A necronym is a name of someone who has died, and some cultures have taboos around using them. In some traditions, necronyms are reused or passed down through generations. Some cultures prohibit saying the name of the dead for a set amount of time. The use of necronyms can create problems for genealogists and historians.
A necronym is the name of someone who has died, and in many cultures, the idea of a necronym is extended to references to the dead as well. The complex rituals and beliefs surrounding the idea of death and dying sometimes result in intriguing taboos around necronyms in some cultures, and such taboos sometimes frustrate or confuse travellers. While almost any name could technically be considered a necronym, given that names tend to be cyclical in nature, most people use the term specifically to refer to the name of someone who has recently passed away.
In some traditions it is common to see necronyms reused. For example, in some European nations, if a child dies young, the next child may be named after her, sometimes several times historically, when death in infancy was very common. In other cultures, the name of someone who has recently died will be given to a child, as a way to honor the person who has died. More generally, necronyms can be passed down through multiple generations; in the United States, for example, children may be given their grandparents’ names, sometimes as middle names.
Necronym taboos prohibiting the use of the names of the dead are also common in some regions of the world, especially in Southeast Asia and Oceania. In these cultures, people are restricted from saying the name of a dead person for a set amount of time, and also cannot refer to the dead, except through code words or complicated circumlocution. Saying the name of the dead can be seen as bad luck for a number of reasons in these cultures.
Saying the names of the dead has been seen as a powerful act in many cultures and throughout history. In cultures where there is still a taboo of the necronym, a powerful mythology may surround death and dying, and people may perform other rituals to ensure that the dead cross over smoothly and avoid bringing down bad luck. In these cultures, the idea of naming a child after the recently deceased may be considered repugnant or highly offensive, rather than a sign of honor.
The use of necronyms has created some interesting problems for genealogists and historians, especially in the West, where children can be named after dead siblings. It can be difficult to figure out which sibling is under discussion or to confirm birth and death dates for people with identical names.
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