What’s In A Name?

Have you ever wondered what message your name carries?

Years ago there was a company that manufactured televisions, named Zenith.  Their tagline was, “the quality goes in before the name goes on.”  Their message was quite clear, if the television didn’t meet their standard of quality, it didn’t get to “wear the name” Zenith.  The product had to live up to its’ name!

In a day and time where first impressions are made mostly through some means of technology and medium, what you are named can mean the difference between getting a job or not.  Employers looking at a name on an electronic application or resume, might overlook someone because of their name.  People looking for a company to do business with, sometimes, choose a company because of how the name resonates with them.

I thought about this because on yesterday, I changed my name. There’s an interesting story around it that I’ll share with you now.  Back in the early 70’s when I started school, parents did not have to bring any documentation to prove your identity.  My mom had passed when I was 19 months old and my dad was a Pastor of a huge congregation and was always busy.  That left the care of my siblings and I to my grandmother.  When it came time for me to start school, my granny took me and enrolled me in school.  And that’s where the story began!

Upon enrolling me in school, apparently, my granny spelled my name the best she knew how.  She spelled it OLLIE.  It wasn’t until years later that I found out the truth.  Years passed by and as far as anyone knew, including me, my name was Ollie.  It wasn’t until after I gave birth to my first child and needed a copy of my birth certificate that I found out the truth!

I went downtown to the County Clerks Office and requested a copy.  Upon receiving the document, I noticed something quite strange, much to my surprise, my name wasn’t spelled like I spelled it.  Turning around, my first inclination was to go back to the desk and tell them they had made a mistake.  However, upon further review, I noticed that all the other information, such as my parents name, my date of birth, the hospital I was born in, were all correct.

As I turned to walk away from the counter again, I had what I considered a “flashback!”  I remembered a conversation I had with my father when I was about 9 or 10, as he completed a field trip slip that was sent home by my teacher.  When I gave him the form to complete, there was a line there to enter my name.  My dad looked at me and said,”How do you spell your name, O-R-what?”  With a puzzled look on my face, I looked at him and said,”There’s no R in my name. It’s OLLIE.”  At that very moment I realized that the name on my birth certificate was indeed, correct and so was my dad.  This strange name was the name my mother had given me at birth.  I giggled to myself and walked away from the counter.

I had lived all my life being teased because my name was Ollie only to find out my real name was Orley.  I laughed because I didn’t like Ollie or all the horrible things the other children said when they teased me about it.  Oddly enough, I felt like my finding out this way was a blessing.  I could only imagine the amount of teasing that would have come along with Orley!  It was like the lesser of two evils!

I thought long and hard changing my name on my birth certificate.  After all, every other piece of identification, including my social security card said Ollie. Heck, so did every account I held, even my children’s birth certificates!  It would be a little costly, but it beat the alternative of changing everything else in my life to match my birth certificate.

Nevertheless, upon giving it much thought, I decided to keep the name my mother gave me.  It must have meant something to her.  So, I went to the SSA and changed my name on yesterday so that it matched my birth certificate.  I will gradually change my other documents to read Orley.  If my mother gave it to me, there must have been a reason.

This morning I looked up my “new name.”  I underlined the parts that agree with my character. Here is what it said:

Orley-There are 5 letters in your name. Those 5 letters total to 30. There are 2 vowels and 3 consonants in your name. Your number is: 3.  The characteristics of #3 are: Expression, verbalization, socialization, the arts, the joy of living.  The expression or destiny for #3:An Expression of 3 produces a quest for destiny with words along a variety of lines that may include writing, speaking, singing, acting or teaching; our entertainers, writers, litigators, teachers, salesmen, and composers. You also have the destiny to sell yourself or sell just about any product that comes along. You are imaginative in your presentation, and you may have creative talents in the arts, although these are more likely to be latent. You are an optimistic person that seems ever enthusiastic about life and living. You are friendly, loving and social, and people like you because you are charming and such a good conversationalist. Your ability to communicate may often inspire others. It is your role in life to inspire and motivate; to raise the spirits of those around you.

Your Soul Urge number is: 11.  A Soul Urge number of 11 means:
With the 11 Soul Urge, much of your thinking and interests relate to the abstract, the spiritual, and utopian dreams. You are motivated toward idealistic concepts, and the sharing of your ideas and concepts with humanity. This number is not one that is giving in a material or a practical sense, but rather one who desires to help mankind with a more abstract commodity such as religion, spiritualism, occult studies, or even psychic abilities.

If you possess the positive 11 Soul Urge traits, you have a dream of the perfect world (you should read my poem Heaven and Hell, in my book, All is Well); you are highly idealistic and inspirational. Your inner strength and devotion to your beliefs are extremely strong. You have a very good mind that is especially well equipped to handle the higher, more abstract forms of thought.

I chose to keep my birth name because it is who I am.  Besides, to borrow from my friend, William Shakespeare, “That which we call an Orley, by any other name would smell as sweet!”

Check out some of my books that are available on Amazon.  Forgiven, My First Alphabet Bible, Life After Divorce

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