything one way or another. I think names that "fit" either greatness or failure are only commented on after the fact. Once someone has achieved greatness, the biography will talk about how their parents named him Julius and it fit that he succeeded just like the emperor. And so on.