“What’s in a name?”, challenges Shakespeare’s Juliet. Since Romeo’s surname is the roadblock to their Renaissance romance, she’s arguing that a name is just a word and doesn’t have any real meaning. Nice try, Julie, but… no dice.
We could philosophize about this, and certainly Romeo was the heartthrob he was, no matter what was on the back of his jousting jersey. But we know names become imbued with meaning. Importantly, our own first name has special meaning to us. Whatever name we go by as we journey through this life; it represents us intimately.
So, we notice how others use our name. We noticed if our dad never bothered to use it or if our mom used it only in exasperation. We noticed if other kids turned our name into a taunt to make fun of us. We notice if people pronounce it correctly, if they spell it right, and if they remember it. We notice if someone takes undesired liberties and uses a shortened version or nickname.
Part of relating to people, and especially those closest to us, is being thoughtful about how we handle their name. Are we cherishing our teen’s name because we know it represents them as a person? Are we treating our husband or wife’s name as precious, knowing their ears are acutely attuned to how it sounds when we say it? Do we more often say our loved ones’ names cheerfully and playfully or with sternness or snark? Are we sometimes using their name as a weapon?
Sure, names serve a practical purpose. How else would we be able to tell Juliet it’s time to stop texting Romeo and go to bed? And certainly, some people are more sensitive than others to how their name is used. But, in general, we will better convey that we value someone if we value their name and how we use it. Will you be using anyone’s name today?
