This episode explores how to learn what your first name means, where it comes from, and whether that meaning affects how you see yourself. The conversation covers the Germanic origin of a classic name and its meaning of resolute protector. It also covers the Hebrew meaning of another name, the challenges of having a very common name, and why childhood nicknames can be hard to leave behind. Listeners also hear why names change in the Bible and what those changes may say about identity and purpose. It is a good fit if you are curious about your own name or want to know how a name can shape identity.
The name William comes from Germanic roots, where “wil” means will and “helm” means helmet or protection, giving the meaning resolute protector or strong-willed warrior.
A very common name can lead to many nicknames, and childhood nicknames often stay with you with family and old friends long after you adopt a new version.
Family naming traditions, such as passing the same name down through five generations, can give a name added meaning and a sense of heritage.
Many people never wish for a different name, especially when the name has a good meaning and family history behind it.
Foreign-language versions of a name, such as the French and Spanish forms of William, can feel like an appealing alternative.
The meaning of a name can work as a reminder of the kind of person you want to be and a goal to grow toward.
The Hebrew name that relates to James and Jacob means supplanter, which can be read as turning something over to see it from a new angle.
Parents often choose names for how they sound and look rather than for what they mean, and the meaning can still resonate later in life.
Name changes in the Bible, such as Saul becoming Paul and Abram becoming Abraham, may reflect a change in identity, culture, or purpose.
Looking up the meaning and origin of your own name can help you understand yourself better and feel more comfortable with how you naturally operate.
Timestamps
00:48 – Where a name comes from and what it means
02:00 – Living with a very popular name
02:41 – Why childhood nicknames are hard to shake
04:14 – How family naming traditions pass a name down
04:48 – Would you change your first name and why
06:06 – Does your name’s meaning affect how you act
06:51 – The Hebrew origin and meaning of a different name
07:45 – Why names change in the Bible
09:34 – Whether a name reflects destiny or role in life
10:05 – Why learning your name’s meaning helps self-understanding
Keywords
meaning of my name, first name origin, name etymology, what does William mean, Germanic names, name and identity, Bible name changes, common name nicknames, family naming traditions, Hebrew name meanings
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[00:00:00] Hey there, I'm Jayma and over the past few years I've become very interested in onomatology, the study of names. I've never really liked my name until I researched the meaning of it. My name means paradigm shifter and I'd like to shift your paradigm by shining a light on onomatology and how it can potentially help you find your purpose, help you communicate better with others, or even both.
[00:00:26] In each episode, I ask someone eight basic questions regarding their first name. So sit back, relax and try to shift your paradigm with this next episode. Alright, in today's episode, I am interviewing somebody who I do not know, but I got his information from our podcasting network
[00:00:51] and wanted to interview another person with this name. So welcome to the podcast, Will. Thank you very much. Awesome. Well, if you could just tell the listeners where you're podcasting from and a little bit about yourself and then we'll jump into the questions. Yeah, I'm William Drummond. I'm podcasting out of San Francisco Bay Area. I currently run a startup that does kind of voice native mentorship for higher education.
[00:01:18] And yeah, just ready to jump in and explore my name. Awesome. Alright. Well, and before I even approached you about this, did you know what your first name meant? Sort of. I knew it had something to do with Protector. I knew because it's from like, it was German until like the Norman takeover of the UK and then like William the Conqueror on it became a
[00:01:44] kind of a UK name. But that's not a right way to put it. But before that it was Wilhelm and Vil being Will and Helm being protection like helmet kind of thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're spot on. It's definitely a Germanic roots and it the like will W.I.L. kind of translates to helmet or protection.
[00:02:10] And it essentially like results in the meaning of Resolute Protector or you could also say strong willed warrior. So those are pretty strong meanings, which are great. Yeah. No complaints there. Yeah. So I take you like it. Oh, it's been interesting. There's I'm the fifth in my family with the same name. Okay. And there's a lot of Bills in my life. It's weird like up until my generation, it was one of the most popular names.
[00:02:39] And so like even my mom, like her first date, her first boyfriend, her first husband were all Bill. I have like three Uncle Bills. Oh my God. My family's friend, like my dad has like five, six Bill friends. But then growing up, I was always just one, the same one. There wasn't like Billy two, Billy three or anything like that, like it was back then. But I like it. And it's very versatile.
[00:03:06] It's just has a lot of nicknames that you kind of have to get hazed and go through until you get to Will or Bill or William. Yeah. So you do go by Will, right? I do my best to. Okay. Growing up, it was Billy. Okay. And that was a very hard one to shake. So I was Billy through high school. But when I hear Billy, I think of like that little kid with the little baseball cap with the propeller on it, you know? And I'm like, so I think of that when I hear Billy.
[00:03:33] But then like when I went off to college, you know, when you have your first few weeks there and you're at orientation introducing yourself to everyone, I go like, oh yeah, nice to meet you. I'm Billy. Oh, Will. And it just, it didn't really, it was hard to adjust to. And then it was okay. But then I start dating and then I bring like a girl home to my family and they're like, oh, Billy. And she's like, Billy? Who's Billy? Oh. And then they love that.
[00:03:59] Or then, and all my high school friends, if I'm with them, with my professional friends, they'll call me Billy. And then everyone will be like, Billy. Oh, I love that. And it's like, yeah. Yeah. It's hard to get away from that, but. Yeah, I bet. It's fun. Yeah, that's cool. Yeah. I did find that like the name William has always pretty much held like in the top 20 of names in terms of popularity for boys in the US. So it is a very popular name for sure.
[00:04:27] I guess Liam is kind of making a comeback these days. Yeah. It's kind of a part of that sort of. So that second half. My nephew is Liam. So that's cool. Is that his full name William still or just Liam? No, just Liam. Yeah. Cool. Yeah. So, okay. And then do you know how your parents chose your name? Were you a junior or was there a story behind it? I'm the fifth. So my dad was William, his dad, his dad and his dad.
