The names of Louise Penny's characters are familiar to us, like family. They conjure immediate images and feelings. Armand, Reine Marie, Olivier, Gabri, Clara, Myrna, Jean-Guy, Annie ….Ruth, Rosa ….they roll off the tongue in a ribbon of responsive emotions. I am curious as to how Louise came to choose each of the names of her characters?

The Romans had an expression "nomen est omen", or "name is destiny." A name is part of a person's legacy. It will be recorded in history. You will say it thousands of times during the course of your life. It will be written on class lists, read out loud amongst throngs of others at graduation, spoken with portent on your wedding day, printed on business cards, said in loving tones, and also in anger and exasperation. Above all, rightly or wrongly, a name often conveys an image, an assumption about the person. It creates an impression.

Psychology professor, Albert Mehrabian, tested a host of names to see how people viewed them. Some names immediately aroused images of beauty or intelligence, others of popularity or kindness. Yet others were seen as artistic, nerdy or odd. On the whole, people judged to have more traditional names such as James and Katherine scored extremely well. More alternative names like Breezy scored badly.

For most parents, picking out a baby name comes with a great deal of thought, reflection and personal taste. Some choose to name after beloved family members, sports legends, or heroic figures. (I named my oldest son, Nicholas, after my much loved maternal grandfather.) Others pick names which are trendy, popular, current. Some go the biblical route, or take a page from their favourite novel, movie or historical era. Yet others give nod to family tradition or their ethnic roots.

Two of my six grandchildren have fairly unusual names. It is my personal policy to never get involved in any way in the naming of grandchildren. I had my turn. Now it is my children's right, and their joy to choose names. The agreement between my second son and the mother of their children was that he would choose the boys' names and she would pick the girls' names. They have two sons. My son picked both their names from the NHL (National Hockey League) roster. (So Canadian, eh!) Regardless of my own private personal opinion, my response to the announcement of each grandchild's name has always been the same, "That's lovely! I really like it. You've chosen something unique and strong/beautiful. It's perfect!" And so it is, as I have grown to love each grandchild's name as part of them.

I think that names perhaps have a greater influence in themselves when that is the only thing you know about a person. In time, people give personality and definition to their own names, good and bad. As Shakespeare said in Romeo and Juliet:

'What's in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet.'

Before getting to know Armand Gamache, his name certainly didn't bring an image of a deeply kind, intelligent, gentle, profoundly good man. Now though, if someone were to say the name Armand, a benevolent, positive feeling would be my immediate response. He has come to define his name for me as something nobel and good.

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6 Comments

  1. This was so interesting! Now I wonder what impression each of us have of one another because we only have our names, and maybe for some, a profile photo, to represent ourselves in this Internet space we call Home. At least it is that way at the start, before we begin to have more conversations and slowly discover more about the people and personalities behind the name.

    I think it is very smart and kind of you to keep your thoughts to yourself regarding the choices your children make. When they are young, it’s your responsibility to share your thoughts about everything to teach them about things that are important, but now that they are older, they make their own decisions. Unless they ask for your opinion, it is very thoughtful of you to not offer it, although I can imagine how difficult it must be sometimes not to say anything when you think you otherwise should. No matter what their ages, they will always be your babies and the mama bear instincts don’t just disappear. And for some people, in some situations, those instincts can lead to problems.

    What does it mean, exactly, “people judged to have more traditional names such as James and Katherine scored extremely well. More alternative names like Breezy scored badly”? That people with traditional names were thought to be more beautiful, intelligent, popular or kind?

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      1. Oh please don’t apologize! I just wanted to clarify to ensure I understood correctly. I think your post here today is so perfect!! It’s not only interesting in itself, but it ties in so well with today’s question for The Grey Wolf. That there is an instinct to like and trust the familiar (a name or an accent) despite the characteristic in question having nothing to do with personality or morality.

        Thank you so much for sharing this. Not only is it fascinating from a human behaviour point of view, but the way that you have weaved in your own story and experiences makes this post really wonderful. I have a tendency sometimes to write like I’m publishing a university textbook. Perfect nighttime reading to help insomniacs finally get their zzzzz’s. 🙂

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  2. Well, I agree with mei lan that this post and discussion is absolutely consistent with “The Grey Wolf” discussion question that asks us to consider what subjective perceptions and biases inform our views of other people, accent, dress, appearance or name. I would not immediately have thought of the importance of one’s name but it rings true.

    I worked in pediatrics for 20+ years. I encountered kids with some trendy or unusual names. I am confident they did not impact my care of them but I do remember thinking to myself that one should always name a child by thinking about whether that name will show up on the office of a CEO or similar position. So, I own a certin bias about what a name conveys to others!

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  3. I echo everyone else, this is a great post!! Thoughtful in many different ways and spot on with the discussion. I am so happy to always learn something new and interesting from all you exceedingly clever people.

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