As with all Aardman Animations, the characters have been well named for the adventures they're about to embark on. Young 'Shaun' is a case in point. It isn't always so for us humans.
The business of names and naming was something I read about a few months ago in an online French publication. I then put it to the back of my mind and completely forgot about it, until yesterday when the subject re-emerged in of all places, Chichester Cathedral. The article was called Le droit à changer de prénom. An interesting piece, which discussed the pros and cons of whether offspring/children should have the right to change the first names they'd been given by their parent(s). Careful research showed how different cultures and the families within them, went about choosing names for a new arrival. There were several examples of where the first name was changed as the child grew up and reached a key stage of development in his or her life.
I have occasionally thought how nice it would be to change my middle name. It isn't bad - Mary. I just don't happen to like it very much, whereas I do like my first name and wouldn't want to change that. Mary was also the 'family' name. So given that significance, I've never done anything about it and being my second name, it was something I could live with, as it was seldom used. Even so, my naming was very much a 'close shave'. My mother had been determined - I shudder at the thought and please, try to keep the laughter below Richter scale levels - to call me Primrose Rosemary! Fortunately my Dad wouldn't have any of it - yeah for Dad! - although quite where he got the idea of Hilary from, I don't know. But I'm very glad he did and very glad I was named at least from my point of view, with my names in the right order. If it had been Mary Hilary, I might well have become the subject of the article!
The notion that someone should have the right to change their first name if they don't like it, is a real sign of our times. Can't imagine it was an option in the 1800s. While ambling around inside the cathedral yesterday afternoon, Mike called me over to have a look at a gravestone from the same period that had been laid into the cathedral floor. Two sisters. The first one was called Anne. Straightforward. Nothing untoward. Have known and do know a few, some with an 'e' at the end and some not. Then underneath Anne came her sister. Theopilania! For goodness sake! What had she done wrong? Anne and Theopilania. It's not easy to say. 'Hello I'm Anne and this is my sister - Theopilania'. Oh dear.
Intrigued as to the meaning, I did some research on the internet. There appeared to be no such name. Rather flippantly, the suggestion was made that perhaps there had been a spelling mistake. Having taken down all the details of ages etc, I had another look on the internet this afternoon. And guess what! According to the records that are available on line in the public domain, there had been a spelling mistake. Not once but twice. The records show that Ann was spelt without an 'e' as in the cathedral spelling, and poor Theopilania was really meant to be Theophania - a rather interesting name from which Tiffany originates as follows: Old French for Tifaine or Epiphany which is from the Ecclesiastic Late Latin, Theophania (Epiphany/Manifestation of God).
What a turn up! Why weren't the mistakes - if they were mistakes - ever rectified?
Hairy stuff this name business and presumably it's too late to do anything about it now.
Suddenly Hilary Mary seems fine to me.
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