essay about the origin of your name

The New York Times

The learning network | what’s the story behind your name.

What’s the Story Behind Your Name?

Questions about issues in the news for students 13 and older.

• See all Student Opinion »

An article today about a man who did not officially have a first name until he was 19 asks the question, “What’s in a name?” Do you like your name? How did you get it? How has it shaped you? If, like this man, you had to officially name yourself now, would you keep the name you’ve had all your life, or take another? Why?

Erik Eckholm writes about cartoonist Max Pauson and how life without a name shaped him:

…this promising art student’s strong sense of self was hard-earned. It was forged in an unstable, emotionally wrenching childhood and, in an odd detail that might serve as a metaphor for his struggles, it comes after 19 years of life without a legal name. His birth certificate read only “(baby boy) Pauson.” Name to come. His father had disappeared. His mother — in his words, “a pack rat who takes a really long time to decide on anything” — did not pick a first name at the hospital in San Francisco in 1990. And she never followed up, leaving him in a rare and strange limbo. While Mr. Pauson was long aware of the blank spot in his identity, he never quite had the time or means to correct it. He lived with his mother in a house that sometimes lacked electricity. He spent time in foster care and returned to live with his mother in homeless shelters and in public housing. Finally, at 15, he ran away to live with friends’ families. In an era when identities and backgrounds are scrutinized more than ever, he still managed to get into schools, though he never tried to obtain a driver’s license.

Students: Tell us how you got your name, how it defines you, and whether or not you would keep it if you could rename yourself now.

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. Please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

Teachers: Here are ten ways to teach with this feature.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

i would keep mine i would never change mini

Kelly Fortunato is a name that I have answered to multiple times. It has appeared on bills, on my college transcripts, and has been called out loud at the DMV. Unbeknownst to me, it has changed my gender countless times, and prompted me to explain myself on several occasions. People are suprised when I actually introduce my self as Fortunato Kelly. I know that it sounds like the pen name of a 18th century ex-pat, hints at luck, or even passes as regal, but it’s entirely mine, and of varied construction. The latin roots shine through, but I’m blessed to be named after my mother’s father, who was of Filipino, Chinese, and Malay blood. The Kelly roots come from my father, who lools like his Irish, German, and Portuguee roots suggest he should. In analyzing my personal genealogy, I find myself compelled to get others to seek comfort in their individual histories, know where they come from, and live up to the standards set by our lineage in the American experience. In these capricious times, one constant is the safety and security of knowing yourself, and being comfortable with it. Cheers for reading, Fortunato Kelly

So, if he didnt have a name until he was 19, what was the name that people were calling him up until then? was it hey you? or wat? im just wondering because how would people get his attention if he had no name.

If I had to pick out a name for myself, I would have to choose from five names: 1) Isabella 2)Stella 3)Aila 4)Katherine 5)Theresa I would choose one of these names because they are pretty and just roll out of the mouth, much better than mine.

i was named after the arabic word for perfect but people are constantly mispronouncing it. if i cud change my name, id change it to Zoey

I love my name. It’s really pretty, and it has a nice ring. It’s plain, but I’m not plain, so I kind of like that. And I have neat nicknames, like Em, Emmie, Ems and a whole bunch other! Emily.

I got my name from brian because my mom and dad wanted a boy but when i came out they hurry and put an A at the end to make briana. A lot of people have my name and i have always wanted to have a rare name but i dont think i would change it. even if i wanted to i wouldnt know what to change it to.

I like the names GIRLS: 1. Abigail 2. Hannah Marie 3. Bri Ann BOYS: 1. Johnny 2. andrew 3. Dom

I have liked the girls names from when I was 3 and i still do. I like abigail because i use to be a saftey when i was in 5th grade at my school and one of the girls name was abigain and i fell in love with the name.

I like the name johnny because that is my boyfriends name, i like andrew because it is my boy friends brothers name and i just think dom is a cool name

I officially have 2 names. one is Kathleen and one is Hak Young. Hak Young is the name that my parents gave me and Kathleen is just my english name. I love my english name but sometimes i don’t like my korean name. It kinda sounds like boy’s name in korea, and i do want to change my name to something else but that would be too complicated. Thus, i chose not to change my name after all.

I’m a Rebecca after my grandmother Rebecca and straight from the torah, Rebecca. My name connects me to my family, to my history, to my faith, to myself. I’ve always loved being named after my grandmother; loved not being a Becky or a Becca; loved what my name means to me.

My name, Meris, comes from a classmate of my Mom, at the University of Rhode Island, who had a daughter, Meris. I love it, and I couldn’t do so well, as to give myself this name! I would keep; it for sure.

The story behind my name is actually quit funny. I was suppose to be named Alexandra Sarah S[.] untill my dad realized my initiales were gonna be A.S.S. Alexandra was my great grandmothers first name and my mom wanted me to be named after her but she also liked the name Sarah. So now im Sarah Alexandra S[.]

My name is very common in the way it is originally spelled Christine. But my mother decided to be unique and spell my name Kristine. Plenty of times i have had to correct people because they may spell it incorrectly, and i have always been happy with my name because it is just a part of me. When researching my name i had found that it is of Scandinavian descent and basically means christian which is what i am. I am proud of my name and i would never want to change it because it is what my mother named me and it has become me too.

Your name is the one part of your life that society cannot strip away. Even the most destitute people, those living on the streets, do have one thing to cherish– their identity. A name is only as special as one makes it throughout their life, and is a reflection of how well one lives their life. On the one end of the spectrum, you have those who have ended up making their names known for the wrong reason, aka the FBI Ten Most Wanted Criminals. On the other end, you have those people whose names are to be revered because of the good they have done or the influence they have. And then there are those whose names have been stamped into history. If one is capable of doing something extremely remarkable (or extremely terrible during a critical period) history will remember your name long after you have died and impress upon you legacy. Names are an essential tool, without which one cannot hope to fathom working in the modern world.

My name in particular, Zahra, is derived from Arabic origins meaning “starlight.” I find my name to be a bit out of tune with other people, but generally I am quite fond of it. I sometimes feel queer about it though because I feel that people find it a bit odd to say, but I don’t mind in the least. Originally, my mother wanted to name me Aisha, but a few days after I was born, I became very sick. My grandmother suggested that the name “Aisha” didn’t “suit me very well” and was the cause of my illness. Of course that was not true, but my mm reconsidered and changed my name to Zahra.

My middle name came from my grandmother’s name. I was named after her because my mother is very close with her, and the name has a good message. I got my first name because my mom liked it. It’s Italian, and I am Italian. My mom was going to name both my brothers my name if they were girls.

My name means Rival Torch, from some What Does My Name Mean website. Otherwise, my mom liked Emily and my great grandma’s name was Lena. Emily Lena. ~Emily Lena

I was born named Baby Girl Medrano

I love my name. Amanda- one who is lovable or one eho loves. ^(^

My name is Melissa. I love my name exactly the way it is. My name means honey bee. My mom liked the name Melissa because when she was little her job was to take out the honey for the bees. So she thought to name the youngest a name that means honey bee.

My first name I don’t think describes me, boring normal story my mom read a baby book and found Laura and fell in love with it but my father thought that Lauren sounded better with my last name. I think my middle name is what really defines my personality and is strongly connected to my roots. My middle name is Keating. My mom noticed that my grandma’s maiden name would not be passed on to anyone because her brother never got married. So she decided to carry on the semi-lost family name she passed it to me. I think this defines me because I’m traditional and strongly connected to my roots. Also because Keating is different and I love being unique. Though it is still traditional.

I was born in Vicenza, Italy, on the army base. My mom and other women on the base would pick Italian or Latin names. So I was named Mercedes. Many people compare my name to the car, but I tell them this; Benz, the car maker, got the name Mercedes from the daughter of a friend of his, who was a French Financer. I love my name, not because it is named after the car, but because its’ meaning. Mercedes drivesa latin word that means merciful and I love it!!!

My name is Chrysanthi. I love my name and i would never change it. It means ”golden flower”.

My name is Samantha , and I don’t think I would want to change my name because I can be called by short nick names. Like sammy, or sam is fine with me. My mom and dad thought of the name, but this was going to be my middle name but my dad liked the name Samantha better. I think my name fits me well, and I wouldn’t want to change it at all.

I have been called Mickey, Mickey Mouse, Rob, Robbie, Robinarama. Don’t mind nicknames if they are from good friends or family. Another insulting use of general nicknames for females is, “sweetheart, honey, babe, etc. by men with whom you are NOT familiar. I will always correct them by telling them, “My name is not honey,” or ” I have a name, address me by it.” You don’t hear men being called babe or honey by strangers. Absolutely unacceptable.

What's Next

How our names shape our identity

What's in a name? A lot.

• Newsletter sign up Newsletter

Sometimes we try to live up to our names. Sometimes we try to run away from them. But either way — and for all the options in between — your name is a crucial factor in developing your sense of self, and thus helps propel you forward on various paths of life and career.

The term nominative determinism was coined in a 1994 issue of New Scientist to describe this phenomenon. The magazine's editors noticed two instances of scientists gravitating toward subjects that were strangely linked to their last names. "We recently came across a new book," they wrote: " Pole Positions — The Polar Regions and the Future of the Planet , by Daniel Snowman. Then, a couple of weeks later, we received a copy of London Under London — A Subterranean Guide , one of the authors of which is Richard Trench."

Maybe it's just a coincidence. Or maybe these scientists' names really did influence their career paths.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Research on the influence of names appears to stretch back at least a half century. A 1996 article called " Name and Behavior " by H. Edward Deluzain and describes a famous 1954 study published in the British Journal of Psychology :

One of the classic pieces of research on the relationship between names and behavior was conducted in Africa by G. Johoda of University College of the Gold Coast. In discussions with teachers and social workers on the formation of character in young people, Jahoda discovered that the people he was working with — all of whom were Ashanti — sincerely believed that the day of the week on which a person was born has a lot to do with the kind of character traits and behavior the person will show throughout life. Specifically, Jahoda learned that the Ashanti believe that boys (but apparently not girls) who are born on Monday will be mild mannered and peace loving, but those born on Wednesday will be violent and aggressive. [Behind the Name]

As a result, the Ashanti community has a long-held custom of including the day a person was born in the person's name. After discovering the Ashanti's custom, Jahoda then took his research to the records of the local juvenile court to see if males born on Wednesday committed more crimes.

"The number of violent acts committed by the boys born on Wednesday was significantly higher than would be expected through mere chance, and it showed that Wednesdays tended to live up to the reputation," wrote Deluzain . "When this figure was compared to the number of Mondays in the population… it bore out the superstition that boys born on that day would lead more peaceful and law-abiding lives."

Though stereotyping can't definitively dictate future behavior, it does provide a spring-board for making assumptions about a person. When a new person introduces himself to you (let's call him "Spencer"), your first instinct is to assemble a rough mental sketch of everyone you have ever known named Spencer. Maybe someone named Spencer bullied you in second grade. Maybe Spencer was the name of your first kiss. Perhaps Spencer is the name of your father. You subconsciously judge this new Spencer, at least a little, based on all the other Spencers you have ever known.

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox

A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com

Gender dynamics, socio-economic status, and unusual spelling can also play a role in determining the behavior of a child. That's why it's perfectly fine for parents to spend a few months fretting over the potential drawbacks of choosing a child's name. Sometimes, parents desire strong names for boys, and more feminine names for girls. Most parents, it would seem, take it a step further and ask if the name they choose could be interpreted a certain way, or rhymed with a certain word that get their child teased in school.

Research psychologist David Figlio of Northwestern University in Illinois showed how a baby's name can have leave a long-lasting imprint on their lives — for better or worse, reports LiveScience . Figlio started by studying millions of birth certificates. He then further broke each name down into thousands of phonemic components, and started to find behavioral patterns.

Boys with names traditionally given to girls are more likely to misbehave than their counterparts with masculine names, research suggests… When in elementary school, boys named Ashley and Shannon, for instance, behave just like their more masculine-named classmates named Brian and other boyish names. "Once these kids hit sixth grade, all of a sudden the rates of disciplinary problems skyrocket [for those boys with girlish names], and it was much more the case if there happened to be a girl in the grade with that same name," Figlio [said]. [LiveScience]

Self-esteem may also play a factor. "People who particularly dislike their name and also if other people think it's an odd and unlikeable name, that can cause some problems," psychology professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University told LiveScience . "[They] tend not to be as well-adjusted."

"People draw subconscious cues all the time about people," Figlio said. "You meet a person for the first time and without thinking about it on an explicit level you're looking at the way they're walking, what their accent sounds like, how they're dressed, whether they smell… and you're developing these immediate reactions," said Figlio . "I think there's probably an evolutionary reason behind that. We're hardwired to try to figure out in a heartbeat whether or not we want to trust somebody, whether we want to run from somebody."

To answer the age-old question: What's in a name? A lot of stuff, apparently.

