Namesake Day

Many of us carry names from others, a name chosen, not by accident, but with the intention of bringing the honor of that family name into our own lives.

There are many Johns in the world, but even if you are one of them, you can still be set apart from thousands of others by the person you are named after. Are you named after your father John?

Or perhaps your parents show their love with nation and named you after John Quincy Adams. Namesake Day which is celebrate on the first Sunday in March, encourage you to learn and honor the signification of your name.

History of Namesake Day

The world has a long tradition of naming people after someone else, usually our parents or grandparents, but sometimes aunts and uncles, or even just the celebrities your parents knew seriously.

However, people are not the only ones with names! Nothing! Trump Tower is named for both the company that built it and the man who runs it (and happened to be president in 2016).

Ford Motor Company is named after its creator Henry Ford, making the company his name. This type of proper name is eponymous, where the term eponymous means a person gives their name to something or a thing named after a particular person.

Then, one can also name animals after things, such as the famous St. Bernard Beethoven in the movie of the same name that was named for the composer.

Vehicles are often named after someone or something else, like the USS Washington, or the USS Gerald R. Ford. This is not separate from that country either, HTMS Chakri Naruebet of the Royal Thai Navy is named for the Chakri Dynasty.

Namesake Day is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to encourage to research your name history to find out if you are someone with the same name!

How to Celebrate Namesake Day

The best and effective way to celebrate Namesake Day is to gather and discuss with your parents and see the reason of your name and other relatives. If the person is alive and well, perhaps you can take them out to a special dinner or just spend the day hanging out with them. It's always good to know your roots and where you come from, and your name is part of that legacy.