name

Etymology 1

PIE word *h₁nómn̥ From Middle English name, nome, from Old English nama, noma, from Proto-West Germanic *namō, from Proto-Germanic *namô, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥. Cognates include Saterland Frisian Noome, West Frisian namme, Dutch naam, German Name, Danish navn, Swedish namn, Latin nōmen (whence Spanish nombre), Russian имя (imja), Sanskrit नामन् (nāman). Possible cognates outside of Indo-European include Finnish nimi and Hungarian név. Doublet of nomen and noun.

noun

1. Any nounal word or phrase which indicates a particular person, place, class, or thing.
   So good a man as this must surely have a name. 1904, L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz
   Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work. 2013 July-August, Lee S. Langston, “The Adaptable Gas Turbine”, in American Scientist
   I've never liked the name my parents gave me so I changed it at the age of twenty.
   What's your name? Puddintane. Ask me again and I'll tell you the same.
2. Reputation.
   The parish stank of idolatry, abominable rites were practiced in secret, and in all the bounds there was no one had a more evil name for the black traffic than one Alison Sempill, who bode at the Skerburnfoot. 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide
   And David won a name for himself. 1952, Old Testament, Revised Standard Version, Thomas Nelson & Sons, 2 Samuel 8:13
3. An abusive or insulting epithet.
   Stop calling me names!
4. A person (or legal person).
   They list with women each degenerate name.
   p. 2002, second edition of, 2002, Graham Richards, Putting Psychology in its Place, →ISBN, page 287 http://books.google.com/books?id=7bxvJIs5_wsC&pg=PA287&dq=names Later British psychologists interested in this topic include such major names as Cyril Burt, William McDougall, […] .
   Would it be able to fight the competition from ITC Agro Tech and Liptons who were ready and able to commit large resources? With such big names as competitors, would this business be viable for Marico? 2008 edition of, 1998, S. B. Budhiraja and M. B. Athreya, Cases in Strategic Management page 79 http://books.google.com/books?id=-IaKYHY0sogC&pg=PA79&dq=names
   International non-governmental organisations (INGOs), including such household names as Amnesty International, Greenpeace and […] . 2009 third edition of, 1998, Martin Mowforth and Ian Munt, Tourism and Sustainability, page 29 http://books.google.com/books?id=bM6MPBIFwkQC&pg=PA29&dq=names
5. Those of a certain name; a race; a family.
6. Authority; behalf.
   Halt in the name of the law!
   We may be quite sure, therefore, that in some shape, if we, the people of England, tolerate the bloody and sanguinary crimes which are committed in our name, if they are so committed, and we do not remonstrate and condemn, we shall have no acquittal at that tribunal by which the actions, not of individuals only, but of nations and peoples, are finally judged. 1881, George Barnett Smith, chapter XVI, in The Life and Speeches of the Right Hon. John Bright, M.P., volume II, London: Hodder and Stroughton, page 541
7. (computing) A unique identifier, generally a string of characters.
8. (UK, finance) An investor in Lloyds of London bearing unlimited liability.

Etymology 2

From Middle English namen, from Old English namian (“to name, mention”) and ġenamian (“to name, call, appoint”), from Proto-West Germanic *namōn (“to name”). Compare also Old English nemnan, nemnian (“to name, give a name to a person or thing”).

verb

1. (ditransitive) To give a name to.
   One visitor named Hou Yugang said he was not too concerned about climate change and Baishui’s melting. Audio (US) (file)
   I will name the fellow 'Jack Pumpkinhead!' 1904, L. Frank Baum, The Land of Oz
   A chap named Eleazir Kendrick and I had chummed in together the summer afore and built a fish-weir and shanty at Setuckit Point, down Orham way. For a spell we done pretty well. 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients
2. (transitive) To mention, specify.
   He named his demands.
   You name it!
   You have to pot the ball in the pocket you've named.
   The three countries were named in a new study from the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization, or WIPO. Audio (US) (file) 3 February 2019, “UN Study: China, US, Japan Lead World AI Development”, in Voice of America, archived from the original on 2019-02-07
3. (transitive) To identify as relevant or important
   naming the problem
4. (transitive) To publicly implicate by name.
   The painter was named as an accomplice.
5. (transitive, of a person) To disclose the name of.
   Police are not naming the suspect as he is a minor.
6. (transitive) To designate for a role.
   My neighbor was named to the steering committee.
7. (transitive, Westminster system politics) To initiate a process to temporarily remove a member of parliament who is breaking the rules of conduct.
   I must warn the Right Honourable gentleman, that if he persists in his refusal to comply with my order to withdraw [the words "deliberately deceptive"], I shall be compelled to name him. 2013-07-10, John (Speaker of the House of Commons) Bercow, (Please provide the book title or journal name), to MP Nigel Dodds

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Spanish ñame, substituting n for the unfamiliar Spanish letter ñ. Doublet of yam.

noun

1. Any of several types of true yam (Dioscorea) used in Caribbean Spanish cooking.