Names Reexamined: Uncovering Their Hidden Meaning

Jacqueline Meister
Feb 25
4 min read

Updated: Mar 3

Hey Everyone!

How goes it? I had an interesting morning—"interesting" being the only positive word I can think of. 😆 I'm fighting a cold, so my reflexes are a little slow. Long story short, I somehow managed to spill egg yolk on my blanket skirt. Don’t ask.

I’m choosing positivity right now. 😂

But while recovering from my graceful breakfast mishap, I started thinking about a topic I’ve been wanting to write about: the significance of names.

Why Do Names Matter?

Many people dismiss the idea that names hold any real meaning. To them, a name is just a name—nothing more.

And they could be right.

But… I doubt it. 😉

I understand why it’s hard to believe. It took me a while to get there myself. So, I thought I’d share the steps that led me to see how names influence identity, purpose, and even destiny.

Step 1: Noticing the Pattern (Biblical Proof)

As I read the Bible daily, I started noticing something—names appeared over and over again in significant ways.

In some cases, babies were given names that described an event that had taken place.

Ichabod was named because the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel. His name literally means "No Glory."
Methuselah had a prophetic name—his name means "When he dies, it shall be sent." After his death, the flood that wiped out the world came.

Other times, God Himself changed people’s names.

Jacob (which means "Supplanter") lived up to his name—he supplanted his brother Esau and later outmaneuvered his uncle Laban. But after wrestling with God, he received a new name: Israel (which means "Wrestles with God").

And then there are names where the definition reveals deeper meaning in their stories:

Joseph means "to increase"—and wherever he went, the people around him prospered (Potiphar, the prison guard, Pharaoh, etc.).
Moses means "Delivered from water." He was saved from the water as a baby in a basket… and later, he led Israel through the Red Sea.

These aren’t just coincidences—they show that names carry weight and purpose.

Step 2: Seeing Names in the Physical World

I started realizing that names carried significance, but I couldn’t quite explain why or how. Then, I saw a couple of movies that caught my attention.

In Disney’s Cinderella (the reimagined version), the narrator states there is magic in names. Ella’s name was changed to "Cinderella"—going from a meaning of "fair maiden" to "little ashes." The transformation wasn’t just a cruel nickname—it was a symbol of her journey. She had to pass through the ashes before she could rise as a queen.
The movie The Founder (about McDonald’s) really drove this point home. During the final buyout scene, the McDonald brothers ask Ray Kroc why he took their business. His response?
"I knew from the moment I saw the name McDonald's… I had to have it." He wasn’t just stealing a company. He was stealing the name.
The brothers were allowed to keep their original restaurant, but they had to change the name to "Big M's." And what happened next? Ray built a McDonald's across the street… and put them out of business.
All because the power wasn’t in the business—it was in the name.

Step 3: Understanding How the Enemy Works

That movie hit me like a ton of bricks. In the Bible, we are told the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I had always assumed that verse was about life itself—that Satan wanted to steal our lives. But after seeing The Founder, I realized something:

Names are so valuable, they are worth being stolen.

And McDonald’s? The name itself means "World Ruler." Look up the stats on McDonald's—the word "world" is used over and over again. World-wide. The #1 restaurant in the world. It literally fits its name.

Besides stealing a name, the enemy seems to use another strategy in erasing a person's name.

During the Holocaust, Hitler did more than take the Jews' homes, businesses, and lives. He took their names. He replaced them with numbers—literally tattooing numbers on their bodies.
More recently, YouTube influencer Mr. Beast (whose full name, interestingly enough, means "Overthrower, Crowned One, World Ruler") launched his Beast Games. 1,000 contestants were given numbers instead of being called by their names.
Now, I’m not saying Mr. Beast is evil or part of some conspiracy (I actually enjoy his videos), but I pay attention when people are stripped of their names and reduced to numbers.

If names don’t matter, why does the enemy keep trying to take them away?

Step 4: Making It Personal

At this point, I had seen the importance of names in the Bible and in the world around me. So I finally looked up the meaning of my own name: Jacqueline Marie = "Supplant (or Overthrow) Rebellion."

That’s when everything clicked. My entire life suddenly made sense.

Because the way I think, process, and approach the world is literally defined by my name.

I constantly challenge long-held beliefs and concepts—not to be difficult, but because they didn’t work for me.

Why This Matters (at least to me)

I haven’t fully unpacked what names really are (I think they identify our spirits) or why they are worthy of attack. But for now, I just wanted to show that:

✅ Names have meaning.✅ That meaning has significance.✅ That significance can shape lives.

I’m not here to convince anyone to think like me—but I do love learning things that help my life make sense. Knowing the significance of names is not just a fun talking point for me — it’s a way to understand people better. Once I know someone’s name and its meaning, I can see how their life aligns with it. And that helps me understand them more.

And isn’t that what we all want? To be understood?

I know I do.

On that note, thank you for stopping by—I hope you have a great day! 😊

Jacqueline Marie

Bible Verses about Names

Proverbs 22:1 - "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."
Ecclesiastes 7:1 - "A good name is better than precious ointment,

Famous Quotes about Names