This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Finch, J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Naming Names: Kinship, Individuality and Personal Names

Keele University, j.v.finch{at}vco.keele.ac.uk

The article presents an exploratory analysis of the significance of personal names in contemporary Western societies, the UK in particular. Names are seen as having the dual character of denoting the individuality of the person, and also marking social connections.The focus is particularly on kinship, and the ways in which names can be, and are, used to map family connections as well as to identify unique individuals.The author argues that both surnames and forenames can serve to ground the individual within family relationships, though the extent to which this is used actively can vary. In turn the way in which names and naming are used within the family context sheds light upon contemporary kinship, with its enduring and variable dimensions. Additional empirical exploration of names and naming could further illuminate its characteristics.

Key Words: display • family • individuality • kinship • names

Sociology, Vol. 42, No. 4, 709-725 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0038038508091624


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Savage and R. Burrows Some Further Reflections on the Coming Crisis of Empirical Sociology Sociology, August 1, 2009; 43(4): 762 - 772. [Abstract] [PDF]