The power of a name and its value has long been immortalized in prose, poetry and religious ceremony. Everyone recognizes him or herself by name. The question is: how does a name influence a person's perceived character? I had to ask myself this question a few days ago when I had an interesting experience. Allow me to explain.
We all know it can take professors a while to learn our names, especially during the first part of a new semester. I was taken back, however, when a professor struggled with mine. For one, I figured my name would be fairly easy to remember, seeing as how I was one of only two students in that class who wasn't white.
Secondly, I think I have a very simple name: Jessica; it can't get much easier than that. Alright, back to the story. Well, my professor was handing back papers, and I was one of the first students she came to. Here is where my little issue began. My lovely professor, with a big smile on her face, handed me a paper and said, "You must be Shay. Here you go." I laughed this one off and told her that I wasn't Shay.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said "Tierra??" Wrong … again. Finally, after she guessed two more names that must have "sounded black" in her mind, I politely told her my name. She was obviously embarrassed, and I was slightly annoyed.
The whole day, following that incident, I began to think more about my name and if it really fit me. Should I have been given a more "ethnic" name? I mean, am I better suited for a name like Janelle, Shanice or Ebony because of my race? Would I act any differently if I didn't have this name? Would my character be changed? Those were just a few of the many questions that came into my mind.
Let us consider what a name is. It is the grouping of several letters of an alphabet or other symbols that represent the identification of a person or an object. It sounds fairly simple, but when we really look at it, there are many complexities that come with a name. Expectations are very likely to be systematically associated with unspoken stereotypical perceptions of names. Those stereotypical expectations in turn are often times reflected in how we are treated and evaluated by employers, professors, peers, etc. At times, names can have a significant effect on our own self-concept, which in turn can indirectly influence how we act.
Personally, I feel as though my name fits me. I don't think I look or act like a "Shay" or "Tierra." Had I have been named either of those names though, I feel that I would still be the same young woman that I am today.
My older brother's name is Lawrence. Had he have been named something more "ethnic," such as "Tyree" or "Malik," would he be any different? Our older sister's name is Kortesha. On paper, one might assume that this name belongs to a rather urban female of lower-middle status with minimal levels of education. In actuality, she aspires to be a lawyer, and throughout her entire undergraduate career, continuously made Dean's or President's List … interesting, right? I guess what I'm saying is that perhaps at times we unknowingly make ourselves live up, or down, for that matter, to our name – a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts – but that is not always true, especially not in my family's case.
I can't say I'm innocent in this matter, though. I've had friends with rather unique names, and have thought to myself, "Wow, that's a bit much," upon meeting or being introduced to them. I've even been told many times by many people of my own race that I have a "white girl" name.
Maybe a name is just that, a name. As Shakespeare so eloquently wrote, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." I do feel that upon having children, I will choose a name that isn't specific with one particular race or the other because of the simple fact that I don't want to set my child up for discrimination. Whether we like it or not, people out there will have opinions and preconceived notions that stem from our names. The only thing we can do is simply prove them wrong.
