As people of Earth, we all have an interesting relationship with our own names. Although I have gone by a nickname since the third grade, I do take pride in the elements of my personality and heritage that are exemplified by this significant factor of my life:

Full Name: A city in Saudi Arabia

Middle Name: “River” in Farsi

Last Name: The name of an ancient king

Nickname: shortening of an Arabic word to become a commonplace English name

However, as many probably do, or don’t, I often wonder: If I wanted to go through the arduous process of changing my name, would I? And for what? Would I have to go to every person who’s ever known me and let them now that their primary form of identification for me was completely nullified and useless? For some it works. For some, their name is as defining as their body. For me, not so much. Although, the feeling of someone calling your name, being able to answer, having a sense of ownership for something that is truly your own, is wonderful. Names are given by parents or guardians, people who do not know the child or their personality at all until a personality actually forms in the early stages of life. If anything, shouldn’t the person who knows you the most be the one to form judgements about you, including your name? In other words, shouldn’t you be able to choose your own name? Not even through a legal process, but as a normal part of society? I envy those whose names are a flexible part of their lives. Sean Combs is an incredibly successful, and rich, musician, but changes his official stage name so many times that I don’t even think it can be said that he relies on his name to fund his wealth. Miley Cyrus’ birth name is Destiny, but she was called Smiley as a child and later in life, made that decision to legally change her name to Miley. Bold move! In the film Lady Bird, the protagonist, Christine, refers to herself as Lady Bird. She says that “I gave [that name] to myself, it’s given to me by me,” and I personally believe that’s a wonderful philosophy to live by. Granted not many people, especially me, are resolute or brave enough to take such a matter into their own hands, but it is fascinating nonetheless.

Names are not considered fluid. They should be able to adhere to one’s current feeling of existence or specific outlook on life. The concept of gender-neutral names is an innovative, future-forward approach to this dilemma, although it is not a concept that everyone may be on board with. Maybe all gender encompassing names are our future though (can Elon be a girl’s name?). Before we reach 1984-level uniformity, however, I believe that small changes in the fabric of society can, and will, be made. I think about this subject a lot… obviously. In times of extreme boredom, I like to imagine one of two scenarios. The first is guessing the names of strangers – on the street, in school, at large gatherings. Based solely on looks and outward demeanor, so much can be said to determine if someone is a Jessica or an Ally. In situations where I find out a person’s true name, my original preconceptions of that person are seldom put to rest and truly aid in understanding a person much better. The second ‘game’ I like to play is reimagining the names of people closest to me or people I admire greatly. Understandably, it was incredibly difficult to overcome the barrier of one’s actual given name. However, I have indulged in this enough times to work with the fluid nature of names. In this situation, a Jessica really could be an Ally!

— My favorite male names are Alexander, Parker, Griffin, William, Joseph, and Lancaster. My favorite female names are Jade, Amber, Alexandra, and Victoria. —

The idea that some people’s names are more important or hold more weight than others is a wild concept. Household names – a person or thing that is well known by the public, as defined by Google. To think, so many of these household names are not defined by their essence, but their fame and money. Is that what one’s essence has been diminished to? (In that case, can the entire definition of a person’s essence be put in question?) Becoming a household name is considered as the pinnacle of success. Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, The Rock, Lebron James, Brad Pitt, Oprah Winfrey – these are household names, right? Reinventing the term “household name” is necessary for growth and expansion regarding the media we take in. To be admired and talked about by a wide variety of people from a wide variety of backgrounds is the ultimate achievement in this day and age… for some odd reason. It seems far more influential to have a concentrated fan base, with loyal supporters who genuinely care of one’s happenings, than to stretch influence so thin that one’s name just sounds familiar if it pops up in conversation every so often. This type of millennial/21^st century outreach is mostly put forth by social media influencers, who now dominate all forms of mainstream media, for better or for worse. Slowly, more companies and organizations have begun to follow this model, and soon I am sure that social media will completely outdo television in advertisement and money making. Therefore, for me, it’s more rewarding to go out of my way and learn about people or ideas that usually go unexplored, while still keeping up with what the “household media” stuffs down the throats of anyone who will stop and stare.

Live in peace. Best Wishes, insert name here