Michael Hedrick is a writer and photographer in Boulder, CO. His work has appeared in Salon , Thought Catalog and various other places across the web. His book, Schizophrenic Connections, is available here .

Cartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more

By The Week US Published 4 May 24

Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas

By The Week Staff Published 4 May 24

In Depth Irish government plans to override court ruling that the UK is unsafe for asylum seekers

By The Week UK Published 4 May 24

• Contact Future's experts
• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Policy
• Advertise With Us

The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site . © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Essays About Names: Top 5 Examples Plus Prompts

Your name is an important part of your identity; if you are writing essays about names, you can start by reading our top essay examples and prompts.

What is a name? Our names are words or groups of words by which we humans, other living organisms, places, things, and ideas are referred to. Everything has a name, from ourselves to our pets to the neighborhoods, cities, and countries we live in. It identifies us, separates us from others, and forms a crucial piece of our identity. 

Our names are often regarded as the outermost layer of who we are, as it is how we are known and introduce ourselves. But, at the same time, our names can form the core of our being. Each of us is given a name for different reasons, and if we find those reasons to be significant, we may plan our lives in a way that lives up to our beliefs about our names. Writing an essay but need some help? Check out our guide packed full of transition words for essays .

5 Essay Examples

1. embracing the mystery: the story of my name series by maría schindler, 3. what’s in a name reflections on who we are and what we are called by haleema shah, 4. the importance of names by chris giovagnoni, 5. how i changed my name by ellen kittle, 1. the importance of names, 2. the story behind your name, 3. the impact of a name, 4. if you could change your name, 5. how to name a child.

“So in a way, my middle name represents safety, survival and chosen family. Now, as an adult with a chosen family of my own, I understand the importance of finding familial bonds in others who make you feel safe, who feel like home when the world is hostile. I also like that Mikkol resides between my first and last names, that act as buffers, returning the favor of protection that Mikkol provided for my mom.”

Schindler writes about the story behind her middle name, Mikkol. She was named after her mother’s best friend since middle school; Mikkol was always there for her mother when she needed it, and when things got chaotic at home, Schindler’s mother would go to Mikkol’s house for safety and comfort. Perhaps Schindler’s mother recalled these feelings when naming her daughter. Schindler is proud of her name and what it means, giving her safety and protection. 

2. What’s Your Name, Girl? by Thelma Austin

“All in all the story was able to capture many views on how the idea of names goes deeper than just the words. Our experience with interaction counts on us to remember our names and in the story it showed a dark side of human engagement where feelings aren’t mutually shared. The  author’s job was seen to be very encouraging because it contained the abilities to allow the reader to develop a position and find supporting evidence to back up claims.”

In her essay, Austin analyzes the significance of names in Maya Angelou’s short story, “What’s Your Name, Girl?” In particular, the story emphasizes how names can contribute to our personality. The story, taking place in the segregated South, sees black women’s names being changed by their white employers. Just as their rights are being taken away, so are their names. You might alos be interested in these essays about your name .

“Others may choose to make a statement by retaining the name they have grown comfortable with. After rejecting the institution of marriage for most of her life and throughout her career as a leader of the second-wave feminist movement, Gloria Steinem wed David Bale in 2000. Steinem kept her last name though, while Beyoncé, an icon of the current wave of emancipated femininity, fused her name with her husband’s, becoming a Knowles-Carter in 2008.”

Shah reflects on the importance of our names to our identities and gives several examples of celebrities who exemplify this idea, such as basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who changed his name to reflect his African heritage and culture. She also discusses activist Gloria Steinem and singer Beyoncé, whose status as feminist icons is reflected in their married names; Steinem kept her maiden name while Beyoncé fused her last name, Knowles, with that of her husband’s, becoming a Knowles-Carter. 

“When Yudea gave birth to her daughter, “she couldn’t buy milk or vitamins to boost her daughter’s health, so her daughter got sick easily.” After enrolling in the CSP, this changed. She received nutritious food, vitamins, milk and a lot of information that supported her as a pregnant mother. She also was able to go to regular pregnancy checkups at the doctor without having to think twice about what she and her husband would have to pay. So when she gave birth to her second child, a healthy son, Yudea showed her thankfulness to God by naming her son Cisipi.”

Giovagnoni discusses the meaning and importance of names from a more religious perspective, explaining the religious reasoning behind his name, which means “Christ-bearer.” Names can tell us a lot about who we should be if that is something we desire. He also recalls a story about a mother named Yudea, who enrolled in the Compassion Survival Program and got access to food, clean water, and medical care. Her life changed dramatically for the better, so when she gave birth, she named her son Cisipi, which means “grateful to God.”

“My name has never felt like something I can shed easily, putting on a new one; not like going off to college and deciding to tell all your new friends your name is Liz rather than Beth.  Were it not for this cosmic wallop to the head, I would still be on the fence. I do know now that for me it’s the right thing; for Cam and I to share the same name.”

Kittle recalls the struggle she and her husband Cam had with cancer and the internal struggle she experienced simultaneously with changing her last name. She had always been proud of her name; she felt it was entirely hers- not her father’s or his family’s. However, after all, they had gone through, Kittle eventually decided to change her last name out of love for her husband. 

5 Writing Prompts On Essays About Names

Our names are important, but why exactly is this the case? Discuss why it is essential to be thoughtful in naming and the role a name plays in our identities. You can also describe what someone’s name can tell you about them. Delve into your own opinions on the importance of names to create a compelling essay for your readers.

Everyone’s name has a meaning and backstory. Explore the reasons behind the name you were given, and explain what your name means to you. Describe how your parents decided on your name and its significance. Perhaps you are named after a loved relative, or maybe your name represents a certain personality trait. Whatever your name is, describe why it is special to you.

A name has many implications; someone’s name may affect how others perceive them. For example, some names might evoke strength, power, and dominance, while others may give others a more laid-back impression. In your essay, consider the impact a name may have on how others see you- base your writings on research. You can also connect this to the importance of a name, as the impact/s you write about should be considered when giving someone a name. 

For a fun, engaging essay, think of a name you would like to give yourself if given a chance to change it. Explain why you chose it and what significance, if any, it has to you. If you really can’t think of any name, you can write about your name and explain why you would not change it. However, go beyond simply explaining its importance and history: what makes it better than others? Discuss this fun question for an exciting essay.

When deciding on a name for their child, parents consider many factors. Research common naming conventions, for example, naming after religious figures or relatives, and discuss each in detail. Be sure to give examples of names under each category, and explain these examples in context. If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

View all posts

How to Write an Essay about Your Name

Are you looking for an easy and quick way to write an essay about your name? Then this is the perfect tutorial for you! 

I’m Constance, and in this tutorial, I will show you how to write an essay about your name in six simple steps. I will also give you an example of such an essay as we go through the process step by step.

Let’s begin!

Step 1: Choose your main idea.

If you want to organize your thoughts and present them clearly and concisely in an essay, you need to choose your thesis — a main idea for your essay. Simply take a stand and write it down as a simple sentence.

What do you want to say about your name? Do you like your name? Do you think it’s interesting? Whatever you think of will act as your thesis . 

For example, you can say, “I love my name.”   Note that we kept it really simple. By doing so, we can clearly think of the next things we need for the essay.

Step 2: Think of three supporting ideas.

Trying to write an essay on only one undivided idea or thesis will get you stuck.

So, you need more than one idea. Two ideas are better than one. Three is even better. But four may be too many because you’re just writing a simple essay. 

So, coming up with three supporting ideas is the best method. Why? Because three is the perfect number the brain can handle. And it works all the time! We call it the Power of Three.

So, let’s use the Power of Three to keep our ideas flowing.

The Power of Three is a three-part structure that divides your main idea into three distinct supporting points. It helps create your body paragraphs.

Let’s apply it to an essay about your name. 

Ask yourself – “why do I love my name?” And write down three answers. Here are mine:

• I like its Latin origin .
• I like how my parents came up with it.
• It sounds great .

Using ideas that are too similar to each other may cause writer’s block. So, note that our three supporting points are totally different from one another.

Keep them distinct and simple to avoid running out of things to write down the line.

Step 3: Write your thesis statement.

Now that we have a clear picture of the essay’s structure, we can write a thesis statement.  

When writing a thesis statement, take your main idea and its supporting points and write them out as a sentence or complete sentences in a single paragraph.

Once you’ve written your thesis statement, you have a nice outline for your essay.

Here’s an example of a thesis statement:

“I love my name because I like its Latin origin, the story of how my parents came up with it is pretty cool, and it sounds great, too.”

Note how clear the statement is. We started with our thesis, and the three supporting points sound like great ideas to back it up. So, it works.

Great! Now, we’re ready for the next step.

Step 4: Write the body paragraphs.

After dividing our main idea into three distinct points, we can easily write three body paragraphs for our essay.

When writing a body paragraph , you should start with a topic sentence summarizing the entire paragraph. Then, briefly explain it and illustrate it using examples .

Note that your paragraphs should go from general to specific. 

In a body paragraph, your topic sentence (the first sentence) is the most general statement. After writing your topic sentence, you will unpack it by writing more specifically, using an explanation and examples.

Here are examples of body paragraphs for our essay:

Paragraph 1

One of the few things I like about my name is its etymology. It has a Latin origin, rooted in the word “constantem,” which means “faithful” or “steadfast.” It is a name that represents perseverance and dedication regardless of the challenges ahead. I could not be more proud and grateful for my name’s origin. It reflects my determined personality and my loyalty to the people I love.

Paragraph 2

I also love that I was named after my grandmother Constancia. I appreciate my mom and dad naming me after her – someone I loved so much. My grandmother was an amazing woman. She raised eight kids despite her humble status in life, which highlighted her steadfastness. And she was faithful to her family and supported it however she could.

Paragraph 3

My name has a certain sonorous quality to it with its consonants that roll off the tongue. I am thankful for the sound of my name. It has a beautiful melody to it that I always love to hear. Every time I hear it, it brings me a sense of warmth and joy and puts a smile on my face.

Note how each paragraph proceeds from a general statement to more specific points.

Now that we’ve written our body paragraphs, we are ready for the next step.

Step 5: Write the introduction and conclusion.

Introduction.

An introduction can be just one more general sentence, after which you should simply proceed to your thesis statement, which includes your thesis and three supporting points.

Here’s an example of an entire introductory paragraph:

Many of us may not think much about it, but our names are a part of our identity and can have a lasting impact on us. I love my name because of its Latin origin, the story of how my parents came up with it, and its cool sound. My name means “constant” or “steadfast” in Latin, which reflects my determined personality. It came from my grandmother’s name, Constancia, whom I loved so much. And it just sounds amazing, even if I only say so myself.”

If you want a time-proven, easy, and quick way to write a conclusion for your essays, I recommend restating what you stated in your introduction using different words. 

Here’s an example of a conclusion for our essay:

My name is an important part of my identity and has a special place in my heart. It has a meaningful linguistic origin from the Latin word constantem, meaning “steadfastness.” It is a special reminder of my grandmother, Constancia. And it has a nice ring to it that brings me joy.

Now, we’re ready for the final step.

Step 6: Proofread.

The final step in writing an essay is going back and proofreading it. Look out for:

• Misspellings
• Grammatical errors
• Irrelevant material (stuff that doesn’t belong in the essay)
• Contradictions (make sure you don’t contradict your own points)

And we are done writing an example of an essay about a name. 

I hope you learned a lot in this tutorial. Now go ahead and write an essay about your name!

Tutor Phil is an e-learning professional who helps adult learners finish their degrees by teaching them academic writing skills.

Recent Posts

How to Write a 300 Word Essay - Simple Tutorial

https://youtu.be/qXST2gJbkhw If you need to write a 300-word essay, you’ve come to the right place. I’m Tutor Phil, and in this tutorial I’ll guide you through the process step by...

Essay Writing for Beginners: 6-Step Guide with Examples

https://youtu.be/w6yanrc1a_g If you need to write an essay, whether for a college course or to pass a writing test, this guide will take you through the process step-by-step. Even if you have...

• 303-443-1942
• [email protected]

What’s the story behind your name?

As a copywriter, upon hearing this my first thought was “sure, there are stories behind the names of products – detailed processes that go into finding just the right name before bringing a product to market.” However, a story behind one’s own name? I don’t have one.

Well, that was my first reaction, but my friend urged me to take off my marketing hat and think about it some more. She was convinced that her writing instructor was right – “everyone has a story behind their name” – their given name, a name change they made, their nickname, etc.

So I pondered a bit longer and remembered, though brief, there is a story behind my name.

I’m told that when I was born my name was going to be “Leslie.” My grandmother (my mom’s mom) did not like that. “Leslie, is a boy’s name,” she said. So, my parents chose “Debra.” Don’t know that there’s a story behind why “Debra” was the chosen name, but I’m pleased with it. Even though I was “Debra,” throughout my childhood everyone called me “Debbie.”

