I think in some small ways your name can help shape who you are, if someone were to have bad experience with a person named Sara perhaps they would be less inclined to know you and that would remove their influence on your life, and without their influence your life could change drasticly, I think thats called chaos theory

I believe that your name could affect how you feel about some people but your name cannot affect you as a person. This is because a name is just a label. In a way it is comparable to how we label things in society. If school wasn't named school would it still be the same?

I don't really have anything yet, but I really like your question, so I will definitely think about it and see what I can come up with. I think that the expression "whats in a name?" which I assumed meant mostly that something could sound bad and still be good, similar to the don't judge a book by it's cover, brings a different idea to your question, possibly that while one person may see your name as meaning nothing, it may give others a predisposition to think about you in a certain way. So while I believe that to some people it might not mean anything, others might reach for deeper meaning. One quick thought, maybe nicknames, or shortened names possibly could mean more than the name you were born with. I'm going to think more on this name business.

language is the product of association, so to say that it determines who you are is a bit of a stretch, because it's only one tiny aspect of your existence. but that doesn't mean that your name's association should be disregarded.

I say language is a product of association, meaning that we call a things a certain way because it "sounds" like the qualities the said object has. Let me give you an example from a book that I read. I wish I could find appropriate pictures and insert them or a copy of the actual text, but I can't, so I'll try to make a coherent depiction.

Take for example a jagged star-like shape and a round blobby shape?

you have the option to give either shape the name of kiki or bobo.

98% (or some percent that was close to 100) decided to give the jagged shape kiki and the blobby shape bobo.

now, you could say most decided to call the blobby shape bobo because of the alliteration and similarities in definition between the two words (bolbous, blob, bobo). you could also say that "kiki" makes a sharp sound with the mouth (try saying it) while when you say bobo you round your mouth to make a "rounder" sound.

I'm not linguist though, this is just what I know. I suggest you do your own research.

But let's say that when one names a person, they desire to have the association of that name to influence the child. If they do, then of course there will be some influence. Not because of the name itself, but because it's linguistic association and derivation. I would say Sara is a very soft name, and not very aggressive. Maybe because of the "s" sound is affiliated with sleeping and "shh", the pronounciation is not very stressed, and there aren't too many syllables. This doesn't mean you most definitely are gentle (it's just your name and perhaps most people do not associate it with something soft and gentle), but it does mean that you could be associated with that idea. And if you acknowledge (consciously or unconsciously) that you are associated with that idea, by constantly hearing your name and making an association with it, then there could be a chance that you act upon it either to reinforce it's meaning or to REACT against the perception of its meaning.

okay so based on what you just said i believe that a persons name can affect their reality mainly due to time. i know this sounds rediculous but a persons life could actually change in an instant and could these instances change if you spend time saying a longer or shorter name. could it change wether or not you are late for a big meeting or important date just because you spent time saying or writing a longer name. just a thought

I agree.
Your name could have an influence on your life if the word has been used before. For example, "Sara" is a popular name, therefore, other people who have been before her have the same name. This change the view other people have on Sara, as they might subconsciously relate to the other Sara. On the other hand, if Sara was a newly created word just for her, then she could define it herself, and it might follow her personality. Also, as Jennifer said, it can relate to our language. Certain sounds and letters mean different things, changing other's view on the person, and perhaps the view of the person themselves.

I don't really think your name determines who you are or who you become. I just think that people strongly associate someone's name with their personality. For example, if a woman knew a "Kate" in their life and really didn't like her (nothing personal to any "Kates"!) then they would probably avoid naming their daughter Kate because they have associated that name to a "type" of person whom they don't get along with. If they did name their daughter Kate however, would their daughter really turn out to have the same personality as the Kate that the mother didn't like?

Okay, so i do not believe your name defines you. Look at us for example, we are both sarah's and we are most likely very different people. I have met tons of sarah's in my life ( I was somehow blessed with a really freaking popular name ) and I differ from each one so much. I think your name is just sort of a label to help people distinguish between one another, but it most definatly does not define who you are.

