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{{Short description|One or more words used to refer to something}}
{{Redirect|Names|other uses|Names (disambiguation)|and|Name (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

[[File:Balinese ground zero.JPG|thumb|Names of the [[2002 Bali bombings]] victims in [[Indonesia]]]]
A '''name''' is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its [[referent]]. A [[personal name]] identifies, not necessarily uniquely, a ''specific'' individual human. The name of a specific entity is sometimes called a [[proper name]] (although that term has a philosophical meaning as well) and is, when consisting of only one word, a [[proper noun]]. Other nouns are sometimes called "'''common names'''" or ([[obsolete]]) "'''general names'''". A name can be given to a person, place, or thing; for example, parents can give their child a name or a scientist can give an element a name.

== Etymology ==
The word ''name'' comes from [[Old English]] ''nama''; cognate with [[Old High German]] (OHG) ''namo'', [[Sanskrit]] {{lang|sa|नामन्}} (''nāman''), [[Latin]] ''[[Roman naming conventions|nomen]]'', [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|el|ὄνομα}} (''onoma''), and [[Persian language|Persian]] {{lang|fa|نام}} (''nâm''), from the [[Proto-Indo-European]] (PIE) ''*h₁nómn̥''.<ref>{{cite web |title = Online Etymology Dictionary |url = http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=name&searchmode=none |access-date = 2008-09-20 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080928032054/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=name&searchmode=none |archive-date = 2008-09-28 }}; The asterisk before a word indicates that it is a hypothetical construction, not an attested form.</ref> Outside Indo-European, it can be connected to [[Proto-Uralic language|Proto-Uralic]] ''*nime''.

== Naming conventions ==
A [[naming convention]] is a set of agreed, stipulated, or generally accepted [[Convention (norm)|standards, norms, social norms, or criteria]] for naming things.

Parents may follow a naming convention when selecting names for their children. Some have chosen alphabetical names by birth order. In some East Asian cultures it is common for one syllable in a two-syllable [[given name]] to be a [[generation name]] which is the same for immediate siblings. In many cultures it is common for the son to be named after the father or a grandfather. In certain African cultures, such as in Cameroon, the eldest son gets the family name for his given name. In other cultures, the name may include the place of residence, or the place of birth.

Major naming conventions include:
* In [[astronomy]], [[astronomical naming conventions]]
* In [[biology]], [[binomial nomenclature]]
* In [[chemistry]], [[chemical nomenclature]]
* In [[classics]], [[Roman naming conventions]]
* In [[computer programming]], [[identifier naming convention]]s
* In [[computer networking]], [[computer naming scheme]]s
* In [[planetary science]], [[planetary nomenclature]]
* In [[science]]s generally, [[systematic name]]s for a variety of things

Products may follow a naming convention. [[Automobile]]s typically have a binomial name, a "make" (manufacturer) and a "model", in addition to a model year, such as a 2007 [[Chevrolet Corvette]]. Sometimes there is a name for the car's "decoration level" or "trim line" as well: e.g., [[Cadillac Escalade EXT]] ''[[Platinum]]'', after the precious metal. [[Computers]] often have increasing numbers in their names to signify the next generation.

Courses at schools typically follow a naming convention: an abbreviation for the subject area and then a number ordered by increasing level of difficulty.

Many numbers (e.g., bank accounts, government IDs, credit cards, etc.) are not random but have an internal structure and convention. Virtually all organizations that assign names or numbers will follow some convention in generating these identifiers. Airline flight numbers, [[List of Space Shuttle missions|Space Shuttle flight numbers]], even [[phone number]]s all have an internal convention.

== Personal name ==
{{main|Personal name}}
[[File:A History of Barrington, Rhode Island - Autographs.jpg|thumb|A [[signature]] is a person's own handwritten name]]
A [[personal name]] is an identifying word or words by which an individual is intimately known or designated.<ref>{{cite web |title=personal name |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20name |website=Merriam-Webster.com |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=18 June 2018 |archive-date=19 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619085844/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20name |url-status=live }}</ref> In many countries, it is traditional for individuals to have a personal name (also called a [[given name]] or first name) and a [[surname]] (also called a last name or [[family name]] because it is shared by members of the same family).<ref name="general">{{cite web |title=General words for names, and types of name |url=https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/general-words-for-names-and-types-of-name |website=macmillandictionary.com |publisher=Macmillan Dictionary |access-date=18 June 2018 |archive-date=19 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619063647/https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/general-words-for-names-and-types-of-name |url-status=live }}</ref> Some people have two surnames, one inherited from each parent. In most of Europe and the Americas, the given name typically comes before the surname, whereas in parts of Asia and [[Hungary]] the surname comes before the given name ([[Eastern name order]]). In some cultures it is traditional for a woman to take her husband's surname when she gets married.