Wanting to be unique, I didn’t change my name, but I did change the way I spelled it. It started out “Debbie,” then for a short time, “Debi,” and finally “Debby.” Each time I tried to be unique my father would remind me that “Debra is your given name.” However, it wasn’t until I was an adult, out of graduate school (where two friends gave me the nickname of “Dzebbie” – there’s a story behind that), and out on my own in the working world that I began to introduce myself as “Debra.” It’s a beautiful name and of course, I thought it more professional than the childhood version.

What I found most amusing, once people started calling me “Debra,” was that my dad – the one who reminded me of my given name – continued to call me “Debby.” I was absolutely fine with that – it was a term of endearment.

I wasn’t one of those folks, who changes their name and says “don’t call me Debby any more, it’s Debra now.” I’m still fond of “Debby” as the name brings back many wonderful childhood memories, not to mention, it reminds me of my inner child.

So, what’s behind your name? Are you still using the one given to you at birth, a new version of it, or have you changed your name to something absolutely different? And, if so, why? Write about it, won’t you?

P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day. “At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.” – Plato

Related Posts

7 Benefits of Collaborating with a Professional Graphic Designer

Are you afraid of writing.

Gary Halbert’s Timeless Copywriting Tips

Blogging Authority Michelle Shaeffer Shares Three Blogging Mistakes You Can Avoid

15 goofy grammar errors that tarnish your writing, are you nurturing your writing muscles.

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Film Colossus

Your Guide to Movies

A colossal explanation of Your Name (Kimi no Na wa)

Everything you need to know to understand this body-switching, time-traveling movie

Several fragments of a comet fall through the sky. Most of them won’t collide with Earth, but one breaks off and hurtles directly towards the town of Itomori. Soon, everybody there will be vanquished. The parents, the children, the teachers, the politicians, the businessmen will all be gone.

And that includes Mitsuha Miyamizu.

During these opening moments of Your Name (Kimi no Na wa) , we don’t realize Mitsuha is going to lose her life. All we know is that Mitsuha and Taki Tachibana, despite not knowing each other and being miles away from one another, have somehow bonded over this celestial event that has captivated Japan. Together, they recite these opening lines:

“Once in a while when I wake up, I find myself crying. The dream I must have had I can never recall. But the sensation that I’ve lost something lingers for a long time after I wake up. I’m always searching for something, for someone. This feeling has possessed me I think from that day when the stars came falling. It was almost as if a scene from a dream. Nothing more, nothing less than a beautiful view.”

Immediately, Your Name opens with a cryptic, ambiguous scene—a trend that will continue throughout. Despite its charm, success, and visceral power, Your Name has a very convoluted story that’s difficult to grasp, that has left many wondering if it’s a mess of a movie that doesn’t work.

I’ve spent hours cycling through the questions people have posted about this movie, and yes indeed, there is PLENTY of crazy stuff to explain (which I’ll do) in this movie. But before I get into explaining the plot of Your Name , let’s remember that opening quote from Mitsuha and Taki and what it represents. Because understanding the movie’s intentions will help shape how we make sense of its complicated parts.

What is Your Name about?

I think it’s very easy to get wrapped up in the logic of Your Name ’s narrative. Naturally, you want to pick apart every story development and plot hole to find out if the story’s foundation is sound. If a moment steps outside the movie’s logical structure? It triggers something in your brain. You start to focus on plot details, like how the Red String of Fate functions, or how Mitsuha’s and Taki’s realities could possibly intersect when they live three years apart, or how drinking kuchikamizake connects the two teenagers.

Essentially, you could become so enraptured with what all those elements represent on a rational level that we ignore the emotional core. So while many people on the Internet have attempted to explain the coherence of the plot, I think it’s essential to also include the human elements of the story. Like, what does this movie say about you and me? About the experience of finding love?

And our key insight into what Your Name is about? That quote from the beginning of the movie. Right off the bat, we’re introduced to two people who feel a connection to someone else…but don’t know who that someone is. There’s an emptiness both Taki and Mitsuha feel. There’s something missing. They are incomplete. They are, in that quote, expressing their desire to find their better half.

To find love.

Mitsuha and Taki’s description of what they feel when those comets fall through the sky isn’t specific, or logical, or definite—it’s ambiguous, and cryptic, and enigmatic. Love isn’t something you can explain, but it’s something you feel . And Your Name treats that feeling as an ethereal one. Love is not bound by space or time, but instead by the individuals who are inextricably connected no matter where they are.

I think this is an important mindset to have heading into a plot explanation of the movie. Because while all of the confusing plot elements of Your Name can be explained, I believe they gain power and even more meaning when we can connect those explanations to Mitsuha and Taki’s desire to find love—a feeling we can all empathize with.

A quick plot summary of Your Name

Part of the confusion people have with Your Name is it’s structure. Because Mitsuha exists three years behind Taki, and because the movie randomly jumps between those time periods, the story doesn’t flow in chronological order. Many times it can feel like Your Name is purposely leaving out information to trip you up.

But I PROMISE: all of the details are there. And I think the movie’s plot can be much better understood if we lay out all of its main components in chronological order.

Below is a timeline of the movie’s event in jpg form. You can use this for a bare-bones explanation of Your Name ’s plot. I’ll also list all of this out in text form below the image if you’d rather read it that way.

The rest of the article will go into much more detail on each part of the timeline.

1. The First Comet Strikes

Hundreds of years ago, a comet struck Earth and created the lake that Itomori now rests upon.

2. Mitsuha’s Mother Passes Away

After the passing of Mitsuha and Yotsuha’s mother, their father becomes detached from them and engrossed with politics. Their grandmother takes over parenting.

3. Mitsuha Performs the Kuchikamizake Ritual

Mitsuha and Yotsuha perform a ritual and create kuchikamizake, which they offer to their god at a shrine. She wishes to be a handsome Tokyo boy.

4. Mitsuha’s Body Switch

Mitsuha randomly wakes up as Taki, who lives three years in the future. This switch continues on random days for several weeks.

5. Mitsuha Finds Taki

Mitsuha tracks Taki down in Tokyo. Before being pushed out of the train, she manages to throw her red yarn bracelet to him.

6. The Comet Strikes Again

A fragment of another passing comet strikes Itomori. Taki watches from afar, while Mitsuha is vanquished.

7. Taki’s Body Switch

Taki now randomly wakes up in Mitsuha’s body in an alternate timeline three years before she passes away.

8. Taki Learns About Itomori

Taki decides to go looking for Mitsuha. He learns that she was from Itomori, which was destroyed by the comet three years earlier.

9. Taki Visits the Shrine

Taki visits the shrine he remembers from his time in Mitsuha’s body. He drinks the kuchikamizake. He then goes back in time and wakes up in Mitsuha’s body on the day the comet is set to strike Itomori.

10. Taki Tries to Save Mitsuha

Taki enlists help from Mitsuha’s friends to get everyone out of Itomori before the comet strikes.

11. Taki and Mitsuha Meet

At “tasogare-doki”, a time of day when different worlds blur together, Taki and Mitsuha switch back to their bodies and meet at the shrine. Taki gives Mitsuha her red yarn bracelet back, severing their connection.

12. Mitsuha Saves Itomori

Mitsuha travels back to Itomori and saves almost everybody.

13. Taki and Mitsuha Forget

Because Mitsuha never passed away, she and Taki now exist in present day. But because Taki gave Mitsuha back her red yarn, they forget one another.

14. Years Pass

As the years go by, both Taki and Mitsuha can’t shake the feeling that something (or someone) is missing from their lives.

15. Taki and Mitsuha Find Each Other

Taki and Mitsuha pass by one another on the train. They feel a connection and chase after each other. Finally, they meet, and each ask for the other’s name.

A detailed plot summary of Your Name

Now we’ll go through each of those events in more detail. By thinking about the movie in chronological order—as opposed to the jumbled order we experience when watching Your Name —I think we’ll be able to find a lot of answers to a lot of questions.

Explaining what the first comet strike means

It’s important to start from the beginning—like, the very beginning . Hundreds (or maybe even thousands?) of years before Mitsuha and Taki existed, a comet struck Earth.

It could be that two different comets struck Earth at two different points in time, but I’ll assume that, based on what happens to present-day Itomori, that the first comet split into several fragments as well. One of those fragments created the lake that Itomori would one day rest upon, and the other established a crater that houses the Miyamizu Shrine.

Even though the first comet isn’t given much attention in the movie, I think it’s important to address that first comet, as I think it shares both a divine and a metaphorical connection with the future comet that will destroy Itomori.

Think of the first comet splitting into two parts as a severed connection between two people—this is a key metaphor for the love shared between Mitsuha and Taki. The bond those two comet fragments share creates an otherworldly link between the lake and the shrine, and Mitsuha and Taki must use that connection to save Itomori from the future comet.

Explaining the Miyamizu family’s spiritual abilities

Early in Mitsuha and her sister Yotsuha’s childhood, their mother Futaba passed away. We learn this later in the movie when Taki visits the shrine.

From Taki’s vision, we learn that the death of Mitsuha’s mother devastated Mitsuha’s father, Toshiki. Blaming himself for not being able to save her, he becomes detached from the Miyamizu family and its traditions. One of those traditions was visiting their god at the Miyamizu Shrine. In effect, he abandons the Miyamizu family, leaving his daughters to be cared for by their grandmother and Futaba’s mother, Hitoha.

We later learn from Hitoha that all of the women in Miyamizu family line have spiritual ties with random people (which explains the link Mitsuha shares with Taki). However, for both Hitoha and Futaba, those connections faded over time and eventually became hazy memories. Essentially, nobody has ever come as close to meeting their spiritual partner as Mitsuha came to meeting Taki.

This is interesting, because it raises the question: was Toshiki actually “the one” for Futaba? Was Toshiki the person she shared a spiritual connection with? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe the person you share a spiritual connection with doesn’t have to be your “soul mate”, but instead someone you simply share a deep bond with.

More importantly, though, this reveals the film’s underlying obsession about the consequence of abandoning tradition. In Hitoha’s mind, respecting traditions and rituals are important, even when you don’t understand them. She breeds that attitude in Mitsuha, but is unable to have Toshiki carry on with the Miyamizu customs. So even if Toshiki was Futaba’s spiritual connection, the fact that he abandons Miyamizu traditions keeps him from re-establishing his connection with her—unlike Taki, who visits the Miyamizu Shrine and retains his connection with Mitsuha even after she passes away.

I think this information about the Miyamizu family exposes a celestial link between the first comet and the second comet. The first comet created the shrine that the Miyamizu family uses to pray to their gods. And in that shrine, the Miyamizu women perform a ritual where they leave “half” of themselves to the gods by creating kuchikamizake—a rice-based alcohol that uses human saliva as a fermentation starter. That other half then connects with someone else after you perform a ceremony.

This gives the Miyamizu family’s mystical abilities an actual purpose. These spiritual connections existed for generations so that, eventually, someone would be able to alert the Miyamizus about the second incoming comet (or at least some sort of future danger). This is why Hitoha wouldn’t allow Toshiki to tear Mitsuha and Yotsuha from family traditions—Hitoha understood the importance of leaving these customs intact. Which is why Hitoha has her granddaughters perform a ceremony where they make kuchikamizake and twine a red yarn thread.

Explaining the red yarn thread and the kuchikamizake ritual

During the ceremony where Mitsuha creates kuchikamizake, she dances with a piece of red yarn.

Mitsuha’s grandmother explained the significance of the red yarn that Mitsuha was twining just before the ceremony:

“Listen to the thread’s voice. When you keep twining like that, emotions will eventually start flowing between you and the thread. One thousand years of Itomori’s history is etched into our braided cords. Two hundred years ago, sandal maker Mayugoro’s bathroom caught on fire and burned down this whole area. That shrine and old documents were destroyed, and this is known as (The Great Fire of Mayugoro). So the meaning of the festivals became unknown and only the form lived on. But even if the words are lost, tradition should be handed down. That’s the important task we at Miyamizu Shrine have.”

A couple things to take away from that quote.

First, on a plot level, this information tells us quite a bit. The Miyamizu family used to know a lot more about their abilities, but everything was destroyed by The Great Fire of Mayugoro. Which means their “knowledge” has continued to pass down through the traditions and rituals they perform. So while the Miyamizu women have continued to experience spiritual connections with other people, they’ve never known what the connections mean or how to act upon them (which is why they eventually just become “hazy memories”).

It just so happens that the second comet strike occurs during the annual festival. To me, this means that the festival was always meant to serve as a warning of the second comet. Perhaps the festival took place on the anniversary of the first comet strike? Perhaps it was always known the second comet would strike, and that knowledge was passed down from generation to generation? Who knows. All we know is that that information was likely destroyed in the Great Fire.

And second, we gain some insight into Mitsuha’s character.

