Is it possible to name a child after another person

Among the numerous natural and social factors that affect the fate of a person, the name plays an important role.. A correctly chosen name can enhance the natural abilities of its owner, neutralize weak character traits. It is not without reason that the topic of choosing a name for a child in psychology has been given so much space.

Quite often it happens that a child is named after someone. Many parents, choosing a name for a child, wonder if it is possible to name him in honor of a relative (deceased or living), a famous person or a literary hero? To answer this question, consider the theory of the influence of the name on the fate of his person.

1. Usually children are named after those people who are still remembered or about whom they know something. Based on such information, memories, biographical facts and his deeds, history. A child, growing up and developing as a person in such an atmosphere, consciously and unconsciously absorbs this information like a sponge and gradually acquires a resemblance to the person after whom it is named. Parental expectations can reinforce this process.

If a child is named after a relative or an outstanding person, then they want him to be like him, to take over all his virtues. As a result, a person, growing up and developing, goes along the “trodden path”, gradually becoming more and more similar to his predecessor.

2. The most controversy arises over the fact that children are given the names of deceased relatives. This tradition has quite old roots, but is still quite popular in many cultures. Moreover, in some families, the names are "inherited", repeating through one or two generations.

There is nothing wrong with this custom. It is believed that the name preserved in subsequent generations contributes to the transfer of knowledge from the past to the future, adds strength to the whole family, helps to preserve the memory of their ancestors and their deeds. In Muslim and Jewish tradition, it is still customary to name a son after his father if the father died before he was born.

3. However, each family has its own unlucky names. It is not recommended to call a child with such a name, since a new bearer of the name (and even more so with the same surname) risks repeating the unfortunate fate of his predecessor. As a rule, this is known on an intuitive level, we are talking about a relative, for example, who died tragically in his youth or died in agony from a serious illness.

4. If a relative had a bad reputation, for example, he committed crimes and ended his life in prison, or simply did not leave a good memory behind him, his name should also not be given to the child. Otherwise, there is a risk that the child will take over the negative of the predecessor, and his fate will be unhappy.

5. There are a number of cases when a child should not, under any circumstances, be given the name of a deceased relative. If the family already had a child and died (from an illness or died tragically), in no case should you call the next child by his name and it is not recommended to call the name consonant. It is too likely that a child named after a deceased brother or sister will repeat the fate of its predecessor.

In addition, growing up as adults, people with such names are rarely happy - diseases cling to them, their personal lives do not go well, luck turns away from them. Therefore, if a child has died in the family, it is better to let him go in peace, and not try to resurrect his image in another person.

6. Regarding the question of whether to name a child in honor of a living relative, there are different opinions. A strong connection is established between the namesake relatives, which can bring additional difficulties to the life of an emerging person, but, on the contrary, can help him find his calling and achieve considerable success.

7. So, if the son bears the name of his father (and even strengthened by the corresponding patronymic), he can become his father not a student (later support and support), but a rival. On the other hand, it increases the likelihood that the son will choose his father's path, but go further along it, continue and improve his father's achievements.

8. When naming a daughter after her mother, one can expect a repetition of the mother's fate. The influence of the mother on a woman always remains quite strong, even if the mother is no longer alive. The influence of the namesake mother is enormous, and can prevent the daughter from fully living her own life.

9 . The custom of naming children after famous people is also quite old and widespread in Christian, Muslim, Jewish cultures. In the Orthodox tradition, children were named according to the calendar - in honor of the saints, whose memory is celebrated on the child's birthday, on the ninth or fortieth day from birth. It is believed that a person named after one of the saints acquires a guardian angel.

In the modern world, it is customary to name children after celebrities (actors, musicians, football players, scientists, and so on), as well as after historical figures and literary heroes. There is nothing wrong with this if the name is chosen correctly and corresponds to the natural inclinations of the child. If the name is not in harmony with the character and temperament of its bearer, it will not bring happiness and good luck.

If at the same time the name is given in honor of (for example) a celebrity or historical figure, and its owner, by virtue of his character, cannot correspond to the famous predecessor, then he may develop self-doubt and fear of life.

10. When naming a child after a celebrity, it is necessary to consider how this name will sound in the culture native to the child. If the name is alien to a given society, its bearer will find himself in some social isolation from early childhood, which is unlikely to have a favorable effect on his future life.

Some young parents, when choosing a name for a child, are guided by the sound and beauty of the name, some - by the meaning of the name, some - by the compatibility of the name with the patronymic or surname, some parents name the child in honor of a friend, acquaintance or relative.

Prepared by Maryana Chornovil