How did you pick your name?

[seastone81]

I am not sure where to post this, but this forum seemed like the best bet.

I had a dream last night there a group of people wearing black robes were my friends and we were running around preparing for a confrontation with "bad people". It's not uncommon for me to not know anyone in my dreams, and this was the case last night. At one point, we were all crouched behind a rock and the guy-in-charge tossed me a book and said, "it's time for you to pick a name". All of the other people around agreed, and I opened the book and was mad that there were only guy's names in there. So the book is no help, but I still have to find a name.

I"m thinking that this has to do with choosing my magical name. So I have to ask, how did everyone here come to have their magical name, if you have one? And how do you use it?

Thanks :broomride

[SamTheBlob]

i dont have one, i just use my real name lol

[Morien]

hey now, nothing's wrong with guys' names for a girl. There are enough Ashleys, Sydneys, and Leslies to prove it. :lol: Not the same thing as you're asking, but something to keep in mind maybe. :) I asked a Wiccan friend on another board this and she said that if you choose a new name has to mean something to you? Or something to that effect, it was a couple months ago. ^_^;

[morrigan]

I researched different goddesses for a very long time, chose some that i liked and then took time to meditate. through the meditaions the right name came to me.. i had wanted a magickal name for many years but none felt right so i waited.. the right name came at the right time.. it felt very natural and fitted in with my personality traits very well and most importantly i have never regreted the name i chose.. I came to think of it a bit like choosing a name for a child or choosing a tattoo its something i was going to have for the rest of my life and I have to be able to live with it and be happy with it.. it couldnt be chosen on a whim or because it was cool at the time.. and definatly couldnt be rushed.. Blessed Be ~Morrigan~

[ValiantKnight]

I picked mine because of my interest in mid-evil weapons and armor, So Knight came to mind. I'm pretty courageous and so forth, Valiant sounded cool! So I became ValiantKnight !

[CleftOfLight]

J.R.R.Tolkien,CleftofLight is a river I believe in Mordor(hope I spelled that correctly) and all my other magickal names I pick from things that speak to me.Whether it be a name,a character,a word.

[Morning Star]

There are a number of ways of doing this. What are you in relation to the gods? What are you in relation to nature? Native Americans used descriptive labels as names. You could use one, two, three, four words that describe your relationship with the universe or your idea of yourself, who you are and string them together - or change those words into another language. You could study the history of witchcraft and magic and look for names that appeal to you. You could pray about it. Be Patient, wait for your heart or the gods to name you. Any of these could work.

Also, research names of rocks, gems, trees, plants and so forth - you my find one of these whose qualities appeal to you. You could then name yourself after them.

[Sasha318]

I haven't chosen a witch name yet. There are names that I like, such as Lavender, Lark, and Meadow, but none that seem complete by themselves and none that I like joined together, kwim? I figure the right name will come to me when I need it.

[Draco Celtae]

Hey Seastone,

I think youre on the right track with your thoughts that your name will appear in a dream.
Too many people feel that they "need a pagan name" and so they fret and and search openly for a name, any name, that apeals to them. My advice (for what its worth) is that you not "try" to find a name, but let it find you..as it appears youve been doing. When the right name comes along, it will be just that, the 'right' name. Dreams are very important, as they can tell you many things youre not open to in the waking world.
Youll know when youve found it, :)

(I know...im a windbag)

[DamienDeville]

It sounded like a good name to me.

[seastone81]

thanks for the replies everyone - it's got me thinking. and i think that's as far as i'm going to go with it - I agree that the right thing will come to be in its own time.
:frosty: Thanks for your input!

[WhiteRavenBran]

thanks for the replies everyone - it's got me thinking. and i think that's as far as i'm going to go with it - I agree that the right thing will come to be in its own time.
:frosty: Thanks for your input!

I think it'll just kinda jump out and slap you right in the face. For instance, before my initiation I had been fretting about what my name would be...I had a string of about 3 words, but I couldn't decide which combination to use. When I was presenting my vows and dedication poem to my HPs, I had already unknowingly written the name in there - so when I read them aloud to her before the ceremony I suddenly knew what the name had to be. So just give it time and the name will come to you.

Oh, and by the way, that dream sounds pretty cool - I very rarely remember mine, and they are usually rubbish dreams, a kind of "mental housekeeping" to sweep out all the useless junk from that day.

[dawns_eve]

I haven't picked one yet. I just don't feel ready because none have actually come to me. It's also not necessary to have one. I suppose one day I will "feel" one.

[Darakash]

Fun question....my "pagan" screen name, I picked when i was a brand-spanking newbie....Dara is Celtic for "pearl of wisdom" (and also means Oak) and at the time, i had just been exposed to the idea of "Akasha" which appealed to me so much that I thought "I would like to have wisdom of Akasha, to know its secrets and truths....so out came Darakasha...which I have since, for some reason hacked the "a" off of, it just sounds more pleasing to my ear.