Her grandma says, “When you keep twining like that, emotions will eventually start flowing between you and the thread. One thousand years of Itomori’s history is etched into our braided cords.” Mitsuha forms some sort of ethereal connection with Itomori’s history when creating that thread. She becomes one with its past and its future—she becomes one with her home. And because she’s given the red yarn thread to Taki, she’s capable of maintaining this connection with her home even when she’s dead.

Building a life with someone means inviting them into your home, into your life, and then building a new home and life with them. So when she hands that thread to Taki later in the movie, she’s not just creating a spiritual link—she’s offering half of herself to someone she shares a bond with.

Ah, young love!

Explaining the logic of Mitsuha and Taki’s body switching

While performing the kuchikamizake ceremony, Mitsuha’s classmates make fun of her. Embarrassed, Mitsuha runs away from the ceremony and screams, “Please make me a handsome Tokyo boy in my next life!”

Remember: the kuchikamizake represents “half” of Mitsuha, and the red yarn carries with it Mitsuha’s connection with Itomori. The ceremony then triggers the connection between Mitsuha and Taki. Because Taki is three years in the future when Mitsuha is dead, the body switching then becomes Mitsuha’s “next life.”

SIDE NOTE: A lot of questions have been raised about how Mitsuha never realized she was three years in the future, or how Taki never realized he was three years in the past. Of course it’s never explained in the movie, but I think there are plenty of simple explanations for why this happens:

• First and foremost, please remember: THEY ARE SWITCHING BODIES. That would make any normal person go insane…which makes me think you probably wouldn’t notice that the day you think it is (say, August 22, 2013) isn’t the day it actually is (August 22, 2016).
• To repeat a point from above: I don’t think it’s super unreasonable to never check what year it is? 2013 looks like 2016, if you ask me. I mean, how often do you see the current year printed somewhere, or have to write down the year? Maybe if you’re writing a check or something. But I don’t think it’s that crazy for neither Mitsuha or Taki—who are, once again, VERY DISTRACTED BY THE FACT THEY’RE IN ANOTHER PERSON’S BODY—to not really worry about if it’s the same year.
• One last point: what if they DID know they were three years apart? That’s never stated in the movie, but it also might not be relevant information to them. That would only be important to Taki if he knew Mitsuha was from Itomori (he didn’t), and if he knew Itomori had been destroyed by the comet (he didn’t).

SECOND SIDE NOTE: There’s also confusion about how Taki never realizes Mitsuha lives in a town called Itomori…I wish I had a good explanation for that one! Seems hard to defend. The only defense, I guess, is that body switching is a stressful event, and he had other things on his mind than checking what town he’s in?

Explaining how Taki restarts the body switching with Mitsuha

Even after the body switching ends (that’s why they both start crying when they wake up), Taki remembers Mitsuha. He can picture her face. He can sketch her hometown so well from memory that people recognize it as Itomori. Even though Mitsuha is dead, Taki’s connection with her remains—all because of that red yarn thread.

Remember: that thread carries with it Mitsuha’s connection with Itomori. So when Taki returns to where the town once stood, he knows to return to the shrine where Mitsuha left her kuchikamizake.

Also remember: Mitsuha created the kuchikamizake, but it was Taki in Mitsuha’s body that offered the kuchikamizake in the Miyamizu Shrine.

When Taki arrives at the shrine in Mitsuha’s body, Mitsuha’s grandma says:

“In exchange for returning to this world, you must leave behind what is most important to you—the kuchikamizake. You’ll offer it inside the god’s body. It’s half of you.”

So Taki isn’t leaving behind half of himself, but the half of Mitsuha that Mitsuha had created with the kuchikamizake. This is what severs his body switching days with Mitsuha.

But back in the future where Mitsuha is dead, Taki is in his own body when he visits the shrine and drinks the kuchikamizake. This re-establishes the body switching and allows Taki—who then inhabits Mitsuha’s body the day of the comet strike—to save Itomori.

I believe this to be a poignant commentary on love. Even when someone is gone…they’re never truly gone from your life. You remember how they move, how they talk, how they act. And I think that Taki’s passion for finding someone he shared such an intense bond with represents how that kind of love can transcend time and space.

Explaining how tasogare-doki allows Mitsuha and Taki to finally meet

The climactic moment of Your Name is when Taki and Mitsuha finally meet. You might wonder how their bodies are suddenly able to transcend time and space to meet in the same spot, but this meeting was actually set up much earlier in the movie.

The first day after the body switching, Mitsuha wakes up in her body with no recollection of the previous day. Everybody keeps talking about how strange she was acting. And while she’s trying to piece everything together, she looks down in her notebook and reads a message from Taki: “Who are you?”

In a movie called Your Name …I mean, c’mon. This is an important moment, right? It’s the first instance of Taki and Mitsuha trying to figure out who the other is. The question isn’t necessarily “What is your name?” but instead “Why have I formed this strange connection with you?”

It just so happens that while Mitsuha is reading this message from Taki, her teacher is explaining the meaning of “tasogare-doki”.

“‘Tasokare’ means ‘who is that’ and is the origin of the word ‘tasogare-doki’. Twilight, when it’s neither day nor night. When the world blurs and one might encounter something not human.”

She then has an interaction with a student that you may not have caught, or may not have thought much of—but it’s important:

Teacher: “Old expressions include ‘karetaso-doki’. Karetaso/Kawatare = Who is that and ‘karetaso-doki.’”

Student: “Question! Why not ‘kataware-doki’?”

Teacher: “Kataware-doki? I think that’s a local dialect. I’ve heard that Itomori’s elderly still use classical language. We’re in the boonies, after all.”

When Taki and Mitsuha finally meet, their bodies travel through time to finally converge in the same time and space. This occurs at twilight (aka tasogare-doki) when their worlds blur together. Even though they’re three years apart, the connection between the first comet and the second comet that destroyed Itomori has allowed for two different timelines to merge—the world with Itomori, and the world without Itomori.

And that interaction the teacher shared with the student shows that tasogare-doki has carried different translations with it throughout time. The old expression, kataware-doki, is a “classical” language, meaning it was a term used often by elderly members of the community.

So why would the term kataware-doki be so prevalent at one time? Remember: that term is a local dialect. And it was substituted for tasogare-doki, indicating it had a similar meaning: a combination of “who is that” and the time of day when worlds blur together. At one time, the idea of different timelines merging was so important to the people of Itomori that they created their own word for it .

But, again, everyone has forgotten about the term kataware-doki. I think this, once again, exposes the film’s underlying message about the importance of tradition. This is why Toshiki was never able to retain his connection with Futaba after she passed away like Taki was able to retain his connection with Mitsuha—Toshiki rejected tradition, while Taki embraced it. Toshiki refused to visit the shrine and carry the Miyamizu tradition, while Taki decided to visit the shrine and re-establish his spiritual link with Mitsuha.

The abandonment of the word “kataware-doki” is symbolic of the history of Itomori being abandoned, only leaving behind elderly’s grasp on tradition. Taki and Mitsuha’s embracement of tradition allows them to retain their connection, regardless of time or space.

With all that in mind, I think that because the documents contained in the Miyamizu Shrine were destroyed by The Great Fire of Mayugoro, the knowledge of the phrase went with it. That term lived on as long as it could through the generations, but now only the elderly even remember the term.

I assume the word was created because the Miyamizus once understood the importance of the spiritual connections they shared with others. They knew that the land where the first comets struck was sacred, so they built a shrine there and housed all of their documented beliefs there as well.

Remember my theory about the first comet? That it shares both a divine and a metaphorical connection with the future comet that will destroy Itomori. Just like Taki and Mitsuha, the past and future comets that will strike Itomori are bound together, regardless of space or time. Just like there is a link between the lake and the shrine, there is an unbreakable bond shared between two young people in love.

This gets at the title of the movie, and highlights the importance of the classroom scene when Mitsuha sees the message from Taki. The movie is not about two people finding out each other’s names—it’s about truly understanding someone else. When Taki writes his “name” in Mitsuha’s hand, he doesn’t actually write his name—he writes “I love you.”

Love is hard work and requires two people to invest in one another. So even when Taki gives Mitsuha back her red yarn thread and their memory of one another is severed…they never really forget one another, right? They have this feeling that the other is still out there. And at the end of the movie when they pass by each other on the train, they know something is there and chase after each other.

So in that final shot of the movie, when Mitsuha and Taki ask for each other’s name, what they’re really doing is starting their life together. It takes a lot of courage to invite someone into your life like that, and you only do it when you feel something special with that person.

In effect, the entire movie becomes a defamiliarization of finding your true soulmate. You never know the name of the person you’ll end up with—but you know the person , right? You know the kind of person that will make you happy, that will become your other half, that will complete you. All you need is the courage to finally invite them in when you find them.

Editor’s Note: If you have more questions about Your Name , or if you have a theory of your own, hit me up in the comments section!

Travis is co-founder of Colossus. He writes about the impact of art on his life and the world around us.

Like Your Name?

Join our movie club to get similar movie recommendations and stories delivered to your inbox every Friday.

• Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

We hate bad email too, so we don’t send it or share your email with anyone.

Reader Interactions

June 1, 2019

Wow! I’ve been blogging about this movie for a year and I still picked up some fresh insights here. Thanks!

September 19, 2019

Travis actually failed to realize that that the whole phenomenon is actually the mountain god’s doing. I already understood what was going on after a few rewatches and let me explain it by detail here, but hey these are just my opinions you can debunk it:

First off as all of you know the Miyamizu Family has been worshiping Musubi, the mountain god. Unknown to them however the god actually has the ability to to switch the consciousness of two people in different places of time as vaguely explained by the grandma when she, Taki (within Mitsuha’s body) and Yotsuha went to the shrine. Her line states: Musubi is the old way of calling the local guardian god. This word has profound meaning. Typing thread is Musubi. Connecting people is Musubi. The flow of time is Musubi. These are all the god’s power. So the braided cords that we make are the god’s art and represent the flow of time itself. They converge and take shape. They twist, tangle, sometimes unravel, break, and then connect again. Musubi – knotting. That’s time.

This explains a lot why this is happening to Taki and Mitsuha, it wasn’t caused by a wish Mitsuha wanted, it was the god’s power. Every line about Musubi in that paragraph can be related to what happened to the both of them.

They converge, take shape, twist, tangle = Taki and Mitsuha switching bodiesand forming a bond. Sometimes unravel, break = the timelines not in step, and the eventual hindrance of body switching. Then connect again = Taki being able to swtich with Mitsuha for the last time when he drinks Mitsuha’s rice wine (which by the way can be explained by saying that it is half of her and Musubi since it was created during the ritual).

Second, the comet isn’t a time glitch. Its just a natural phenomenon, there’s nothing really special about it. It is only relevant because the FIRST comet drop was where Musubi’s shrine is located, the SECOND is where the town of Itomori stands and the THIRD is supposed to destroy the town. At this point you’ll be able to say that Musubi is deliberately trying to save the people of Itomori or the Miyamizu family from the inevitable wipeout that will come in the next 1200 years by switching the eldest daughter of the family (probably Musubi’s rules) with a random boy somewhere in Japan after the ritual.

Taki and Mitsuha falling in love was Musubi’s intentions all along and we can say that he was actually hoping for it to happen but it wasn’t relevant enough until the third comet drop actually happened.

Why hasn’t the god just switched them the time of day before the comet dropped you might ask? Simple theory, Musubi’s powers has expirations. Or the god is actually wanting and hoping for Taki to figure out why he is drawn to a town he hasn’t been before which resulted to him finding that the town is destroyed and Mitsuha is already dead. Then comes the reswitch of the both of them happening after Taki drinks the wine offering which RECONNECTS him to the god and Mitsuha.

Also I think that switch during the day when Grandma, Yotsuha and Taki (within Mitsuha) went to the shrine was intentional cuz if ever his will to fill that missing piece of him is strong he knows where to look.

Third, Kataware doki; and I will restate it here, THE COMET IS NOT MAGICAL, I’m sorry I can’t help it. But yeah, the term Kataware-doki isn’t really something to focus on, the phenomenon that happened when Mitsuha and Taki meets at the shrine is just another trick Musubi pulled off for the both of them. He wouldn’t be a good god if he wasn’t gonna atleast make them see each other. It also makes sense that the god made them meet at the edge of the crater where the shrine is, it could mean Musubi’s powers is more powerful there. Also the sunset 6 o’clock… Look at the hands hmmmm.

Fourth, Taki doesn’t realize Mitsuha lives in Itomori until he wanted to. He just didn’t care until he fell inlove which means he’s almost forgotten everything and is just clinging onto that feeling he has been having.

Fun fact: IF Mitsuha didn’t switch with Taki who had a crush, the date will never happen. Which means they will almost never realize they’ve fallen inlove with each other, which also means Mitsuha will stay dead.

January 29, 2020

You and the author of this page both missed an important point.

The reason they forgot each other was explained by grandma when they first went to the shrine to drop off the sake; “past this point is ‘kakuriyo’; the underworld! In exchange for returning to this world, you must leave behind what is most important to you.”

