My name is Judd and it has Hebrew origins meaning "Praised" I was supposed to be named Joey Alexander but at the last minute was changed to Judd. I wish I had a good origin story of a prophetic dream that I was going to change the world alas it was pretty mundane.

It was changed to Judd because my 2nd sister had a crush who had that name and my parents liked it because it was unique and started with the letter J.

As long as I can remember people have been mispronouncing my name. I have been called Jude so many times and worst is when I am called John because in no way would it be possible for my name to be pronounced like that. It has become sort of a pet peeve of mine and I take an icy tone when I correct people how it is pronounced correctly.

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Would we be the same person even if we had a different name? How would life turned out for me if I was a Joey Alexander instead of a Judd? Would things would have been any different?

Studies and articles about it are conflicting as both presents that it is our environment and experience that would eventually mold our persona but others show that your name has a psychological influence on it as well because you try to be your name.

Ever had that feeling that someone is such a Mark, or the person looks like a Betty. We often associate names to a particular region, religion, icons or famous people.

Take the Philippines for example we are predominantly Catholic and with a heavy Spanish influence for being a colony of Spain for more than 300 years. The names of a lot of Filipinos have religious and Spanish sounding names like Maria, Jose, Juan, Pablo and Angela.

The short occupation of the Americans resulted in anglicized forms of religious names like Mark, Joseph, Mary, John, Paul and Angel.

Nowadays names are gotten from a treasure trove of sources like books, films, TV series, famous stars and people as well as comics.

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This looks like one of the most awesome name but sadly his story is a bit darker.

Names have power

Even though some studies say otherwise I believe that names have power. They invoke a feeling that needs to be fulfilled. Each parent when they choose a name for their child is entrusting their best wishes and success.

They would choose names that would connote strength, beauty, power, of courage and might. They would choose names that have significance in their life. Some parents would combine their names.

Naming ceremonies are especially important events and often have religious or cultural significance.

• Christianity often have a baptism ceremony which when a child is welcomed and become a part of the Churche. In Catholicism this is presided by a priest who pours oil and holy water and as the child is surrounded by friends and family who are witness to the naming of godparents who will take care of the child if something might happen to the parents.

• Hinduism the process is known as Namkaran where on the 12th day after birth the baby is anointed with water to signify being cleansed and in some areas a sacred fire is also lit.

This ceremony is not limited to babies but can also be performed on adults who convert to Hinduism.

• Islam a baby is named on the 7th day by the parents and a sheep is slaughtered in the a tradition called Aqiqah are the meat are distributed to family members, relatives and the poor.

• Judaism the naming ceremony is done on the 8th day after birth which a brit milah or the circumcision of the boy. For girls the naming ceremony is done within two weeks of birth or known as simchat bat

• Wicca The initiation is held by the parents and friends. The baby is anointed with oil and a drop of milk place on his lips. A cup of wine is passed around the circle and the Guardians will be the last to sip as they promise to take care of the child. To them Wiccan names have power and not used lightly.

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The Power of Names in literature

We have a lot of folktales that tell of the power of knowing a name. Rumpelstiltskin is one such story that show how he was outwitted in the end by knowing his true name.

A lot of my favorite Fantasy, Anime and Fiction authors used the power of names as a form of magic and control over the universe. Being able to make someone or something bend to our will because of knowing its true name will make the protagonist do miracles.

Let me share some of my favorites:

• The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke talks about how some monks have decided to use modern equipment to help them complete the nine billion names of God for a certain purpose.

• The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher tells about the power of wizards when they know the name of someone.

• The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss talks in detail of knowing the true name of things grants power.

• Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman who spins a yarn about the sons of Anansi.

• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin is the whole reason I am writing this as she died a few days ago. I remember as a young kid hanging out in the Fantasy section of the library and reading her series of stories. It pains me to see another literary luminary has died.

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• Spirited Away by the highly acclaimed Hayao Miyazaki is such a memorable anime movie that presented if we are to lose our name and is replaced by something else by someone we could become a slave for that person. I always recommend any of his anime films.

• Deathnote In this series the protagonist, Light Yagami finds a deathnote and with it by writing the name of a person he could kill them.

• Bleach Shinigamis or death spirits use zanpakutou or their spiritual weapons to kill Hollows or restless spirits. They would need to know the true name of their zanpakutoubefore they can unleash their ultimate form or technique called a Bankai

Power of Names in the ordinary world

You might be saying but that's all make believe and is not applicable to the real world but didn't you have that moment when you got curious and asked your parents what your name means and where they got it.

That after hearing their explanation or researching about it that you started to believe in it. Manifest destiny is such a strong thing. When you start believing in it you become it.

Over the din of a noisy crowd, in a jam packed room full of noise that when someone calls your name you hear it and drawn towards the person.

Even here in Steemit the name that you made is a name that you want to inspire others, have a special meaning to yourself or you use it as an armor like me. My name here is composed of two words, MAVERICK which means:

And the other part of the name is INVICTUS Taken from a poem of William E. Henley and was a favorite of Nelson Mandela when he was in prison.

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I use it as my persona of someone who bucks the trends and will writes things that I like and one who at his darkest time was bloodied but wanted to remain unbowed to the circumstances. I used it to armor myself amidst all the disappointments and failures and grow stronger each day and become a hope for other people that had the same experience.

It gives power for other people to be able to control your emotions when your name is mispronounced or misspelled. Classic case is Starbucks who often mispells names even with some regulars.

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You see your name misspelled and if your an aggressive person confronts the poor barista who might not have his coffee yet or had no sleep. You can also take the passive-aggressive approach and not confront the barista and just post it in social media #starbucksmisspelledmynameagain has began. The campaign is successful and Starbucks get a lot of publicity for free!
(P.S. I asked one directly and they say they do not purposely misspell it but because first its not their name , second they may be tired and lastly they are doing something about it)

There are a dozen other reasons why names are powerful. Would you still be you if you change your name? Will you have experienced the same things when the name is different?

What do you think is the best name for you then?

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