The name is a word that identifies someone or something.
Originating from the Latin word nomen , the concept of name constitutes a notion that is intended for the identification of beings that can be animate or inanimate . It is a verbal name that is attributed to an individual , an animal, an object or any other entity, whether concrete or abstract, with the purpose of individualizing it and recognizing it in front of others.
From the perspective of grammar , names fall into the group of nouns . It is possible, in turn, to classify them as proper nouns (those that identify a concrete and specific individual. For example: "Juan" , "María" , "Ricardo" ) or common nouns (which indicate a group or class such as It happens in the cases of "car" , "dog" , "house" ).
Scientific names , on the other hand, are used to give an orderly name to what is discovered by specialists. That is why they require a precise taxonomy that offers a nomenclature.
Names in the cognitive process
In the case of human beings, names are assimilated in the early stages of language learning. What is first designated with gestures (when pointing at something) becomes a concept when learning the corresponding word. That is why names are key in the cognitive process.
A child learns his own name (that word by which others call him) before the notion of Self. When designated by a proper name, it is common for the child who begins to speak to recognize himself through the repetition of his name (that is, to refer to himself in the third person).
An individual's full name appears in their passport and other personal documents.
Onomastics and toponymy
Regarding proper names, we have to emphasize that there is a discipline, close to history, which is called onomastics and whose main function is to study not only the etymological origin but also the historical context of those.
Likewise, there are other important areas that take names as their central axis. This would be the case, for example, of what is known as toponymy . In its case, it is responsible for carrying out the study of the names of cities, counties or regions of the various countries of the world.
Anthroponymy and the study of proper names
And in this sense we cannot forget about anthroponymy either. More precisely, we can establish that what it does is proceed to the study and analysis of proper names and also their surnames. It is important to highlight the fact that when these are characterized by their lineage and their "nobility" they will be the subject of the field of heraldry. This is a science that is also dedicated to what shields, weapons, coats of arms or armories are.
In this field of anthroponymy we can emphasize that basically when referring to the Spanish area, we encounter the fact that the names and surnames that we will analyze in depth have four possible origins:
– Roman . This would be the case of names like Antonio or Julio.
– Greek .
– Hebrew and Aramaic . Among the examples that emanate from these languages are Moses, Jesus, Mary or Thomas.
– Germanicus . Fernando, Gonzalo, Elvira, Alfonso or Álvaro are names that emanate from combinations of various languages of this origin.
Proper names are applied to people, but also to animals and even objects with special significance. Pets, in this sense, always receive a proper name ( "Bobby" , "Tom" , "Pancho" ).