My actual magickal name that I use when addressing my matron and patron in ritual came about as I was righting a statement for my dedication to them. I used the ancient egyptian words (or at least what I found Egyptian language folks have transliterated them to be) for the qualities I most associate with my "parents." I am not particularly comfortable sharing that actual name here , for some reason.

But this can be an interesting way to choose a name....think about the Deities with whom you most closely associate and think of a single word that describes each of their most out standing qualities or natures (to you) and look each word up in the language of that pantheon. For instance, lets say you have a love of or relationship with Aphrodite and Poseidon and you association them with Love and Sea...you might call yourself Agapao (love transliterated from ancient greek) Thalassa (modern of sea) or flip it to Thalassa Agapao, etc. I see this as sort of nameing yourself what you hope to become or to embody, if that makes sense.

Blessings,
DK

[Sasha318]

Fun question....my "pagan" screen name, I picked when i was a brand-spanking newbie....
I was drawing a blank, lol. Sasha was already in use, and London is my daughter's name.

[Coyote's Laughter]

My pagan name is Coyote's Laughter, it just came to me and sort of stuck! I also have Vasantika-Tusholi as they are two spring goddesses and I have been pagan since then! But I rarely use that name, its more personal...

[Flappersquirrel]

I don't really have a magical name, except for the one my parents gave me. And it's always seemed to fit just right. Perhaps one day I'll end up with another name, but it's not a priority.

As for my screen name... well, I came with Flappersquirrel after I was chased out of the bathroom by a herd?flock?murder? of flying squirrels that had chewed their way through the way. Really. (A Flapper being a part of a toilet, which the fuzzy little monsters were perched on when I got out of the shower.)

With my luck it probably is my magical name. Heh heh heh.

[wakywitch]

I don't have a magical name per say.
Most of my friends think I am whacked out, in a good way.
So the name, wakywitch just stuck.

[Wiccamagikal]

I STILL dont know my Magikal Name, I know it will come to me in time. You say you had a dream about it"? I have had one so far..and it was pretty odd..I was under this tree, rocking back and forth and I had black candles all around me.. Well this guy walks by in a Blue and red robe..he says, Come child..Follow me. I followed him to this house..well He pointed up at the door frame, and there was writing on it..he said Here child, this be your name...I am so disappointed though, Because I couldnt read it!! LOL I was awaken and...it just went..like a drop in a bucket out of my mind..I dont know what it was to this day...I recommend you just give it time.. it'll come..lol I am impatient as well! LoL

[ObsidianSunrise]

I have always dreamt about a black panther that talks to me. Several years ago, as he was walking away from me after a long talk he called me ObsidianSunrise. It felt right and so I go by that name now. As to a meaning for it, I haven't figured that out yet.

[Gwenhwyfar]

Well Im Irish and Iv always liked the name Gwenhwyfar, thats really why I chose it but as a bonus it turns out thats where my real name, Jennifer, originated from...so I went with it.

[Hairball]

With me, my cat coughed it up.

[TornadoAli]

Mine is Abhainn, which I picked out of an Irish phrasebook years ago, even before I realized I was pagan. It means River, and I have this thing for Ireland and for rivers, so over the years the name sort of became more and more ME. Then I realized I was pagan and it made for a perfect magic name! :-)

[Sage Rainsong]

My name is a bit of a metaphor for me. the sage part is a state that I am striving to become. The rainsong part reflects my animistic beliefs.

[Druchii]

I didn't pick it, my friends did, and now I go just by Dru.
For about an hour the other day, I had thought about legally changing my name to Druchii,...
then I had an attack of common sense. :)
And it isn't a magical name.

[misschief]

I didn't pick it, my friends did, and now I go just by Dru.
For about an hour the other day, I had thought about legally changing my name to Druchii,...
then I had an attack of common sense. :)
And it isn't a magical name.HA!! you should!! i DARE you!!! :lol: seriously.. it fits you better than your real name does.. DOOOO ITTTTTT!! *shoves druchii*

i thought druchii probably came from the uh.. i forget what it is... isn't druchii the most feared god or something like that on some rpg?

