What if you had no name?

What if you had no name?

How would you define yourself?

How would others define you?

The serious implications of having no name are clearly demonstrated by the story of ‘Sixty-Six Garage’, the Mexican migrant who lay in a permanently vegetative state in a Houston hospital for sixteen years after a car accident. With no other details available he was named, probably, after the garage close to where the accident happened. He was lost to his family, and would have remained so if a ‘border angel’ hadn’t stepped in and helped to reconnect them.

Let’s consider how unclaimed or unidentified dead are treated, you are most likely to be assigned a pauper’s grave under the name of Jane or Jon Doe if you are without identification.

If you are in a developing country, having no identity can be the difference between life-or-death access to good hospitals and amenities.

But let’s go a little deeper.

Your sense of worth, your sense of belonging to a cultural group, or just a single unit, the family, is initially determined by your name.

Many studies have shown Pygmalion type behaviour and treatment patterns based on names, whether it means you rebel and stand out as other, or conform and belong, there is a lot in your name, both conscious and unconscious which then defines your personal brand.

In general, most parents will spend a fair amount of time considering the name they give their child. They take into consideration cultural trends, cultural perceptions and family traditions. Most of us are aware that we can’t just call a child ‘girl’ or ‘boy’ indefinitely.

So, bearing that in mind, if you are about to launch a business, be careful of just labelling it something random, generic or too abstract.

Your brand name is the first impression your prospects will have about you and your products or services.

Take the time to find the right name. Make it clear. Make sure it’s easy to say and that it is memorable. And, test a few. The impression a name leaves is indelible, don’t rush it and don’t waste it.