Lent: Name

Ever wonder what your name says about you? If you think about it, you'll find that it says quite a lot. My name, for instance, is David Learn. Let's break it down.

My first name is David. That name ultimately comes from the Hebrew Scriptures, and some people automatically assume that I was named for the biblical king of Judah To them this name suggests something about my religious devotion, or the religious devotion of my parents, since David was a man after God's own heart.

Alas, it is not so. I was named for my Uncle David. David Dahlman was a salesman who married my Aunt Frances, and even became an Episcopal to do so. (He was, as you might have guessed from his last name, born Jewish.) My mother liked her brother-in-law and saw qualities in him that she admired, and gave him his name when I was born.

My name is David, but my closer friends and intimates generally call me Dave, the name I prefer and usually introduce myself with. It's friendly. It's informal. It's relaxed and unassuming. "David" is the name I use professionally, in my byline or when I have to sign things; so it's usually how I'm known in formal contexts. (A theater director once asked if I prefer Dave, or David. I responded: "Well, my friends all call me Dave, so I guess you'd better call me Robert.")

Some people use their middle names to carry a piece of their identity, like ethnicity or a family name with meaning. My brother's middle name is Hayward, for instance; the maiden name of one of our great-grandmothers. My middle is name is Andrew. Its chief function in my childhood was to serve as an early warning system. I only heard it in the context of my full name, and when my mother called "David Andrew Learn," I knew I was in trouble.

My last name is Learn. What it reveals is less obvious than you might think. When a surname is also a common English word, it often reveals something about an ancestor: where he lived,,what he did, or who his father was, for instance.

"Learn" is not actually an English name. Originally it was Loehrner, a name that reflects Prussian roots and a Germanic heritage. That it was shortened and given a common spelling reflects how long my family has been in America. (The earliest Learns on record fought in the Pennsylvania militia during the War for Independence.)

I first saw the value of a good name when I was 26 and trying without much success to buy auto parts with a check. Bob Plante happened to be working at the store, and rang me through because he knew me from church and trusted my name. His co-workers let him do it not because of any respect they had for my name but because of the respect they had for his.

My name as a whole has different meanings, depending on who says it. Some people hear the name and they think "hard worker." Others think "royal jerk." I'd like to think a few hear my name and think it means integrity, creativity, or decency and compassion. My name says many things about me, not all of which are pleasant to hear but most of which have some truth to them,

And what does your name reveal about you?


Copyright © 2019 by David Learn. Used with permission.


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