Names have been in existence ever since God created humans. God gave Adam the first name, meaning “formed of the earth”. Names are an integral part of who we are. Although we are all unique anyway, names give us a tangible way to distinguish one another.

Not only are the names that we have now meaningful, but we are told in Revelation 2:17 that every believer is going to receive a new name that will be written in a white stone that no one will know except the one who receives it. This promise shows us just how loved and special we are to the God who created us.

Both religion and culture have influenced the meaning of names. In ancient times, people were generally given just one name, and it was often related to a circumstance surrounding the child’s birth (“Moses” means “drawn from the water”), or connected with a promise (“Isaac” means “laughter”, because Abraham and Sarah found joy and laughter when they had a son in their old age). Later in history, second names were given to demonstrate a person’s identification with a particular family or clan (Gaius Julius Caesar), or even with a father (“Simon bar-Jonah” means “the son of Jonah”).

Around 1100 AD, additional names became more common in Western Civilization. These surnames were originally for the noble class (thus, “sir” names), but in 1465 King Edward V of England required that surnames be adopted by everybody for identification purposes. These were to reflect a person’s identity in some way. They often represented their work (Miller, Baker). Other names were even formed by adding “son” to the father’s name (Johnson, Anderson).

Middle names were not used until the 18th century, and these were added to further distinguish a person or as a way of honoring deceased persons. These have become more important as the population has continued to grow.

In modern days, the names of children are often selected on the basis of familiarity and popularity. However, some parents still name their children after some specific characteristic or place, or to commemorate someone or something.

Generally, names are still chosen on the merits of their positive implications with the expectation and hope that the child will exhibit that quality (Cady means “pure”). Christian parents often look in the Bible for names that will seemingly fit the goals that they have for the child or for the circumstances related to the child (Matthew means “a gift from God”, Samuel means “God has heard”, and Joshua means “God is my Salvation”).

Names are wonderful gifts! They are “a celebration not only of our humanity, but also a reminder of our individuality- that we are uniquely made in the image of God” (The Name Book by Dorothy Astonia, page 9).