A common practice in many countries is [[patronym]] which means that a component of a personal name is based on the given name of one's father. A less common practice in countries is [[matronym]] which means that a component of a personal name is based on the given name of one's mother. In some [[East Asian culture]]s, it is traditional for given names to include a [[generation name]], a syllable shared between siblings and cousins of the same generation.

[[Middle names]] are also used by many people as a third identifier, and can be chosen for personal reasons including signifying relationships, preserving pre-marital/maiden names (a popular practice in the United States), and to perpetuate family names. The practice of using [[middle name]]s dates back to ancient Rome, where it was common for members of the elite to have a ''[[praenomen]]'' (a personal name), a ''[[Roman naming conventions|nomen]]'' (a family name, not exactly used the way middle names are used today), and a ''[[cognomen]]'' (a name representing an individual attribute or the specific branch of a person's family).<ref name="middle">{{cite web |last1=Fabry |first1=Merrill |title=Now You Know: Why Do We Have Middle Names? |url=https://time.com/4451977/history-of-middle-names/ |website=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |publisher=Time |access-date=18 June 2018 |language=en |format=web article |date=August 16, 2016 |archive-date=8 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180608010751/http://time.com/4451977/history-of-middle-names/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Middle names eventually fell out of use, but regained popularity in Europe during the nineteenth century.<ref name="middle" />

Besides first, middle, and last names, individuals may also have [[nicknames]], [[aliases]], or [[titles]]. Nicknames are informal names used by friends or family to refer to a person ("Chris" may be used as a short form of the personal name "Christopher"). A person may choose to use an alias, or a fake name, instead of their real name, possibly to protect or obscure their identity. People may also have titles designating their role in an institution or profession (members of royal families may use various terms such as [[king]], [[queen regnant|Queen]], [[duke]], or [[duchess]] to signify their positions of authority or their relation to the throne).<ref name="general" />

== Names of names==
{{linguistics}}
In [[onomastic]] terminology, personal names of men are called ''andronyms'' (from [[Ancient Greek]] ἀνήρ / man, and ὄνομα / name),{{sfn|Room|1996|p=6}} while personal names of women are called ''gynonyms'' (from [[Ancient Greek]] γυνή / woman, and ὄνομα / name).{{sfn|Barolini|2005|p=91, 98}}

{| class="wikitable" |
|+ Names of humans ([[anthroponyms]])
! Name of ... !! Name of name
|-
! Full name of a person
| [[Personal name]]
|-
! First name of a person
| [[Given name]]
|-
! Birth name of a person
| [[Birth name]]
|-
! Birth name of a transgender person
| [[Deadnaming|Deadname]]
|-
! Family name
| [[Surname]]
|-
! Residents of a locality
| [[Demonym]]
|-
! Ethnic group
| [[Ethnonym]]
|-
! False or assumed name
| [[Pseudonym]]
|-
! Pseudonym of an author
| [[Pen name]]
|-
! Pseudonym of a performer
| [[Stage name]]
|-
! Other names
| [[-onym#Words that end in -onym|-onym-suffixed words]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" |
|+ Names of non-human entities
! Name of a... !! Name of name
|-
! Any geographical object
| [[Toponym]]
|-
! Body of water
| [[Hydronym]]
|-
! Mountain or hill
| [[Oronym (toponymy)|Oronym]]
|-
! Region or country
| [[Choronym]]
|-
! Any inhabited locality
| [[Econym]]
|-
! Village
| Comonym
|-
! Town or city
| Astionym
|-
! Cosmic object
| Cosmonym
|-
! Star
| Astronym
|-
! Other names
| [[-onym#Words that end in -onym|-onym-suffixed words]]
|}

== Brand names ==
{{Main|Brand}}
Developing a name for a brand or product is heavily influenced by [[marketing research]] and [[marketing strategy|strategy]] to be appealing and marketable. The brand name is often a [[neologism]] or [[pseudoword]], such as [[Kodak]] or [[Sony]].

