We all have a first name, and love it or hate it, we rarely change it. It can be short or composed, fashionable, old-fashioned or even avant-garde, invented or classic, it is sometimes that of an ancestor or an actress, a place or a fictional hero…
Behind these few letters, chosen by our parents or circumstances, there is almost always a story that brings together the intimate and the social.
Indeed, after generations of Brigitte then Isabelle, Michel then Thierry, today’s first names are more diversified since the law of January 8, 1993 allowed parents greater freedom in choosing the first names of their children.
What influence does our first name have on our personality? Is it easier to wear an original first name or a common first name? Are tribute names a good idea?
To talk about it, Geraldine Mayr receives Francois Bonifaixpsychoanalyst and first name specialist, author of First name trauma. He explains to us what, beyond a conscious choice, can be at stake when it comes to attributing one first name rather than another to his child, and tells us stories of first names, moving, funny or less funny.