Kakuriyo also means “world of the gods” or basically the “hidden world”.

That is the reason they lost their memories. They met up at that location a second time. Leaving it required leaving their memories of each other; the thing that was most important to them.

Likewise, you forgot that the inside of the shrine to their god depicts the comet itself.

“MUSUBI” IS THE COMET.

That’s why they drew it inside the shrine. That’s why the shrine is its first impact site. Musubi IS the comet.

Besides, Shinto doesn’t have “gods” in the way you describe. A Kami is a prevailing spiritual existence whose manifestation is the unique character of a particular location or thing. A Kami is something that you must understand and work with, possibly even bribe, trick, or appease through rituals.

Because a Kami IS the place, it IS the thing. When you treat the kami of your coffee table right, it means you give it the necessary maintenance, place it in the right location, and use it according to tradition – which makes it last longer and stay unbroken.

When you give the “powerful” kami of the forest respect it means you don’t trample through it at night with impunity or you are likely to be punished for your hubris by tripping on something you didn’t see, breaking a leg, and getting eaten by chipmunks… which makes YOU last longer and stay unbroken.

In modern Itamori (where they have LOST ALL RECORDS) the defining characteristics are the Hida mountains and Musubi is a mountain kami/god.

In truth, it is not a mountain god and the mountains are not the overwriting characteristic underlying the spiritual character of that land. It is the Comet that comes every 1200 years. The comet whose crater they live in. The comet whose center holds the shrine to their Musubi. Not the mountains.

“Musubi is the old way of calling the local guardian god. This word has profound meaning. Typing thread is Musubi. Connecting people is Musubi. The flow of time is Musubi. These are all the god’s power. So the braided cords that we make are the god’s art and represent the flow of time itself. They converge and take shape. They twist, tangle, sometimes unravel, break, and then connect again. Musubi – knotting. That’s time.”

The Comet and its tail appear as a braided cord. It returns and breaks, connects (with your town) and leaves again. It is like time at Kakuriyo, it twists, tangles, unravels, breaks, and connects again. Time Is a knot at Kakuriyo and Kakuriyo is the manifestation of the Comet where Musubi’s shrine resides. Inside the shrine is a mural of Musubi: the Comet.

The comet is 100% the source of this phenomenon. There have been not one, not two, but at least 3 impacts there. First, the one that created the shrine of Musubi, then the one that created the lake, then the one that destroys Ishimori.

We could not even make a weapon that could strike so accurately as that comet does every 1200 years.

That comet’s accuracy is honestly so unbelievable that if you said it was an advanced alien weapon it’d be more plausible statistically.

The rituals are a covenant with Musubi that bring them to that crater in that way every autumn before the comet is to return on its 1200 year cycle. If you dispense with all the god talk, then the sake and the shrine are just props that lure both subjects to the crater so they can coordinate.

In that case the god is whatever remnant of the first impact is causing the phenomenon and the rituals are a means of taking advantage of that phenomenon.

Shintoism is then a methodology for surviving or using the Kami – the spiritual manifestation of the prevailing character of a region. In this case it was exceptionally successful.

BTW: sunset at that location in 2016 on oct 22 was 16:56 – comet impact was 20:42

April 25, 2020

That was a very great explanation I did watch the anime when it came out in Japan, but yeah i kept thinking about it a lot! LIKE A LOT!!! Anyhow um yeah i just have to say that Itomori means ‘Thread Guard’

January 5, 2021

Hoyt, Please, how did you find that the sunset was at 16:56? I can’t

October 22, 2020

I agree! Honestly, I understood the story’s concept on the Musubi part. I mean, that word alone can explain a lot of the strange events happening to the both of them. Japanese language is truly amazing.

December 31, 2022

Thanks, Glitchygoo!

June 22, 2019

thank you very much for this, i just watched this with my son, i was so confused, love the movie but just didnt get some parts

June 24, 2019

Thanks.. A decent explanation.

June 26, 2019

one question.. were Mitsuha and Taki the same age? refering to the scene where Taki saw the list of victims of the comet strike, Mitsuha was 17. the present (when he saw the victim list) Taki was 17 too wasn’t he? so they never really have the same age right? on that case, Mitsuha is 3 years older than Taki isn’t she? please do educate me on this, I’m so dying to know.

November 2, 2019

Yes. Mitsuha is 3 years older than Taki.

July 10, 2019

Taki is actually 3 years younger than Mitsuha (and teshi and sayaka too) This is shown on multiple instances in the movie 1. Mitsuha goes to tokyo one day before the comet and meets taki in train, Taki here is clearly younger than her (check their heights) 2. At last scene, they meet each other finally, these days taki is job hunting while mitsuha is already working on her job and dressed up like a regular working adult 3. When taki sees teshi and sayaka, in the cafe they’re planning their wedding(which doesnt just happen after your college) while taki has just finished his college/education

July 11, 2019

One thing I think you neglected to point out of the beginning and during your timeline explanation.

Taki forgot Mitsuha because in the cave – the grandmother said “In exchange for returning to this world, you must leave behind what is most important to you.” At that moment in time, Mitsuha is what matters most to Tak and vice versa. So once he and Mitsuha leave the crater, they forget each other – leaving each other behind.

Ignore my original comment I somehow skipped over the part where you explicitly referred to the quote i mentioned.

ha, it’s all good!

March 29, 2022

2 questions

First in the png it says mitsuha experiences the switching then after she died taxi starts switching bodies does that mean mitsuha was switching bodies first/before taxi started switching. I always thought that they both were simultaneously switching bodies just in different time periods

Second in the png it’s says taxi wakes up in mitsuha body in a alternate timeline. How is there a alternate timeline? Were did it come from?. I believed that they were switching bodies at the same time so the scenes with mitsuha show what she went through before her death

Plz answer I NEED ANSWERS

First, “Your Name” is a Japanese animated film directed by Makoto Shinkai. It was released in 2016 and became a worldwide phenomenon, grossing over $300 million at the box office.

The story follows the lives of two high school students, Mitsuha and Taki, who live in different parts of Japan. Mitsuha is a girl living in a rural town in the mountains, while Taki is a boy living in Tokyo. One day, they both start experiencing strange occurrences where they wake up in each other’s bodies. They begin to communicate through notes and messages, and they start to develop feelings for each other despite never having met in person.

As they continue to switch bodies, they try to find a way to meet and figure out the mystery behind their strange connection. Along the way, they must also confront a series of challenges and dangers that threaten to keep them apart.

“Your Name” is a heartwarming and emotional tale of love, friendship, and the power of human connection. It has received widespread acclaim for its beautiful animation, compelling storytelling, and thought-provoking themes.

Secondly, “Your Name” is a Japanese animated film directed by Makoto Shinkai. It was released in 2016 and became a worldwide phenomenon, breaking box office records in Japan and earning critical acclaim.

The movie follows the story of two high school students, a boy named Taki and a girl named Mitsuha, who live in different parts of Japan. One day, they suddenly begin to switch bodies randomly, waking up in each other’s lives and trying to navigate the challenges of living in a foreign body. As they continue to switch bodies, they try to communicate with each other and figure out what is happening to them.

As they search for answers, they also begin to develop feelings for each other, and they struggle to find a way to meet and be together in person. The film explores themes of fate, longing, and the power of human connection, and it features stunning animation and an emotionally powerful score. If you enjoy romantic dramas with a touch of fantasy, “Your Name” is a must-see.

July 19, 2019

Nice explanation. I originally watched this in a theater in Tokyo without any English subtitles, and I just got around to watching it with English, so it is really nice to see a decent attempt to explain the contents.

While reading this, I wondered if kataware could be related to the splitting of time and identity. My first instinct was that “かたわれ” (kataware) might be interpreted as 方 (kata – person) 割れ (ware – split). I looked it up in a dictionary and also found 片割れ (kataware), which means fragment. It all depends on the Chinese characters that are chosen to write it.

July 22, 2019

hi i think the event when mitsuha whishes being a boy is after she switch body for the first time. Tessie-Sayaka explain she is weird yesterday->going to so called cafe (mitsuha went straight to her place) -> she’s dance at shrine while made sake -> the wishes. That what i thought, cause for the first switch they thing it’s only a dream. And i assume that whole scene were happen in one day (morning-night)

July 24, 2019

I can contribute a bit more with the cultural background.

The Miyamizu family deity is Musubi. Musubi may refer to: Musubi-no-Kami, the Shinto Kami of matchmaking, love, and marriage, similar to the Chinese Yue Lao.

Yue Lao (Chinese: 月老; pinyin: Yuè Lǎo; literally: ‘old man under the moon’) is a god of marriage and love in Chinese mythology. Yue Lao appears at night, and unites with a silken cord all predestined couples, after which nothing can prevent their union. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Lao )

That’s why Taki and Mitsuha are connected by the red cord and met at twilight.

September 12, 2019

Interesting, with the context of 月老 in place, that totally explain the red thread. It works in mysterious ways I guess!

Another tell from the poem on the blackboard.

The poem reads – Please dont ask me, “who’s that in the gloom?” I am waiting here for my love, in the September dusk.

The author is unknown, but it is from Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves.

Mitsuha’s name in Japanese means three leaves, and her sis is four leaves and grandma is one leave.

Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves is a collection of poems from their ancestors.

August 10, 2019

I don’t remember exactly but I think it may be japanese, but it’s this theory of the red string. It’s the red threat of fate. It’s believed that a god ties the red string to each other and that is your soulmate. And the scene where Taki falls and is seeing Mitsuhas life is all connected by a red thread and it’s connected through space and time.

August 12, 2019

In Sweden there is the idiomatic expression “the red thread”. It is used when discussing a story and if the story can be easily followed by the reader. For example if you say that a story lacks a red thread it means it is incoherent. I’m guessing the expression somehow found it’s way here from Asia. Alternatively Wikipedia also says that Theseus rescued himself from the Minotaur with a red thread. Maybe all these three things in three different places on earth come from the same origin?

August 17, 2019

Thank you for explaining, but I still have a question and I’d like to hear your opinion. How did Mitsuha leave notes in Taki’s phone, if she was from the future? I am so confused.

August 25, 2019

They were literally switching bodies, and as the movie description states, it’s a fantasy animation that incorporates science fiction — which gives the idea of time travel. As Mitsuha traveled through time into Taki’s body and vice versa, they were actually living in each other’s “current time” for those days. Because the instances where Taki switches bodies with Mitsuha is before the comet strikes her town, I think we can presume that she isn’t dead, which allows them to leave those feelings and memories within each other, no matter whose body they’re in (sort of like it’s engraved into their hearts).

August 26, 2019

Twin flames

September 8, 2019

Did taki and mitsuha ended up being together? Because at the Movie Weathering With You they aren’t shown together though..

September 11, 2019

finally, someone is talking abt that. I mean… Mitsuha was at work, but i wanna believe that they are together XD

There are many cameo appearances; Taki and Mitsuha probably being the most prominent. Chronologically it seems like it could have been around the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The new stadium has been completed in the movie, but it’s still under construction at the moment (Aug. 2019). We see Mitsuha working at a jewelry store wearing the name tag “Miyamizu”, so she isn’t married to Taki. Chronologically Taki and Mitsuha didn’t know each other yet in 2020 so they meet after the events of the movie. But considering how Tenki no Ko ends, it breaks space/time continuity. I’d prefer not having cameos if they don’t fit the world.

Source: https://medium.com/@crean/what-i-think-of-tenki-no-ko-67c7a0f23e1

July 27, 2020

In japan, It is not an obligation for women to have their husband’s last name. Conversely, when a surname remains only on a woman, the man can use his wife’s surname, and the surname is not lost in history. So, we can imagine that they are together and that he adopted her last name. ^.^

May 20, 2021

Refer to the time lines. Weathering with you happen before taki and mitsuha meet each other( They meet physically on 2022 april 8 in manga) . Weathering with you happen in 2021 after 8 years from the commet strike. ( dates can be clearly seen in a poster in WwY and in text messages) Referance: https://kiminonawa.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline

October 5, 2019

Hi, thanks for this. I have seen the movie 3x and actually read the book but still i was shocked to know that there’s a 3 year gap on their age ?. Anyhow, i what i really want to know is how did mitsuha managed to convinced her dad to evacuate the townspeople?? ?

October 2, 2021

As far as I understand it, the first time Mitsuha (Taki in Mitsuha’s body) attemped to convince her dad to evacuate Itomori her father didn’t believe her because he could tell that it wasn’t Mitsuha. After they switch at the shrine, and it is Mitsuha (Mitsuha back in Mitsuha’s body), and she falls over and realises that Taki loves her as he wrote it on her hand, I’m under the impression that her father decides that she isn’t lying or mad, now that he can tell it is truly his daughter and not someone else in her body.