== Religious names ==
{{Globalize|section|date=October 2017}}
{{See also|Religious name}}
[[Image:secret of secrets a.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Two charts from an Arabic copy of the ''Secretum Secretorum'' for determining whether a person will live or die based on the numerical value of the patient's name.]]
In the ancient world, particularly in the ancient near-east ([[Israel]], [[Mesopotamia]], [[Egypt]], [[Persia]]) names were thought to be extremely powerful and act, in some ways, as a separate manifestation of a person or deity.<ref>"Egyptian Religion", E. A. Wallis Budge", Arkana 1987 edition, {{ISBN|0-14-019017-1}}</ref> This viewpoint is responsible both for the [[Names of God in Judaism|reluctance to use]] the [[YHWH|proper name]] of [[God]] in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] writing or speech, as well as the common understanding in ancient [[Magic (paranormal)|magic]] that magical rituals had to be carried out "in [someone's] name". By invoking a [[deity|god]] or spirit by name, one was thought to be able to summon that spirit's power for some kind of miracle or magic (see [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 9:49, in which the disciples claim to have seen a man driving out [[demons]] using the name of [[Jesus]]). This understanding passed into later religious tradition, for example the stipulation in [[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] [[exorcism]] that the demon cannot be expelled until the exorcist has forced it to give up its name, at which point the name may be used in a stern command which will drive the demon away.

=== Biblical names ===
{{Main|List of biblical names}}
In the [[Old Testament]], the names of individuals are meaningful, and a change of name indicates a change of status. For example, the patriarch [[Abram]] and his wife Sarai were renamed "[[Abraham]]" and "[[Sarah]]" at the institution of the [[Abrahamic covenant]] ([[Genesis 17]]:4, 17:15). Simon was renamed Peter when he was given the [[Keys to Heaven]]. This is recounted in the [[Gospel of Matthew]] chapter 16, which according to Roman Catholic teaching<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a9p4.htm Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 881: "The episcopal college and its head, the Pope"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100906142233/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a9p4.htm |date=2010-09-06 }}</ref> was when [[Jesus]] promised to [[Saint Peter]] the power to take binding actions.<ref>''The Routledge Companion to the Christian Church'' by Gerard Mannion and Lewis S. Mudge (Jan 30, 2008) {{ISBN|0415374200}} page 235</ref> Proper names are "saturated with meaning".<ref>Baruch Hochman, ''Character in Literature'' (Cornell University Press, 1985), 37.</ref>

Throughout the [[Bible]], characters are given names at birth that reflect something of significance or describe the course of their lives. For example: [[Solomon]] meant [[peace]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/solomon|title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Solomon|last=Campbell|first=Mike|website=Behind the Name|access-date=2018-12-27|archive-date=2018-12-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227230628/https://www.behindthename.com/name/solomon|url-status=live}}</ref> and the king with that name was the first whose reign was without [[war]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dawnbible.com/1962/6206tbs1.htm|title=Solomon, the King|website=www.dawnbible.com|access-date=2018-12-27|archive-date=2019-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031092230/http://www.dawnbible.com/1962/6206tbs1.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Likewise, [[Joseph (Hebrew Bible)|Joseph]] named his firstborn son [[Manasseh (tribal patriarch)|Manasseh]] (Hebrew: "causing to forget")(Genesis 41:51); when Joseph also said, "God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father's family." Biblical Jewish people did not have surnames which were passed from generation to generation. However, they were typically known as the child of their father. For example: דוד בן ישי (David ben Yishay) meaning, [[David]], son of [[Jesse (biblical figure)|Jesse]] (1 Samuel 17:12,58). Today, this style of name is still used in [[Jewish]] [[religious]] rites.

===Indian name===
{{Main|Indian name}}
Indian names are based on a variety of systems and [[naming conventions]], which vary from region to region. Names are also influenced by religion and [[caste]] and may come from [[Indian epic poetry|epics]]. [[India]]'s population speaks a [[Languages of India|wide variety]] of languages and nearly every major [[Religions of the world|religion]] in the world has a following in India. This variety makes for subtle, often confusing, differences in names and naming styles. Due to [[Greater India|historical Indian cultural influences]], several names across [[South Asia|South]] and [[Southeast Asia]] are influenced by or adapted from Indian names or words.

For some Indians, their [[birth name]] is different from their official name; the birth name starts with a randomly selected name from the [[Hindu astrology|person's horoscope]] (based on the ''[[nakshatra]]'' or lunar mansion corresponding to the person's birth).

Many children are given three names, sometimes as a part of religious teaching.

=== Quranic names (Arabic names) ===
{{See|List of characters and names mentioned in the Quran}}
We can see many Arabic names in the Quran and in Muslim people, such as Allah, Muhammad, Khwaja, Ismail, Mehboob, Suhelahmed, Shoheb Ameena, Aaisha, Sameena, Rumana, Swaleha, etc. 

The names Mohammed and Ahmed are the same, for example Suhel Ahmad or Mohammad Suhel are the same. There are many similar names in Islam and Christianity, such as Yosef (Islamic)/Joseph (Christian), Adam/Adam, Dawood/David, Rumana/Romana, Maryam/Mary, Nuh/Noah, etc.