[00:04:57] So it's just kind of got passed down through the ages. Gotcha. Okay. And thinking back, like, have you ever wanted, have you ever had the thought cross your mind? I wish I had a different name. Um, actually, no, I've never really thought about that. I've been. Okay. It hasn't been that ostracizing of a name or, uh, yeah. You know, some people have those unfortunate names, but I am proud of mine and it has good heritage behind it and it's got a good meaning. So I'm rolling with it. Okay.
[00:05:27] And if you were forced to change your first name, is there a name that you really like that you would change it to and why? That's a very, very hard question. I should have looked that up beforehand. I should have. Okay. I should have. Um, I remember when I was little, I used to tell people that I wanted my name to be bicycle. Yeah. Not sure why. I was just experimenting with, you know, the social, um, as, I don't know.
[00:05:54] I just, I remember always saying that as a kid and people being confused by it, but I don't think I'd like that name. But, um, top of my head, uh, I have no, well, I guess I took French a lot in high school and college. And so I was Guillaume and I liked that a little better, um, which is the French William. So. Oh, nice. Gotcha. Kind of like Guillermo in, uh, Spanish. So. Gotcha. But as far as another name, I, it'll come to me after I end this podcast, I'm sure.
[00:06:24] Yeah. Sorry. When has, I don't think that William has ever been mispronounced or has it been? I don't think. Yeah. That's a good quote. Maybe like William or. Yeah. William. Your name's pretty much always pronounced correctly, right? Yeah. Yeah. I think so. Okay. And do you think the meaning of your name, Resolute Protector or Strong-willed Warrior,
[00:06:51] do you think that that has any relevance on the way that you act or the way that you see the world around you? I think it's a good reminder to keep refining yourself and, you know, hold, hold yourself up to that. And when you're falling short, just reminding yourself that you have this responsibility of being a protector. Um, so I guess that's a good reminder and it's just nice to fill those shoes or at least tell yourself you can until you actually do. Yeah.
[00:07:21] Yeah. That's one of my theories is that you can use it as like a goal that you always strive towards. Exactly. Yeah. That's a good way to look at it. Awesome. May I ask, uh, what's the etymology of your name? Yeah. So Jayma is Hebrew. Uh, so it's very similar to James or Jacob. It means the planter. So, so, so planter means to turn over. And so my translation of that is when you turn something over, you look at it from a different perspective and a different angle.
[00:07:48] And so it's essentially like shifting your paradigm on whatever you're looking at. So I say it's paradigm shifter and that's cool. Yeah. It kind of suits me. So awesome. Yeah. And, um, okay. So I have one more question for you. And so I started this podcast over two years ago and I wanted to know what books were saying about the significance of names.
[00:08:15] And so I Googled like, what is the bestselling book of all time happens to be the Bible. And there's actually quite a few people where it mentions that their names were changed. And so I was just curious what your opinion is about like, why do you think the Bible mentions that somebody changed their name? What do you think the significance is of that? Oh, that's a hard question. I mean, I don't know if it's like for political reasons or for translation purposes.
[00:08:44] I mean, it could be just an unrecognizable name within a certain community, which, you know, after they start translating it in different languages where they need to change it. Or is it, are you talking like way before? Uh, so like one example, I'll use the one in the new Testament. So Paul, he, um, his original name was Saul. Right. He changed it to Paul to sound like it was more so he could fit in with the culture of Rome.
[00:09:11] Um, but then another example in Genesis is that like God actually goes to Abram and says, you're going to change your name to Abraham and you're going to change your wife's name, Sarai to Sarah. Uh, I'm just curious, like what you, what you think, like the significance is of that. I mean, maybe just kind of like showing the path of that person and the, you know, changing one's name is, you know, what you're called by and it kind of like expresses your identity, I guess.
[00:09:39] And so that kind of transference of a person probably, uh, directly transfers to the change of name and what they're being called and what they hear when they turn their head. Um, so that probably has some kind of importance there too. Okay. Awesome. What do you think? What do I think? Uh, I definitely think it has something to do with a person's like destiny or their role in the world.
[00:10:04] And like, if you just think about the meaning of Abram versus Abraham, like it's more singular versus plural of being father of many nations. Okay. And then it just kind of defines their role and, or the role that they should transform into essentially. So. That makes sense. That's my opinion at least. Cool. How'd you get into this specific niche of podcasting? Uh, yeah.
[00:10:29] So like, I just looked up my name a few years ago and it helped me understand myself a little bit better. Once I got to know the true meaning and origin of it. And I thought, Hey, if this was super helpful for me and like being more comfortable with who I am and how I kind of operate it by default in terms of being very analytical, I was like, maybe this will help other people. And so I just came up with eight questions and it's been a really fun journey, a really great ride getting to know so many people.
[00:10:59] And yeah, it's been great. Did your parents have the meaning of your name in mind when they named you or do they just like the way it sounded? Do you know? They just liked the way it looked and sounded. They thought it was pretty. So yeah. Good enough. Cool. Yeah. Very cool. That's all my questions. Did you have any other questions for me? Um, no, I think that's it. All right. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for being on. Of course. Appreciate the time.
[00:11:25] If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or follow the podcast on your favorite platform. Your support helps me continue bringing you meaningful conversations with remarkable guests. Don't forget to tune in next time for more insightful discussions and inspiring stories. Until then, thank you for listening and keep striving to make a positive impact wherever you are. And don't forget to tap into the meaning of your own name to find a deeper sense of confidence
[00:11:55] in your purpose. Thank you very much for joining us. Thank you.
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