Ah, names. Those labels we carry around, which are sometimes chosen for us from birth, and sometimes chosen by us later in life.
A funny business, these names, don’t you agree with me?
Some give them a fair amount of meaning – a name can thus become a source of pride, a reflection of family history, or even a whispered promise of the person we might become. But what if I told you your name, however grand or whimsical, is just that – a label?
A convenient placeholder in a world that needs to identify us by tagging us?
The Romans had a saying: nomen omen, which translates roughly to In a name, a sign.
They believed a name held a certain power, a destiny even, foreshadowing the kind of person you’d be. But what about those of us who don’t quite fit the mould our names suggest? What about the shy Violets who blossom into fearless leaders or the gruff-sounding Bruces who turn out to be gentle giants?
Here’s the truth: our essence, the core of who we are, transcends the confines of a name. It’s in the choices we make, the battles we fight, and the kindness we offer. It’s in the way we navigate this world, the knowledge we seek, and the love we share.
Of course, there’s a practical side to consider.
Yes, while a name may not define who we are, it does hold significant legal weight. Our names are tied to our identities in countless ways in our societies – from property ownership and contracts to voting rights and social security. Changing your legal name can be a complex, lengthy, and sometimes costly process, often requiring court approval and notification to various institutions.
This is why one should not take changing a legal name lightly.
A Monk by Any Other Name…
Back to me, now. My given name is Raffaello, a name that means God has healed. But on my journey to becoming a monk, I was given a new name – Lobsang.
Now, Lobsang is a beautiful name, with Tibetan origins and roots in Buddhism. FIt comes from the Tibetan བློ་བཟང (blo bzang) meaning “noble-minded, intelligent, learned“, from བློ (blo) meaning “mind, intellect” and བཟང (bzang) meaning “righteous, good”.
Let’s be honest, this name does indeed resonate with the path I’ve chosen. My life is dedicated to learning, self-improvement, and becoming better at helping, loving, and taking care of others.
But here’s the thing: even Lobsang, with all its rich symbolism, is nothing more than a label. Of course, you can see it as a perfect reflection of the values I hold dear, but it doesn’t define my entire being.
Just as a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, a monk named Raffaello or Lobsang would still strive for the same enlightenment, the same wisdom, and the same compassion.
Letting Go of Attachment, Even to Names
In my Buddhist life, I strive to detach myself from worldly possessions, desires, and even identities. This includes, you guessed it right, my name. It’s a constant reminder that our true self doesn’t lie in external markers, but in the ever-evolving being that resides within.
So, if I had to choose a new name, it wouldn’t hold the weight of destiny or preordained meaning. It would simply be another tag, maybe nice, maybe smart, but just another way for people to address me.
The true me – the always-evolving being shaped by experiences, choices, and a relentless pursuit of knowledge – will remain as it is even without this label, regardless of the name I wear.
Ultimately, the name game is just that – a game. It’s fun to ponder, sure, but it shouldn’t distract us from the real journey – the journey of becoming the best version of ourselves, whatever name we carry along the way.
Raffaello Palandri's Blog 
Wisely explained, and wisely thoughts. I do agree with you dear Raffaello. By the way my real name is not nia. My real name from a poem that my Dad named because he loved this poem and its poet. Actually I have a beautiful real name… But one day I decided not to write in my own language, the story behind this is long. But writing was my life and I was so sad, My Love told me, why don’t you write in English?… Then I started to write in my second language and being as a nia… I named myself. There wasn’t nia at those time when I found this on internet… Several ten years ago… I love the name nia… I love to be in this modern, civilized world where I am now… I can’t explain this. Anyway, Thank you, as always inspirational for me what you share. Love, nia
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Very insightful and great reference to Shakespeare there Sir. I too have experienced legal problems with my name. My grandfather wrote two names on my birth certificate i.e. it was Amol (Ajinkya) Gajanan Rane that is exactly how he wrote it with the brackets and all. At first I was angry about it but I realized that both my first names had some serious weight Amol meaning “Unique or Valuable” and Ajinkya meaning “Undefeatable or Winner or Victor”. My father never objected to this and my mother was always biased towards Ajinkya because it is slightly modern and our surname Rane literally translates to King or Royalty so the name Ajinkya Rane is her favourite. But it caused a lot of problems for me. Some of my IDs had Amol and others had Ajinkya on it. It caused me great problems when acquiring certificates for college. It even caused personal problems because when I travelled my passport had Amol but I was used to telling people my name is Ajinkya. Even after the death of my father I had to legally prove I was his son so I had to prove that I had two first names. I somehow managed to go through that but until recently I had no solution for that. Last year I had my name legally changed to Ajinkya Rane and that is something my mother is happy with and I’m sure my father would have approved of as well. I don’t know how much of an influence my name has had on me but I am absolutely certain this confusion has brought some uniqueness to my personality. Its a great ice breaker at the very least. I feel some traits were observed by my grandfather- a PhD in Economics and great Astrologer in his time- he foresaw some of my qualities very early on. He predicted I would be a jack of many trades and he was right about that. He said I would be stubborn and head strong and would never give up on my goals and he was right about that too. So somehow he named me after observing who I am in a very short period of time. My point is, you are right our names are nothing more than labels but labels given by someone who has observed us and our behavior. So even if we act a certain way different from it, at the core I think our true personalities are resonated by our names or labels as we have established.
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