[maria-margarita]

:hehehehe:
I was born with my name.
OK OK OK maybe not born with it. But it was given to me and I just love it. I fix it so well!
:thewave:
So that's why I use it. :cutesanta

[Druchii]

HA!! you should!! i DARE you!!! :lol: seriously.. it fits you better than your real name does.. DOOOO ITTTTTT!! *shoves druchii*

i thought druchii probably came from the uh.. i forget what it is... isn't druchii the most feared god or something like that on some rpg?


the Druchii are a malevolent and violent race of elves in the Warhammer Fantasy world, and I was known in school for always drawing them, reading about them, playing them in games, and used the handle Druchii as long as I have been on the internet. They worship Khaine the lord of murder.
:) I do not. I like kittens and pooches.
...I... I don't LIKE peer pressure! *runs back to sock drawer to hide--> _inabox_

:lol: Who knows, I may change it. :)

[Druchii]

:hehehehe:
I was born with my name.
OK OK OK maybe not born with it. But it was given to me and I just love it. I fix it so well!
:thewave:
So that's why I use it. :cutesanta

I like the name Maria, but I always end up with the song Maria in my head, by the country band LoneStar. :) Good stuff that is.

[misschief]

the Druchii are a malevolent and violent race of elves in the Warhammer Fantasy world, and I was known in school for always drawing them, reading about them, playing them in games, and used the handle Druchii as long as I have been on the internet. They worship Khaine the lord of murder.
:) I do not. I like kittens and pooches.
...I... I don't LIKE peer pressure! *runs back to sock drawer to hide--> _inabox_

:lol: Who knows, I may change it. :)oh, yeah yeah.. for some other elf race.. or something.. i don't remember... lol. but i knew that.. sorta..

CHANGE IT!! DO IT!! DO IT!!!... lol, i'm like a 15 year old holding out a beer saying.. 'come on, just take a drink'.. :lol:

[Brielle LaLune]

Well, being French, I wanted to choose something which reflected that... Brielle means "Bright Lady" and LaLune (because I so love the moon.) :D Mostly though, I just thought it sounded pretty! *LoL* :bigredblu

[StormVixen]

um... my name came from a picture i drew whilst sort of in a trance... i did laminate the picture but it got lost! storms energize me and i love foxs i have one as a guide (and i am one apparently)

StormVixen is so me i was amazed when i came up with it, it suites me perfectly!

[Malkior]

looked around for it for a few years, going damnit where is my name, then it smacked me in the side of the head and from when i heard the name it was mine from that point on. Malkior is hebrew, and means God is my Light.

[Marishae]

My name was given to me by my Goddess... I was just zoning out one day... and bam... the name entered my mind and I knew it was a gift from Goddess... The name I use here is a variation of it that I liked the way it sounded and it felt "right".

Good things come to those that wait. Be patient and let it come to you. If you feel it might come in a dream, but you might not remember it, sleep with a notepad and writing instrument near your bed, so that if you see something or hear something in your dream, you can write it down immediately. Even if it's a symbol, try to draw what you see... and then try looking it up to see if you can find out it's meaning or origin. It might help you to discover your name. =) Good luck! =)

Blessed Be,
~Marishae~

[Red_Sanara]

I don't have a magic name or what have you. The name I use here is from a story my friend and I are colaberating on in which we get sucked back into a past life. So as a result I use Sanara frequently. Sanara is often referred to the red Sanara because she has power over fire. ^_^

[MoonDragn]

I have always dreamt of dragons. I worship the moon. So it was easy. However these days, with all the extra holiday feasts.. I feel like my Moon is really drag'n

[chaotic tranquility]

my "magickal" name is locke.....it was given to me by my grandfather (he was a wiccan gypsie (or atleast thats what i have been told) and i'm not sure if it has a meaning or not but i think its like norse or celtic.

[Flar's Freyja]

At first, I took the names of patron goddesses I was working with at the time, because names I came up with myself just sounded dumb to me. I just wasn't into 'Silver Rain Mist" type names.

I had the blessing of participating in a Native American naming ceremony a while back and was given 2 names by the shaman, "Whispers on the Wind" and "Plays With Coyotes." I use these as they fit what's going on at the time.

It took a while to find my true magical name and it came to me through a geneaology search. It is also my pen name, and I am seriously considering having my name legally changed. The name come from an ancestor I had no knowledge of until recently, when she confirmed herself as a strong spirit guide. She is the person I create as, as well as who I am spiritually and am becoming personally.

I haven't wanted to change my name here because Freyja is the one who helped build this board, and she's a bit of a fixture.

[omar]

The great"Snowy Owl" just flew in from the north when I was 14 yrs. old and gave me my name. He said " whooo!" are you to be? That was a long whoo ago.

[Taurwen]

I was trying to think of a cool name for a roleplay game online, and I came up with the name "Erise". Later I found out that Eris was goddess of mischief in greek mythology.

That was an odd coincidence, because people tell my I'm mischievous as well. Many a time I feel drawn to Loki and other mischievous deities.

[Benkei]

Benkei, from what a cook at my current place of employment told me, means "strong man". And I also liked the sound of it for my mage character on Ultima Online, hehe.

[aerialla]

Aerial is in or of air I added the la to make it a feminine name. I've had it know for 6.5 years and I have never grown tired of it.