October 12, 2019

So Ycamzep, Just my current train of thought here. But im guessing Mitsuha ‘simply’ explains her connection with Taki, their meeting at the crater and how that took place after Taki drank the sake. Perhaps her father tried to do the same after Mitsuha’s mother died but was unable to bring her back, which is why he blames himself for her death and turned his back on becoming a priest. As he no longer believed in the spiritual connection since it failed for him, meaning he was not her ‘true’ love as determined by the gods. The grandmother said earlier that they hadn’t met with the ones they were connected to earlier on so this would make sense. Back to Mitsuha explaining to her dad, he has the realisation of what has happened since he would have known about the traditions, gods etc. So it’s not out of the blue for him to do a 180 and save the town because he already has an understanding of the rituals involved and the near legend of the spirits.

Anyways really wanna go visit some the locations if I ever get the chance to go to Japan.

November 5, 2019

Does anyone else get lsd vibes from this? I saw it for the first time not long after acid and just the whole look of it is similar especially and the circle place they meet. The fact it is a circle for a start ya know. Also does anyone else realise the swap is always 12th & 13th? Does anyone know why. After closer look in to these numbers 12 is related to 666 and obviously 13 is seen at the unlucky number. However some places suggest 13 is an angel number and the meaning is misconclued. Just very interesting how me and the current girl I’m seeing are born on these dates. Myself 13th of 6th and her 12th of 11th. We found it impossible to watch the film until it got to the time of 6 first time we watched it which was recently. Then I realized anime is an anagram of name with an i added and her name is anna which is similar to anagram and anime. We both have a large interest in anime and we met through instagram. If this makes sense to anyone else please reply because is it just me or does it all add up a little too well? Are some people caught in the loop of 5 and others the loop of 6

November 8, 2019

Why movie is named as your name

November 26, 2019

Could there also be a metaphor here for a separation from God/heaven, and the love shared between Earth and heaven?

November 28, 2019

1) yeah, as someone noted: the wish to be a boy in her next life comes after the ritual. At lunch after the first switch (apparently) which she couldn’t remember, Sayaka mentions the upcoming ritual. And this was after finding the “who are you?” note.

2) I totally don’t think it was two comets. It totally seems to be the same one comment that fragmented when it passed by earth 1,200 years ago, and again in 2013.

February 2, 2020

If the thread is equal to the twisting of time it makes since when Taki unravels it and give it to her meaning the timeline is broken but is fixed when she ties the thread back together as a different timeline on her body.

February 4, 2020

Love all of it. I do, however, want to share my opinion on why they forgot each other. At first, I also thought it was the time paradox that created the memory loss but when I think about how the Miyamizu shrine requires an offering or “equal exchange”, I thought the reason why they forgot about each other is because Taki and Mitsuha came to the Underworld without any offerings. Because of this, the Underworld took something of equal importance; their memories of each other.

June 22, 2020

i love ure brain bro

February 19, 2020

Do someone knows why Mitsuha nor remember his meeting and body switches with Taki after she saved the town? Why they remember it as “a disaster exercise” after the fact?

March 21, 2020

they’re in different timelines, right? Mitsuhaya and Taki met on top of the mountain but after the twilight they return to their perspective timeline. If mitsuhaya was back in her timeline (2013) she would be alive with Taki in her timeline (the Taki who didn’t know she exist by the time) . And on the other hand the Taki we see on the top of the mountain was back in his timeline (2016) where he no longer have mutsuhaya as his counterpart Coz in that timeline mitsuhaya died.

So the Taki and mitsuhaya we saw in the ending(stair scene) is the Taki and mitsuhaya of 2013 . So in this timeline we have a saved mitsuhaya while on the other we don’t.

April 9, 2020

I was very hooked in the plot of the story and I find it very interesting but the ending is lacking for me. ?I really want to read or watch their happy ending/ their reunion. Can I have a copy?

April 24, 2020

If Taki and Mitsuha were 3 years apart,how did they communicate to each other while switching bodies through notes,phone diaries and when they write on their skins asking their names?

May 8, 2020

Can you explain what was meant when the grandma said to taki(in mitsuhas body) “you’re dreaming”. i didn’t understand this part.

June 25, 2020

I don’t think it’s timeline for forgetting each other…. Your think that mitsuha alive and therefore timeline changes… it’s wrong bcz if the timeline why he go to the itomori Village…. He go to itomori but he didn’t remember why..???

According you saying the timeline changes…. I assume ur theory then I think if it’s timeline changed then he didn’t go to itomori Village…..

The reason why they forget each bcz it’s like a dream they don’t remember….. Her grandmother also said …that too that she also switches but she also don’t remember…

June 26, 2020

When they switch, they would both put notes in the person’s phone. Which means, If Taki switches with Mitsuha, he is in her body. His way of communicating with her is by writing some notes on her diary since he knows she will check up on it. When they switch back, Mitsuha is back on her body. She will go to her diary and see what he left on their or check on other places where he could have written it like notebook, arm, face, etc.

They couldn’t communicate by calling each other’s phones (shown that it fails when Taki was trying to call Mitsuha) because they are in different universes so their numbers will be unregistered or will be someone else’s phone. So the only communication is writing on each other’s phones when they switch. Its just like switching notebooks with your classmate and you write a note for your classmate to see. When you switch back, your classmate will see it and they will write back.

Sorry if I’m repetitive.

July 2, 2020

This website was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me. Thank you!

July 11, 2020

is taki change the past because of what he drink at the shrine?

August 8, 2020

My only question here is, is there any particular reason why Mitsuha’s time travel is 3 years to the future?

August 13, 2020

How did Taki and Mitsuha meet in 2021? Their time frame doesn’t match the same

September 10, 2020

Thanks . Can anyone explain me what happened to mitsuha when she was in taki body first time ? I’m so confused about why mitsuha noticed body switching in second time after seeing ‘who are you?’ that taki asked in first time.

October 25, 2020

Please tell me this, do they remember what all they have been through at the end when they re unite on the starcase.

January 12, 2022

no they don’t remember everything. They just know that there is a weird connection between them. Taki recognises Mitsuha’s hair tie (the red thread) and feels the connection he has with her through it. He finally says something to her at the end on the stairs because of this connection and she feels the same. Their past isn’t remembered by either of them, however.

November 2, 2020

Ohk.. I understood everything abt the 3 years gap from the movie itself.. But the thing that triggers me is was there really an alternate timeline.. I mean this could have also happened( mitsuha exchanges Taki’s body,goes to tokyo but is unrecognized by taki,comet hits then she dies.. Leaving the taki of same 2013 witnessing the comet.. Then after 3 years taki exchanges body of the same mitsuha that died on Oct 4 2013.. But since he exchanged her body in the time before she was killed.. He was able to experience the same mitsuha’s body who was going to be killed.. Then in this case, why would we need an alternate timeline

November 10, 2020

Makoto shinkai is really amazing he had remained the story at thier main points so that we can develop our on Theories

December 1, 2020

I think the most certain point of the story is that Taki associated with mitsuha to save itomori from the past.

December 17, 2020

in the part where taki and his friends searching for itomori like in his dream i dont remember what is called like dreaming a past event that happened and then trying to find it and then its already gone like in itomori town

January 9, 2021

Loved the film! Finished watching it 2 nights ago and everything about it is brilliant. From the story, the animation, the art, the love and comedy! Thankful I found this site because reading through this post and the comments definitely helped answer a couple of questions I had.

It would be good to think that after they finally meet at the end of the film and ask for each other’s name that their memories come back. But at least if not, they can continue forward with each other starting with a strong connection. When they lost their memories first time I didn’t think too much of it but losing the memory the secone time I was confused as to why. I can accept that leaving the shrine meant their memories were also taken due to stepping into the underworld and also Taki returning the red strand. When Taki wakes up at the crater, it is now an alternate time line where Mitsuha survives, but I think I missed the part where her age was next to her name.

Losing memories is one thing but their messages from their phones disappearing I am not sure if that should have happened, maybe it should. But how could they both lose memories the first time when only one went to the shrine, perhaps because half of Mitsuha was left behind technically, or due to Taki losing his, she also lost her due to the connection.

Lots and lots of themes in this anime film. I never did catch that they were 3years apart. This element really added to the film. They switched bodies at the same age but I wonder how their relationship would unfold now that they met and are not just 3yrs apart, but one is a working adult and one just finished college looking for work.

Truly a masterpiece and great time travel film.

January 25, 2021

Hi. I have 4 questions regarding Your Name.

Why did Taki suddenly forget Mitsuha’s name while researching about her town, but remembered it later when he went into the shrine?

Why did Taki forget Mitsuha and the fact that she was the person who gave him the red braided string when he met her 3 years ago?

They say, they forget memories of the switch after waking up, but there are instances where they remember. For instance, Mitsuha remembers that she set up a date for Taki when she swaps back to her own body. Another instance is that Taki retains his memories of the day he visited the shrine in Mitsuha’s body. I assume here they retain the memories because it was their final switch or because Taki swapped back in twilight?

What are the conditions for swapping and swapping back? I know they wake up in each other’s bodies but Taki switched back into his body when he was awake in Mitsuha’s body.

April 7, 2021

Hi Rick! My responses:

1. It seems that Taki is slowly forgetting Mitsuha’s name the longer she has been dead. So he needs to keep reminding himself of her name. But as time passes, it gets harder and harder. That’s why we see it come and go.

2. That is funny. My guess is that the memory was just a fleeting one. He remembers that he received the string more than he remembers her exact face.

3. Do they retain the memories in full? They write down everything for each other. So we’re not always seeing them retaining memories, but instead hearing them speak the words they wrote down in a voiceover. I admit, though, it’s kinda confusing. I’m not sure there’s a clearcut answer.

4. Did Taki switch back while he was in Mitsuha’s body? I honestly don’t remember that. Anyway, it just seems like they switch randomly, right? I’m not sure there’s a clear reason or pattern when it comes to the switching.

Hope that helps!

June 6, 2021

To add on, it is entirely possible to not remember how one received a gift and somehow regard it as a “lucky charm”.

Taki may not have thought much of it after receiving, and put it aside until 1-2 years later. He could have found it again in his belongings, thought it’s nice and kept it as his lucky charm.

I say this, because I recently found a very nice token gift when I was going through my stuff, but I really couldn’t remember how or who I got it from. So yea.

Anw thanks Travis! I like your analysis of the movie and appreciate that you took the time to share your thoughts!

March 11, 2021

Bro I never watched and read their story explanation like this …but I had one question when taki went searching for mitsuha he didn’t remember her name but when he saw her name in the book of death people how he remembers and finds mitsuha name in the book. How?

March 21, 2021

He doesn’t remember he jst got this feeling of grief…. He doesn’t really understand y tho

To be honest I don’t remember this moment in exact detail. But I think he starts to forget her name, then looks through every name in the book, then when he notices her name he suddenly remembers it. Right? It’s like when Taki had to write his name down for her. They need to see the names to remember each other after a while.

“But I think he starts to forget her name, then looks through every name in the book, then when he notices her name he suddenly remembers it. Right?”

Well Travis Bean, there are many reasons why people might forget things. Some common causes of forgetfulness include:

Lack of attention: If you didn’t pay much attention to something when you first learned it, it’s more likely that you’ll forget it later.

Interference: Sometimes, new information can interfere with your ability to remember something that you learned previously. This is known as “interference.”

Absentmindedness: People are more likely to forget things when they are distracted or preoccupied with something else.

Stress and anxiety: Stress and anxiety can interfere with your ability to remember things.

Aging: As we get older, our brains naturally become less efficient at forming new memories and retrieving old ones.

Sleep deprivation: Not getting enough sleep can affect your memory.

Substance abuse: Alcohol and certain drugs can impair memory function.

Medical conditions: Some medical conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and certain neurological disorders, can affect memory.

Medications: Some medications, such as benzodiazepines and antihistamines, can cause memory problems as a side effect.

Remembering things can be a complex process, and there are many factors that can influence it. If you’re having trouble remembering things, it’s important to talk to a doctor or other healthcare professional for help.

March 29, 2021

Haha. Nice!!

August 2, 2021

If mitsuha died in taki’s time 3 years ago and then taki return to itomori and travels back to mitsuha’s body the day before the comet strikes and save the people. Why did taki go in itomori 5 years ago as said in the near ending when he’s talking to ms. Okudera and said to sleep in the mountain if mitsuha never died in that timeline? Does this mean that all of the people change their memories regarding to the comet strikes that killed all the people to miraculously nobody died because they are practicing an emergency evacuation in school

August 12, 2021

November 12, 2021

Thanks for unraveling this complex plotline. Appreciate the art of the movie much more after your explanation. One suggestion though, please delete “Just like how celebrating Thanksgiving allows us to connect with Pilgrims who happened upon America”. Remembering the Pilgrims and the beginning of genocide against native Americans isn’t the analogy you are looking for.

