National Name Yourself Day, April 9, and is a day to celebrate reinvention by trying on a new name for size. Studies show there’s a link between someone’s name and their personalities. Social scientists call this phenomenon the Dorian Gray effect, named after Oscar Wilde’s novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” referring to internal factors that can shape people. In the novel, Dorian Gray remains youthful and beautiful, but his portrait takes on a more hideous appearance. Outside the story, factors such as personality, self-perception, and social outlook can influence an individual, though probably not as drastic as Dorian’s condition.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL NAME YOURSELF DAY
A lot of care goes into a name, and cultures show appreciation in different ways. Native Americans held names in high regard and certain tribes conducted naming ceremonies as a rite of passage, basing names on nature, animals, weather and plant life. Names were often chosen based on the features of the baby, such as gender and birth position. This name changed with adulthood as they experienced events in their lives. New names would be chosen to mark accomplishments, often attached to personal and sacred meanings.
Puritans named their children after idealistic concepts. In the seventeenth century, Puritan names like Steadfast-on-high, Obedience, Prudence, and Temperance weren’t uncommon, and they often had religious connotations. This was done in hopes children would take on the meaning of their names and become upstanding citizens that contributed positively to society. Some Puritan names were practically full sentences, filled with hyphens as if to make a hopeful life as clear as possible.
By the middle of the twentieth century, the rise of movie stars brought about American society to reflect on what they watched. Babies were named after famous actors and actresses such as Ava, Audrey, Bette, Cary, Charlie, and Clark. Names became less about ideals and more about the attraction of the celebrity, showing a shift towards a pop-culture driven mindset.
Today, names themselves are revered in much the same way as the past. People are still named after celebrities and famous on-screen characters, but many take a more naturalistic or original approach and choose names outside of the box. As the world modernizes and comes to understand the idea of the self better, identity is also seen as an evolution, which makes National Name Yourself Day a useful tradition we can all learn something from.
