What's in a name?

Names were a big deal during the Anglo-Saxon times and in Beowulf.  So where did Beowulf’s name come from?

 Beowulf = Bee-Wolf ( a kenning = BEAR)

Henry Sweet, a philologist and early linguist specializing in Germanic languages, proposed that the name Beowulf  in Old English means “bee-wolf” or “bee-hunter” and that it is a kenning for “bear”. This etymology is mirrored in recorded instances of similar names. Biuuuwulf is recorded as a name in the 1031 AD Liber Vitae. The name is attested to a monk from Durham and literally means bee wolf in Northumbrian. The 11th century English Domesday Book contains a recorded instance of the name Beulf.

Just for kicks, you can write your names in runes after checking out Beowulf's family tree. H'okay?

(See what I did there? Because there are all those "H" names? Get it?)

So names were pretty crazy, but also pretty important. Is this also true still in our society today?    Think about it: Where did you get your name?  What weight has your name been given through-out your life?  Has your name ever brought you privilege or the cause of a negative situation?  What name would you rather have?  Do you have a nickname?  How/why did that come about?  Will you change your name after marriage?  What do you think of the increasingly popular option of a woman (man?) retaining her (his) childhood family name?  What about double or hyphenated last names?  

Here's what your second post should include: 

1) In a paragraph, explore the meaning you find in  your name. It can be your first, your last, or even a nickname.  How does that name define you? Or does it?

AND

2) Anna Quindlen, in her essay "The Name is Mine", remarks,"there are two me's, the me who is the individual and the me who is a part of a family of four..." To that same end, some say that Beowulf is a story of a dual ordeal: an external battle with vicious opponents and an equally important battle with human tendencies. Everyone experiences such moments of awareness.  In another paragraph or two, think about those times when you have been "two," and explore the dilemma posed by being an individual and, at the same time, a part of a larger whole.