I opened a dictionary on day and there it was staring me right in the face. I had tried changing it but when I would go as another name nothing would go right.

I was supposed to be Aerialla. Pretty cool considering my Goddess is Hecate and she sits to the East and at Air for me. I'll even be outside on a completely breeze free day and I will get a blast of air, one time while I was doing a Tarot spread a breeze came by from no where and flipped over a card from below two others keeping them face down while turning the one over. Needless to say that card changed a lot of things for me._cookie_

[Cornflake_Girl8]

My magickal name refers to my spirit guide whilst my forum screenname refers to a song by my favourite singer and 8 is the track number.

[Anjel]

I was called Angel as a child by a teacher, who at the time seemed like a really old man to me. He was very sweet and had a grey beard and glasses. I must have been about 9 or 10 at the time and for some reason I have always used this name but spelled it with a 'J'.

[BlessedByTheGoddess]

I chose my name because my middle name is Leigh.I added a letter as it added a new part to my life.

[Frozen Lake]

I was given mine - when i was ordained in our kemetic community i was divined a name by my aunt (high priestess) and she gave me mine, one that is so very fitting ... it means a lot to me and i only use it in private or with the community

[Hail the don]

I like the mafia kinda simple really

[vicky982]

wow, all of this is really interesting, i always go by the name vicky982 online, but about 4 years ago, i was thinking up another alias for a website i used, i needed another account.
i was really thinking about it and the name tally came to mind, i had never heard it used as a name or anything before, but i liked it. i have since read the book mithago wood, where the little girl is called tally, and she is a pagan i think, she travels through a forest and as she is walking she she travels through differnet times, she carves masks, that are gods and godesses, and she herself dies, is reborn as a tree, then the tree is burned and she is reborn agin as a child. its an amazing story, i like the name tally, i think the name will grow as i myself grow as a person.

[audi]

i picked my wiccan anme after i meditated and asked for one. it came to me and so it stuck. i also liked the meaning behind it, and realized that my subconscious probably picked it up from somewhere important. good luck! *hugs* :reading:

[Willow_starr]

I chose Willow as my craft name because of my connection to willow trees. I have always believed them to be magickal and they are used in healing (asprin) and crafts (baskets) all very important things to me.

I also have a name that came to me in meditation and is very sacred to me. and a secret (I have never spoken it aloud or written it down) for only me and the Gods.

[Earthy]

I was originally called Earthchild on here, mainly because i feel a deep connection to the earth.
Then i was called Earthy for short so decided to change it.Now i prefer it to my real name :)

[Salanthos]

my truename is Salanthos Y Sl'an. it literally came out of nowhere.
At that point in my life I was reading a lot about the various magical and religious beleif systems, and I had begun wondering about my truename. I tried to pick a name based on how I saw myself, as some of the others posting here ended up doing, but none seemed right for me. I am a random sort of person, and one day when I was playing with new word twists it came to me. Salanthos. I didn't know why this meaningless twist should become attached to me, but once I accepted it I understood why. Salanthos Y Sl'an has no meaning whatsoever (as far as I could find out) in any language of this world. It has meaning only in my veiw - it means Gaurdian Healer of the Wilds. and that is my role in my story of being.

[StarCraftLia]

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[LadyCelt]

I'm a lady who's part Irish and wants to learn more aobut Celtic things.

I've recently come up with a name on other forums I use called "kallima" which means butterfly. I mihgt add more to it too.

[RubyRose]

Well my screen name was simply a combination of my favourite gemstone (Ruby) and my favourite flower (Rose).

My actually Craft Name is secret and one I don't reveal to anybody.

Bendithion,
RubyRose

[Merewyn]

Merewyn was the easy part for me. For one, I originally got it from a main character in my most prized book. It was a character I understood and related to so well, in fact, my life for a while kind of ran parallel, or similar to hers. Besides that significance, the meaning of the name, "friend of the sea" also holds great meaning for me given my life. I was happy with my new name. But just recently (little more than a year later), the rest of my name eventually found me. And again - has great meaning and importance to me.

"Merewyn Autumn Rayne"

[ladywitchdoc5]

the name I use on-line isn't my magical name but it does describe who I am. I'm a lady, a witch, a pre-med student and I have 5 children!

[Danustouch]

My screen name is because I honor the Goddess Danu. I have always felt her touch in my life.

My Magickal name, Raine Littlewaters, is because the day I decided to dedicate myself to the path, it was pouring rain. And I had a very wonderful spiritual experience that day, so..it calls that to mind. Littlewaters, just came to me. Still haven't figured out why :)

[Hærfest Leah]

I don't have a magical name either.

[Ambertree]

I always loved the name of Amber, I wanted to name my own daughter Amber...but I never had one! So I took it as my magical name plus its my favorite Gem {if you can call it that}