ABSTRACT
Our first name is inseparable from ourselves, the essence of the person. It suffices to pronounce a few phonemes or to articulate some apparently insignificant syllables; the mere evocation of a name may provoke love or hate, sad or happy memories, clear and distinct or chaotic, confused sentiments in relation to the possessor of that name. A name is also a right of children and an institution that, unlike others, does not represent an anonymous social reality. To name means to bring the child into the order of human relations; thus, the importance acquired by the name given to a child and received by that child. To choose and give a name to a child gives him imaginary history and family symbolism. The writing of the name remains as an indelible trace of a symbolic family history, a group palimpsest to which several generations often make their contribution.
