How do people decide on what to name a child or a business or a book or a song? It seems to me that might be the most critical thing to get right. If it doesn't attract people at all then it doesn't matter how splendid it is no one cares to find out.
Of course the things folks find appealing or repulsive are different things. There is that. But doesn't it make sense to choose a name that most people would find appealing so they would be receptive to checking it out? How would you go about naming a business or a restaurant or a special dish on the menu or your latest book or song or your child?
Names. Everyone has at least one, but what is a name? A name is a way to identify someone or something (Billy, Janet, fire, water, Mars, Jupiter).
When parents name their kids, they sometimes use a name of a parent, grandparent or other ancestor to honor or remember that person (George, Albert, William). Some use names that have a religious or cultural meaning (Daniel, David). Some parents use names that will stand out, while others name their kids after objects (River, Rock, Moon-Unit).
As that person grows, their name takes on new significance. It comes to represent that person’s character.
What comes to mind when you hear the name - George Washington? How about Abraham Lincoln or Albert Einstein? How about Donald Trump? What about Adolph Hitler, Judas Iscariot, Bill Cosby? In and of themselves, these names were innocuous. However, what the person who bore that name did in their life forever etched an impression in other people’s minds – good or bad.
Then there are company names. What comes to mind when you hear, Nike, or Wells Fargo? How about, Frito Lay or Monsanto? We don’t seem to think about what the name means, but rather what it represents.
It’s not so much what’s in a name as it what that name stands for.
Shuhak 