Name Meanings - Why Are They Important?

July 21, 2008 Observations 1 Comment

I have always been fascinated by the fact that many cultures put much more emphasis on name meanings than many North Americans do. I know that my Anglo-Saxon given names, Richard and William, have meanings, but that is not why my parents picked them.

Here is a guest article about name meanings, written by Warren Wong. Enjoy.

A given name or a first name is the name given to a person to differentiate that person from someone else in the family or someone who carries the same surname or last name. This name is given to a person by the parents or guardians. The name is not carried down from generation to generation like the surname. Different groups have different name meanings and use the given names and surnames in different ways. Read the rest…