Abstract
This study investigates how parents select the names of their children. Anthropological research on naming is very sparse, despite the immense power of names to reflect cultural variables, such as: kinship, gender relations, socioeconomic class relations, and differences in taste and personal preference. I surveyed a sample of parents at three daycare facilities in a small town in the Midwest about their children’s names and how they chose those names. My findings indicate that kin naming plays a significant role, but many parents find a balance between choosing a name with “meaning” and choosing a name based on their personal taste and popular, contemporary aesthetics. This study found that many parents strive to individualize their children through naming, yet they also use it as a way to establish their children’s place in their kin network and culture.
Advisor
Frese, Pamela
Department
Sociology and Anthropology
Recommended Citation
Close, Haley Lisa, "Hello, I Love You, Won’t You Tell Me Your Name?: An Anthropological Investigation of Naming" (2012). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 1121.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/1121
Disciplines
Linguistic Anthropology
Publication Date
2012
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis Exemplar
Included in
© Copyright 2012 Haley Lisa Close