6th June 2025

My parents-in-law adopted a rescue cat called Whisky. They felt they could not stand at the Baptist manse door late at night calling “Whisky! Whisky!” so renamed him Frisky and hoped he would not notice.

For us humans our given name is a fundamental part of us, not to be changed arbitrarily. We quote “Jesus calls us by name”.

Hebrew biblical names seem to have had generally understood meanings, mostly positive. Naomi means ‘pleasantness’; David ‘beloved’; Elisha ‘God of salvation’.

But angry prophets were less kind to their children. Pity Isaiah’s children: Shear-Jashub (‘A remnant shall return’) and Maher-Shalab-Hash-Baz (‘Quickly to spoil’ or ‘Plunder speedily’); Hosea’s choices were worse. Presumably the names were a gesture and not used in full at home, still less by a child playing with others.

There are a few Christian virtue names still in use e.g. Joy, Hope, Faith, Patience, Verity, Mercy. Does the name influence the recipient? Have you known an always joyful Joy or a very patient Patience? Or the reverse – a permanently glum Hope?

(Note that there are no obvious male virtue names. There used to be a Baptist minister whose name was Ernest Hope which must have made his life a misery as a boy.)

How do you feel about your name? Do you know its meaning? Were you named for a relative, a hero/heroine, a character in a book, a saint, a film star, a sportsman, a flower? There are so many sources of a name. Does your name influence you or is it so much part of you that you never give it a thought?

Margaret Clements