My first post should probably be some kind of justification for the creation of a blog dedicated to a topic that most people consider so trivial they can't even remember it for the duration of a handshake. It's like admitting that you like Star Trek. Actually, it's like admitting that you like Star Trek so much that you have every episode of every series on DVD (catalogued), as well as Star Trek paraphernalia (catalogued), and that your most joyously spent hours (besides watching your DVDs, of course) are those where you're socializing (inasmuch as this is possible) with other "Trekkies" about Star Trek. At that point, you don't just "like" Star Trek, the way most people like it enough that they'll pause on it for a few minutes when they're channel surfing at a hotel: at that point, you are obsessed with Star Trek. And it takes either a truly self-assured or a truly oblivious person to admit they are obsessed with something as un-scholarly and non-essential to everyday American life as Star Trek.
As someone who is neither particularly self-assured nor particularly oblivious, but just feels safely shrouded in the anonymity of the internet, I hereby confess my obsession with names. In particular, I am interested in the occidental canon of given names, both its constituents and its confines, as well as the trends that have shaped it over time (insofar as there are records). Which is to say, I like to browse online databases of first names and check out the historical usage of that name. If I had time or resources, I could probably spend many a happy hour conducting my own research. (Although, I would likely get distracted by chocolate cake or an online version of pinball)
Maybe that didn't seem like a monumental confession to you, the reader. I think everyone has a few favorite names, or has thought about what they would call their hypothetical offspring, just like most people have seen the "Tribbles" episode or have a preference for one Enterprise captain or another. But I doubt most people attach the kind of importance to names that I do. Shakespeare apparently didn't. And think about your own experience with other people's names. (Actually, if you're actually reading this, you're probably as obsessed as I am (or related to me)). It's socially acceptable to forget the name of someone you've just met, as long as at some point you use that appeasing phrase, "I'm sorry; I didn't quite catch your name." Like you're playing some kind of casual ball game. I've never understood this. (On the contrary, I'm actually so good at remembering names that it seems uncanny to the average person, and as a consequence I frequently pretend that I've forgotten so that I don't look like a creepy stalker or make the other parties in a re-introduction feel like jerks for having forgotten my name.)
To me, a name is an integral part of a person's identity. That is, I agree that a name has no necessary influence over its referent, but I do think it's significant that every human being has a single unique name to call him or her up by. A person's name is part of what defines him or her as an individual. Not only that, but practically speaking, you can glean all kinds of information about a person's background from their name, if know where to look. By extension, the naming canon of a particular group or time period contributes to your understanding of their customs and values. All this is not to say, "You there! Join me in my quest for nominal knowledge or face the consequences!" but merely to explain my own peculiar interest.
