What’s in a Name? “Nomen est Omen”—From Ancient Belief to Literary Subversion
Wilde and Shakespeare in The Globe. AI art Introduction From baby names to brands or corporate logos, from novels to news headlines, people often act as if names carry a hidden charge—a sign of fate, character, or truth. This age-old belief is distilled in the Latin maxim nomen est omen , which translates to “the name is a sign” or more evocatively, “the name is a prophecy.” It suggests that names are not mere labels, but potent clues to the nature or destiny of their bearers. This article explores the roots of nomen est omen and then examines how this notion is treated—and ultimately undermined—in two canonical literary texts: Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet . Wilde satirizes the performative allure of naming, while Shakespeare poetically denies its power, offering two distinct critiques of the belief that names reveal essence. The Origins of a Belief The phrase nomen est omen can be traced back to Roman literatur...