November 21, 2021

Wow so much to take in what a great story. I may have felt my Spidey senses couple times there. I’m happy to have read it. Thanks

December 20, 2021

Bonjour Mais a la fin , elle est censé être morte . (3 ans dans le passé). Pourtant elle est toujours en vie puisqu’elle croise Taki . Merci pour toutes vos explications.

July 1, 2022

I Talk To Her Name FREDLYNE MAXI or Nothing or Other ?

January 17, 2023

I watched this movie this morning. I thought I was just not paying attention to the movie but turns out it was very hard to follow. After I rewinded and watch part of the movie again I realized Taki was 3 years ahead of Mitzuha. This article helped me confirm that. Thanks for your help!

You are very welcome! Thanks for reading!!

June 14, 2023

When Mitsuha and Taki would switch bodies how did they not notice which year they are in. As later we learn that Taki was 3 years ahead of Mitsuha.

July 29, 2023

Hey Dynamo! Not Travis but the other person on this site. You ask a very good question lol. That’s what we call a logic gap. It’s not necessarily a plot hole as a plot hole is an absolute impossibility given the rules of the world. But a logic gap is when something could have a reason but we’re just never told what it is. Some logic gaps are completely fine and we don’t worry about them. Others, like this, can be kind of gamebreaking. I’m guessing the filmmakers just hoped that people wouldn’t think too much about it. You can also explain it as they’re both so caught up by how strange all of it is that they never notice? Another theory could be that it’s part of the “spell”. The same way that Mitsuha and Taki eventually forget one another because of how the spell works, it’s possible that details like the exact year are foggy or something they forget. That’s the blessing and the curse of logic gap issues. You can usually find some kind of reason to give the story the benefit of the doubt, or it can just sound absurd lol.

April 10, 2023

I have watched the movie at least 6 or 7 times, each time I catch something I hadn´t before. After reading this I am ready to watch it again with a much deeper understanding. Thank you for the hours invested in writing!

November 15, 2023

I did not read through all of the comments but I wanted to mention how the text messages had disappeared. One reasoning I cam to was how the grandmother had said that the thread comes apart and is put back together. You might look for her saying this when she is weaving, but I think she talked about how fates intertwine and unravel and intertwine again when they were walking up the mountain to leave the rice wine. This is my theory anyway. Thank you for sharing all of your insights I look forward to watching it again.

November 20, 2023

That is beautifully put! I love that. It modernizes a very ancient and traditional idea. Makes the connection between past and present feel eternal. So cool.

February 26, 2024

That’s a good theory!

January 4, 2024

Did Taki change the past when he switched bodies again later to warn about the comet and did everyone from year 2016 or smth forgot that in year 2013 the comet killed 500 people I’m so confused about that. And was 2016 the present or the future

April 3, 2024

What a great showcase of this masterpiece, thank you alot for summarizing this beautiful piece of art!

April 9, 2024

You are very welcome! Glad you enjoyed our insights 🙂

Write a response Cancel reply

Home — Essay Samples — Philosophy — Meaning of Life — The Significance of a Name

The Significance of a Name

• Categories: Meaning of Life Names

About this sample

Words: 2041 |

11 min read

Published: Mar 28, 2019

Words: 2041 | Pages: 4 | 11 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Heisenberg

Verified writer

• Expert in: Philosophy Sociology

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

4 pages / 1873 words

1 pages / 670 words

1 pages / 636 words

5 pages / 2107 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Meaning of Life

Oscar Wilde said that “Life is too important to be taken seriously.” It’s true, the line said that you don’t have to waste your life, as there are many important things that you have to finish in your life. There are many [...]

Smith, Adam. 'The Theory of Moral Sentiments.' 1759.

Frankl, Viktor E. 'Man's Search for Meaning.' Beacon Press, 2006.Dweck, Carol S. 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.' Ballantine Books, 2007.Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. 'Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.' Harper [...]

The question of the meaning of life has been a timeless and profound inquiry that has intrigued philosophers, thinkers, and individuals throughout history. In this essay, we will delve into the philosophical exploration of the [...]

Living in a modern society has redefined the meaning of life in many ways. Nowadays, the most popular social networks have come to define the essence of existence as making others feel less critical by reducing [...]

Defining a purpose in life is a topic of great significance, which is discussed in this essay. Life is truly a remarkable gift that offers us innumerable opportunities for growth and fulfillment. However, it is up [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

English Collaborative

What is Your Name Story?

Engaging with students’ names at the beginning of the year helps them critically think about language and naming, as well as consider concepts around naming related to meaning, culture, power, and identity. This lesson further helps English teachers address values around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Ask students to watch this 2011 advertisement for Coke . In pairs discuss: What might be some reasons why this Coke campaign was so successful?
• Then, watch this 2013 adaptation of the campaign from China . Ask students: How is this campaign different?  What might be some reasons why Coke may have changed their approach for a Chinese audience?
• Write your first/given name on the piece of paper or slide given to you. This can be your full name or your nick name.
• Who named you?  Why were you given this name?
• What does your name mean?  Where does it come from? Does this meaning and context represent your identity?  Why/why not?
• What is your experience with your name? 
• Do you like/dislike your name?
• Select or create icons and images that are related to your name story. 
• Share your name story in small groups.
• Have students read this article from The Atlantic entitled, “ Who Wins in the Name Game ”?
• Why is the language of names important?
• What assumptions do we make about people based on their name?
• What assumptions might people make about you based on your name?
• What relationships can you see between power and names?
• In pairs, students discuss the question: Should we be made to use our “real” names online and in other contexts?
• Then, have students read this article: “ Why Facebook and Google’s Concept of ‘Real Names’ Is Revolutionary ”
• Choose a sentence from the article that supports this assertion.
• To what extent do you agree with the article’s argument?
• To what extent do you disagree with the article’s argument?
• What issues exist because people are allowed to use pseudonyms online that are not addressed in this article?
• Where do you stand on this issue?
• In their portfolios, students write a reflection responding to the following question: What new understandings and ideas did you encounter today through our discussion of names?

Note: This lesson could easily be cut down to do only one or two of these activities. As planned, this lesson would take approximately 80 minutes.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Posts

Please Note

Resources and materials on this site are independently developed by the authors and are not endorsed by the IBO or the College Board.

Name of the Day

Popular names, popularity visualizations, popular features.

The Origin of My Name

They say that the best music for one`s ear is the sound of his own name. Indeed, even if a person is extremely ignorant, he knows the spelling of his name for sure. Thus, it is surprising that people do not always care about the meaning of their names, while people`s names are the part of the nation`s history – I mean nation as a folk. Scientists have found out that names (personal names of people, related to the category of onomastics - anthroponymy) fully reflect life, beliefs, aspirations, imagination and artistic creativity of the people and their historical contacts. Moreover, almost all the names of different peoples carry the vivid imprint of the corresponding era. Nowadays, we are allowed to change our names if we do not like them, but, to my mind, the name does not adorn the man, but the man the name, while a good name keeps its luster in the dark. I agree with the idea that if a person does not know the history, it will be written by others. My name is William McAllister, and I have conducted a research about its origin for my history not to be written by anyone else.

Speaking about my first name, it would be appropriate to mention that it obtains the third rank in the USA`s most popular names and the seventh in England. While in Australia, Denmark and Sweden it is the most popular one. It has become especially popular after a number of rulers have been named William. Four British kings had such names, several rulers of the Netherlands and two German emperors. Their names were spelled as “Wilhelm” – a more common German cognate of William. There is also a number of famous carriers of my name, including William Shakespeare, William Tell, William Wallace, William Faulkner and many others. I am grateful to my parents for such ability to be proud of these predecessors.

Originally, the name William has an Anglo-Saxon origin and comprises two elements: will, meaning willing or desire, and helm, which is treated as protection or helmet. Nowadays, the meaning of the name William is interpreted as a kingdom`s protector or a protector of realm. When I was a little boy, my family used to call me Willy, sometimes it was Billy. Those days I could not be associated with achievements of my famous namesakes, of course. Today, as a grown-up, I realize my willing to prove that there is nothing accidental in our lives. Somebody calls it regularity, others trust in the law of karmic load. Anyway, I feel the need to justify my belonging to this name with its powerful historical load by really worthy deeds in life.

Download will start in 20 seconds

Choose an option to complete your free download

Note that all papers are meant for inspiration and reference purposes only! Do not copy papers in full or in part. Papers are provided by other students, who hold the copyright for the content of those papers. All papers were submitted to TurnItIn and will show up as plagiarism if you try to submit any part of them as your own work. Assignment Lab can not guarantee the quality of the user generated content such as sample papers above.

• Login with Facebook
• Keep me logged in Forgot password?

Restore Password

• Back to login form

New password was sent

Create new account

Please enter a valid email address. We will send you a verification code to this email address. Email verification is required to download essays

Please register to download

Please enter a valid email address to download a sample you requested. We will send you a verification code to this email address

Met Gala 2024: See some of the night's biggest highlights!

• TODAY Plaza
• Share this —

• Watch Full Episodes
• Read With Jenna
• Inspirational
• Relationships
• TODAY Table
• Newsletters
• Start TODAY
• Shop TODAY Awards
• Citi Concert Series
• Listen All Day

Follow today

More Brands

• On The Show

AANHPI Heritage Month: The history of the month-long celebration

Each May, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month celebrates the culture and contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander Americans.

From parades to performances, AAPI Heritage Month is full of opportunities to learn more about the AAPI community .

In a speech on April 30, President Joe Biden reflected on the importance of AAPI Heritage Month.

“From Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders whose ancestors have called their lands home for hundreds of years, to Asian immigrants who have newly arrived and those whose families have been here for generations — AA and NHPI heritage has long been a part of the history of our great country and a defining force in the soul of our Nation,” he said.

“As artists and journalists, doctors and engineers, business and community leaders, and so much more, AA and NHPI peoples have shaped the very fabric of our Nation and opened up new possibilities for all of us.”

The month-long celebration is steeped in decades of history. Though the AAPI community has been honored in May since the 1970s, AAPI Heritage Month wasn't recognized as an annual federal observance until 1992.

Ahead of the May celebration, take a moment to learn more about AAPI Heritage Month, the holiday's history, and how you can participate in the festivities.

Why do we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month in May?

AAPI heritage was originally celebrated during the first week of May until Congress expanded the observance to the full month in 1990.

May was chosen as the month to commemorate AAPI history because the first Japanese immigrants came to America on May 7, 1843.

Additionally, the transcontinental railroad, which was built with significant involvement from Chinese immigrant laborers, was completed with a single golden spike on May 10, 1869.

What is the history of AAPI Heritage Month?

Jeanie Jew, one of the founders of the Organization of Chinese American Women (OCAW), originated the idea of AAPI Heritage Month.

Jew worked as a staffer on Capitol Hill in the 1970s, where she worked to increase Asian-American representation. She came up with the idea to designate the month of May as a time to celebrate AAPI history and contributions.

Beyond the other significant dates in AAPI history that took place in May, Jew had a personal connection to the month. Her grandfather, a Chinese immigrant, took part in building the transcontinental railroad. Tragically, he was later killed during a period of anti-Asian violence in Oregon.

Jew pitched the idea to New York Rep. Frank Horton, who co-sponsored a bill with California Rep. Norman Yoshio to dedicate a week to AAPI heritage.

Due to Jew's efforts to generate support, 231 congressional members signed on to co-sponsor the bill. On October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the resolution to dedicate the first week of May to AAPI heritage.

In 1990, President George H.W Bush signed a declaration expanding the celebration to the entire month of May, and in 1992, AAPI month was officially made an annual observance.

Horton shared a letter from Jew thanking him for his advocacy.

“Since its first observance, the celebration in May has become the single most significant event for Asian and Pacific Islanders and all Americans to learn more about our concerns, contributions, achievements and history in the U.S.,” Jew wrote.

How to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month

Each May brings a variety of AAPI Heritage Month events across the country.

Many cities, including Seattle , Raleigh , Denver , and Dallas , will host festivals that have everything from food trucks to dragon boat races.

The third annual AAPI Cultural and Heritage Parade will take place in NYC on May 19, and Pell Open Streets Chinese Food Festival in Chinatown will feature a variety of delicious dishes on May 4 and 5.

May is also the perfect time for book lovers to browse titles by AAPI authors.

Multigenerational saga “Pachinko” by Korean-American author Min Jin Lee has quickly become a modern classic, and the “Crazy Rich Asians” book series by Singaporean-American author Kevin Kwan is perfect for your summer beach reads.

Kids will love Taiwanese-American author Grace Lin's colorful children's books like “Dim Sum for Everyone!” and middle-grade novels like “The Year of the Dog” and “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.”

You can also learn more about AAPI artists by checking out your local museum 's exhibit schedule or taking a virtual tour.

Associate Lifestyle Reporter

For 23 years, I was Caroline. Here’s why I reclaimed my Chinese birth name.

