Onomastics is the study of proper names, their origins, meanings, and uses. Names can impact the perception of characters and places in literature and the movie industry because they have associations that cannot be wished away. The art of naming is a science that has grown in importance and respectability in recent years.
In literature, authors choose character names carefully to convey certain qualities or characteristics. Shakespeare, for example, always had a keen ear for the connotations of the names he gave his characters. Charles Dickens elevated the practice of naming to an art, with characters like the unctuous Uriah Heep and the naive Martin Chuzzlewit.
In the movie industry, Hollywood stars have been changing their names for decades. Legendary Hollywood mogul David O. Selznick added the middle initial "O" for effect, and Ray Kroc wisely realized he would sell more Big Macs than Big Krocs. Many novelists have been just as aware of the power of the naming process, such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who first wrote a story about a detective named Sherrinford Holmes and his friend Dr Ormond Sacker before realizing that the names he had chosen "gave no inkling of character."
In India, names have a significant impact on politics, and unpronounceability has rarely been a bar to political success. The study of onomastics has grown in importance, especially given recent efforts to rename places that reek of association with the Muslim past. The desire to rename such places has led to Allahabad becoming Prayagraj and Mughalsarai becoming Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction.
Overall, the study of onomastics demonstrates that names have significant power and influence, and choosing them carefully can impact the perception of characters and places in literature and the movie industry, as well as in politics and everyday life.
