What is in a name? A person’s name has a meaning like any word in the lexicon, and there is the science of onomastics that covers the subject extensively. Now more than ever before, considerable interest is evinced in naming or renaming persons, things, pets, buildings, public places, towns, districts and States, to mention a few.
Parents recognise that the name they select for their child matters much and that they get only one good shot to pick a good one. Film barons spend days selecting the title for their next production. Branding experts go through several steps before arriving at the perfect name for a product. Cine stars masquerade under glamorous pseudonyms.
Names which appear as anachronisms yield place to modern ones. In Tamil Nadu, the recent trend is to name children after celebrated characters in Tamil literature. Large-scale changes in titles of jobs have been taking place from time to time to uphold the dignity of labour — train guard recently changed to train manager.