==Name use by animals and plants==
{{main|Common name}}
{{see|List of historical common names|List of animal names}}

The use of personal names is not unique to humans. [[Dolphin]]s<ref name="dolphin names">{{cite news|date=May 8, 2006|title=Dolphins Name Themselves With Whistles, Study Says|publisher=National Geographic News|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/060508_dolphins.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061114081946/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/060508_dolphins.html|archive-date=November 14, 2006}}</ref> and [[green-rumped parrotlet]]s<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Berg|first1=Karl S.|last2=Delgado|first2=Soraya|last3=Okawa|first3=Rae|last4=Beissinger|first4=Steven R.|last5=Bradbury|first5=Jack W.|date=2011-01-01|title=Contact calls are used for individual mate recognition in free-ranging green-rumped parrotlets, Forpus passerinus|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347210004148|journal=Animal Behaviour|language=en|volume=81|issue=1|pages=241–248|doi=10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.10.012|s2cid=42150361|issn=0003-3472|access-date=2020-10-25|archive-date=2011-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111223235949/http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347210004148|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> also use symbolic names to address [[contact call]]s to specific individuals. Individual dolphins have distinctive signature whistles, to which they will respond even when there is no other information to clarify which dolphin is being referred to.

==Named entities==
{{excerpt|Named entity}}
==See also==
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[Endonym and exonym]] - native and non-native names
* [[Human names]]
* [[List of adjectival forms of place names]]
* [[Name calling]] – a form of verbal abuse
* [[Name change]]
* [[Names of God]]
* [[Numeral (linguistics)]]
* [[Onomastics]] – the study of proper names
* [[Popular cat names]]
* [[Title (publishing)]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book|editor-last=Barolini|editor-first=Teodolinda|title=Medieval Constructions in Gender And Identity: Essays in Honor of Joan M. Ferrante|year=2005|location=Tempe|publisher=Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies|isbn=9780866983372|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OcBkAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|editor-last1=Bruck|editor-first1=Gabriele vom|editor-last2=Bodenhorn|editor-first2=Barbara|title=An Anthropology of Names and Naming|year=2009|orig-year=2006|edition=2nd|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4IIOQAAACAA}}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{Cite book|last=Fraser|first=Peter M.|author-link=Peter Fraser (classicist)|chapter=Ethnics as Personal Names|title=Greek Personal Names: Their Value as Evidence|year=2000|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=149–157|url=https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/104p149.pdf|access-date=2020-10-16|archive-date=2019-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018113913/https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/104p149.pdf|url-status=dead}}
* {{Cite book|last=Roberts|first=Michael|chapter=The Semantics of Demonyms in English|title=The Semantics of Nouns|year=2017|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=205–220|isbn=978-0-19-873672-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n0ypDgAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Room|first=Adrian|title=An Alphabetical Guide to the Language of Name Studies|year=1996|location=Lanham and London|publisher=The Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810831698|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XEtiAAAAMAAJ}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/names/ "Names"] by Sam Cumming, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP), a philosophical dissertation on the syntax and semantics of names
*{{cite journal |last1=Pilcher |first1=Jane |author-link=Jane Pilcher |year=2017 |title=Names, Bodies and Identities |url=http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/35809/1/13342_Pilcher.pdf |journal=Sociology |volume=50 |issue=4 |pages=764–779 |doi=10.1177/0038038515582157 |s2cid=145136869}}
* Matthews, Elaine; Hornblower, Simon; Fraser, Peter Marshall, [https://books.google.com/books?id=SbVJvfu7EzsC ''Greek Personal Names: Their Value as Evidence''], Proceedings of the British Academy (104), [[Oxford University Press]], 2000. {{ISBN|0-19-726216-3}}
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/btg/btg41.htm Name and Form – from Sacred Texts Buddhism]

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category|Names|lcfirst=yes}}
* [http://www.lgpn.ox.ac.uk/ Lexicon of Greek Personal Names], Oxford (over 35,000 published names)
* [http://www.behindthename.com Behind The Name], The etymology of first names
* [http://www.christian-pilgrimage-journeys.com/biblical-sources/christian-philosophy-culture/the-name-tradition-in-the-christian-culture/ The Name Tradition In The Christian Culture]
* [http://tekeli.li/onomastikon/ Kate Monk's Onomastikon] Names over the world throughout the history
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Name|short=x}}

{{logic}}
{{Names_in_world cultures}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Names| ]]
[[Category:Lexicography|Lexicography]]
[[Category:Concepts in logic]]
[[Category:Philosophical logic]]