120 years and counting: How this mochi shop has been keeping the Japanese tradition alive since 1903

Kristi Yamaguchi won Olympic gold 32 years ago. Her latest prize: Becoming a Barbie doll

How I chose my kids' Indian names so my husband could pronounce them

What is curry? It's a surprising story of many flavors and cultures

What is umami? Experts explain the fifth taste

Cook smarter.

What is chili crisp? This spicy condiment belongs on everything — even dessert

What is ube? This purple yam will make your desserts pop

Jenn Tran is the 1st Asian American ‘Bachelorette’. What it means to fans

Hollywood has a new wave of South Asian faces: Meet 14 of them here

Advertisement

Supported by

What to Know About ‘Unfrosted’ and the Real History of Pop-Tarts

In his directorial debut, Jerry Seinfeld tackles the history of the fruit-filled pastries … kind of. Here’s the real origin story, along with a bonus quiz.

• Share full article

By Sarah Bahr

Sarah Bahr’s favorite Pop-Tart flavor is Frosted Wild Berry.

First, there was the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos biopic (complete with an Oscar-nominated song). Then came “ Tetris ”; “ Air ,” about Nike Air Jordan sneakers; “ BlackBerry ”; and “ Barbie .”

It is, in other words, a golden age for product-origin-story movies.

The latest is “Unfrosted: The Pop-Tarts Story,” a satirical history that Jerry Seinfeld has expanded from his stand-up act. The film, which he directed and stars in alongside Jim Gaffigan, Hugh Grant and Amy Schumer, arrives Friday on Netflix. Unlike its predecessors, it’s not really concerned with actual events. Here’s what to know about the true history of the Pop-Tart — and what the movie gets right and wrong.

But first, how did Kellogg’s and Post both end up with headquarters in Battle Creek, Mich.?

You would think ground zero in the Breakfast Wars of the 1960s might be somewhere most people could locate on a map. But Battle Creek, Mich., was home to the Battle Creek Sanitarium, known for its water and fresh air treatments, and managed by Will Keith Kellogg and his brother, John Harvey Kellogg. W.K. Kellogg developed a method of creating crunchy pieces of processed grain for his patients (read: Corn Flakes), and one of those patients, C.W. Post, would go on to start his own company in 1895 selling several foods that were veeeery similar to those at the sanitarium.

W.K. Kellogg noticed Post profiting from his recipes and established his own firm in 1906, the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company. Within three years, it was cranking out more than 100,000 boxes of Corn Flakes a day, and, thanks to the success of Kellogg, Post and many other cereal companies, Battle Creek became known as the Cereal City.

Who were the real Edsel Kellogg III and Marjorie Merriweather Post?

The bumbling chief executive of Kellogg’s, played by Gaffigan, is fictional (thank goodness). On the other hand, Marjorie Merriweather Post — the General Foods owner whom Schumer portrays as a turban-wearing caricature — was one of the first female chief executives and, for most of her life, considered the wealthiest woman in America. (Today she may be best known for building Mar-a-Lago, now Donald J. Trump’s base.)

Did Post really come up with a toaster-prepared breakfast pastry first?

Yes. In the 1960s, Post, then the biggest competitor to Kellogg’s, invented a process of partly dehydrating food and wrapping it in foil to keep it fresh; no refrigeration required. The process was initially used for dog food, but it also allowed fruit filling in, say, a toaster-prepared breakfast pastry to stay both moist and bacteria-free. (And yes, it was actually Post’s idea, not one ripped off from a Kellogg’s employee via a hidden vacuum cam.)

Was the Post product really called Country Squares?

Unfortunately, yes. The name was later changed to its current Toast’em Pop Ups , but is that really much better?

How did Country Squares and Pop-Tarts end up hitting shelves the same year?

Post jumped the gun and unveiled Country Squares to the press in February 1964, four months before they were ready to sell, allowing Kellogg’s time to frantically rustle up its own, much-better-named version.

Did Bob Cabana really create the Pop-Tart?

Nope, the “Unfrosted” flack (played by Seinfeld) is fictional. The man who helped create Pop-Tarts was a manager named William Post (yes, really), who died in February at 96.

What was an actual rejected name for the Pop-Tart?

The ones in the film — Fruit-Magoos, Heat ’Em Up and Eat ’Em Ups, Oblong Nibblers, Trat Pops — are made up. But the real rejected name — Fruit Scones — wasn’t much catchier. The final name, coined by a Kellogg’s executive, William LaMothe, was inspired by Pop Art, the contemporary cultural movement.

Were Pop-Tarts really an overnight hit?

Yes, but the first shipment to stores sold out in two weeks, not 60 seconds, as in “Unfrosted.” Kellogg’s apologized, in advertisements , but this only increased demand. (They were restocked before long.)

Were the first flavors really unfrosted?

Yes. The original flavors — all unfrosted — were Apple Currant Jelly, Strawberry, Blueberry and Brown Sugar-Cinnamon. The first frosted ones — Dutch Apple, Concord Grape, Raspberry and Brown Sugar-Cinnamon — didn’t hit the market until 1967. (William Post came up with the idea, disproving skeptics who believed the icing would melt in the toaster.) The next year, sprinkles were added to some of the frosted ones.

Did Kellogg’s really advertise Pop-Tarts without a mascot?

It did, though the decision didn’t set off a Hugh Grant-led mascot rebellion, as in “Unfrosted.” Kellogg’s rectified the omission in 1971, introducing Milton the Toaster . (The little guy didn’t make it out of the 1970s.)

Which of these flavors are real?

The past few decades have been a smorgasbord of Pop-Tart flavors, some very short-lived. Can you spot the four real flavors here?

Chocolate Peppermint

Froot Loops

Guava Mango

Harry Potter Special Edition: Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Popcorn

Maple Bacon

Answer: Chocolate Peppermint, Froot Loops, Guava Mango and Maple Bacon Pop-Tarts have all been on shelves at some point. The Harry Potter Bertie Bott’s Popcorn and Twizzlers flavors remain the stuff of our fever dreams.

Sarah Bahr writes about culture and style for The Times. More about Sarah Bahr

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

The Netflix stalker series “ Baby Reindeer ” combines the appeal of a twisty thriller with a deep sense of empathy. The ending illustrates why it’s become such a hit .

We have entered the golden age of Mid TV, where we have a profusion of well-cast, sleekly produced competence, our critic writes .

The writer-director Alex Garland has made it clear that “Civil War” should be a warning. Instead, the ugliness of war comes across as comforting thrills .

Studios obsessively focused on PG-13 franchises and animation in recent years, but movies like “Challengers” and “Saltburn” show that Hollywood is embracing sex again .

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

Cookies on GOV.UK

We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

• Working, jobs and pensions
• State Pension

Online voluntary National Insurance payments service launches

Find out if voluntary National Insurance contributions will boost your State Pension.

The government is making it easier for customers to check for and fill any gaps in their National Insurance ( NI ) record to help increase their State Pension by launching a new digital service today (29 April 2024).

The new digital service is called Check your State Pension forecast – and is a joint service by HM Revenue and Customs ( HMRC ) and the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ). It has been enhanced to include a fully end-to-end digital solution.

The service will show customers by how much their State Pension could increase and details of the voluntary NI contributions they would need to pay to achieve this. It allows most people under State Pension age to view gaps in their NI record and pay voluntary contributions to fill those gaps, if it will benefit them.

Anyone with NI gaps in some of their tax years that could increase their State Pension if filled, can use the new digital service to choose which years they would like to pay to fill. They can then pay securely through the service and will receive confirmation that their payment has been received and that their NI record will be updated.

Customers can access the Check your State Pension forecast via GOV.UK or via the HMRC app .

Those who are eligible have until 5 April 2025 to pay voluntary contributions to make up gaps in their NI record between 6 April 2006 and 5 April 2018. From 6 April 2025, people will only be able to pay voluntary contributions for the previous 6 tax years, in line with normal time limits.

Nigel Huddleston, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said:

Having peace of mind when planning for retirement is crucial to ensure people can enjoy later life. That’s why HMRC has launched this new online service today, making a real difference for thousands of pensioners in their retirement while providing certainty to those in their middle years and those still planning ahead.

Minister for Pensions, Paul Maynard, said:

The State Pension is the foundation of income in retirement, which is why we have introduced this new online tool to help simplify boosting it for those who are able to. I would encourage everyone to check their State Pension forecast and to take a look at how they could improve their State Pension award with only a few simple clicks.

Last year, the government extended the deadline to pay voluntary NI contributions to 5 April 2025 for those affected by new State Pension transitional arrangements. This covers tax years from 6 April 2006 to 5 April 2018. The extended deadline means that people now have more time to properly consider whether paying voluntary contributions is right for them and ensures no-one need miss out on the possibility of increasing their State Pension.

Paying voluntary contributions will not always increase their State Pension but everyone can use the new service to check whether they could be better off in retirement before making any voluntary NI payments.

Customers will need to login to the new digital service using their Personal Tax Account login details. Those without an online HMRC account can register on GOV.UK.

Everyone should be aware of the risk of falling victim to scams and should never share their HMRC login details with anyone, including a tax agent, if they have one. HMRC scams advice is available on GOV.UK.

Further information

More information on voluntary NI contributions

Customers should check if they can get National Insurance credits before they look into paying voluntary contributions

The majority of customers will be able to use the digital service, without needing to phone HMRC or DWP , including those living abroad who want to pay voluntary contributions for years they were resident in the UK. However, it is not currently available to those who are already receiving their State Pension, self-employed customers or customers currently living outside the UK with gaps incurred while working abroad. They can continue to manage their NICs as set out on GOV.UK .

Customers can usually pay voluntary contributions for the past 6 tax years. The deadline is 5 April each year.

As part of transitional arrangements to the new State Pension, customers have had an extended deadline to pay voluntary contributions to fill gaps in their National Insurance record between 6 April 2006 and 5 April 2016, to help increase their State Pension. Following an extension to the deadline last year individuals can pay voluntary contributions for tax years 6 April 2006 to 5 April 2018 by 5 April 2025.

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

• Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)
• Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Is this page useful?

• Yes this page is useful
• No this page is not useful

Help us improve GOV.UK

Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.

To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone.

Main navigation

• Talks & Events
• Undergraduate
• Graduate & Postdoc
• Outreach & Donate
• For Faculty Only

Essay Contest: Nappert Prize in International Arbitration 2024

• Tweet Widget

Thanks to the generosity of Sophie Nappert (BCL’86, LLB’86), the Nappert Prize in International Arbitration is celebrating 10 years since its inauguration in 2014. The prize will be awarded by McGill University for the sixth time in 2024.

Eligibility Requirements:

The competition is open to law students, junior scholars and junior practitioners from around the world. To be eligible for the prize, the authors must:

• be either currently enrolled in a B.C.L, LL.B., J.D., LL.M., D.C.L., or Ph.D. program (or their local equivalents), or
• have taken their most recent law degree within the last three years; or
• have been admitted to the practice of law for no more than three years.

Co-authored submissions are permissible, but each author must meet the eligibility criteria. (Kindly note that only one author will be flown to Montreal for the symposium.)

Previous winners of the Nappert Prize (2020 and 2022) are not eligible to submit their essays for this edition.

• First place: CAN $4,000
• Second place: CAN $2,000
• Third place: CAN $1,000

Winners of all three awards will be required to present their essays at a symposium to be held at McGill University’s Faculty of Law in Autumn 2024 (the expenses of the winners for attending the symposium will be covered).

The best oralist will receive an award of CAN $1,000.

The precise date of the symposium will be announced in the coming months.

Deadline and Submission Mode:

All essays must be submitted by 30 th April 2024 11:59PM Eastern Time. Essays can be submitted using this form .

Submission Requirements:

Essays for the prize can be submitted in English, French or Spanish.

Please make sure that your essay:

• must relate to commercial or investment arbitration;
• must be unpublished (not yet submitted for publication) as of April 30 th ;
• must be a maximum of 15,000 words (including footnotes);
• must be formatted to Times New Roman Size 12 with 1.5 line spacing.
• should use OSCOLA or any other well-established legal citation guide (e.g. McGill Red Book; Bluebook);
• should be in MS Word format;
• should not contain your name or other information about your identity.

Submitted essays should not contain any text generated through advanced automated tools (artificial intelligence or machine learning tools such as ChatGPT), unless specifically required because of the subject matter of the essay and cited as mentioned below. Use of AI-generated text will be considered plagiarism, and any essay containing such text will be disqualified.

If the subject matter of the essay necessitates it, any AI-generated text in the submission should be properly cited. For example, text generated using ChatGPT-3 should include a citation such as:

Chat-GPT-3. (YYYY, Month DD of query). “Text of your query.” Generated using OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/

Material generated using other tools should follow a similar citation format.

Jurors for the 2024 will be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

For more information, kindly email Ms. Tanya Oberoi at nappertprize.law [at] mcgill.ca .

• Faculty of Law

Department and University Information

Department of history and classical studies.