True, but is there something that you, and i both have in common? (other then our name). Are all of the Sara's in the world attracted to the colour red? or do we always walk with our right foot first, or do we all eat the blue M&Ms first? Is there something, it could be something very small or something really big, that we have in common?

Also, Sarah, we spell our names differently, could that have an impact? Lets take Ashley, there are tons of different ways of spelling that name, could that potentially have an impact?

I'm not going to say that if my name wasn't Greg that I would still be the same person. I don't think it really determines who you are though. I think that that is getting down the whole free wil or fate road. So you wouldn't be the exact same, but you still wouldn't be that different. You wouldn't be the exact same in the sense that you will be used to hearing different things, but I would still be...annoying for example(haha). So I don't think it really predetermines who you are, unless your name is Jeeves.

Hold on a sec. Are we just thinking first names here, or are last names being taken into account? Think on that one.

Name - crime link....http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/29/study-links-unusual-surnames-to-criminality/

your name could really only ever reflect your heritage, if it ever reflected who you are at all. Since we receive our names before we have the chance to achieve anything aside from being born. A name is a word for you, just like pizza is a word for doh with tomato sauce and cheese on it. This word that your parents gave to you, gives you the ability to begin defining who you actually are. All these things that make up your personality, are filed under your name as you. The name they are under doesnt make a difference to who you are to yourself, but simply makes you easier to remember and be classified in society.

I really don't think our names have any impact on who we are. Many people end up changing their names because they don't like the names their parents have chosen for them. How would that fit in to the theory?

ok, so these people change their names to names that they think better represents them. Meaning that names clearly reflect our personality.......just throwing things out there......

NEW QUESTION: IS THERE SOMETHING THAT WILL ALWAYS REMAIN TRUE?

Well, what is already true? What do you mean by something being "true"?

By something, you must mean something in this universe, correct?
I think that our universe is one of constant change. Therefore, I do not think that anything physically in our world is eternally true.

but is there "something" (for a lack of a better word) that will always remain true? if not then what makes our lives liveable knowning that nothing is true?

what about math does 2+2 always =4

the names may be different but the fact that two things plus two more things will always equal two more things than the orginal two, what we call four. so math is the only thing that stays true, if so, then can the universal truth be unlocked by math?

2+2 doesn't always equal 4. For instance, if two things meet two more things, and one of them is absorbed/destroyed/used by one of the others. Therefore, 2+2=3 in this case. So math is not ALWAYs true.

OK...so then there is absolutly nothing that always remains true? not even math? how will this affect humans, to know that the most "true" thing, math, is not even true?

I dont think that there will ever be anything absolutely true because the world is always changing. Every truth we know always changes even with math. The principle may not always change but new ways of coming up with things or extension of ideas always will occur.

one thing that is constantly true could be that something exists.

but then you get into the problem of what exists and what does not. Did the world exist before God created it (if you follow that religious thought)? so, if something does not exist, it is "nothingness" which is existing.....isn't it just like a circle? It never stops, both depend on each other to be true and false.

Say there is god, what created god, certaintly he could not have come from nothing itself, or did god create nothing and abyss. Now think about if god does not exist. Its silly really, how we humans think that theres has to be a "greater power", could we not assume that everything did come from nothing? i guess we could only assume theres a god because we play god ourselves. How we know that we can create something from many little somethings. In the end i would say to make the "T" requires "t's".

The one thing that will always stay true is we will always wonder wether there is a god....or several gods, etc. Alot of the questions that we cannot answer (about life) will remain unanswered.

i agree, because we are not born in such times, how could be ever Know. we are not the "originators", of from their times, we do not know their ideas or thoughts, also how can be know that what has been written is also true?

Well, then if we can disregard God, is there a place or loctaion (physical or spiritual) where all of the Truths reside? (Think along the lines of Plato's World of Being) Do you think there is a place where all knowledge and truth is present and obivious?