“...Hattie wanted to give her babies names that weren't already chiseled on a headstone in the family plots in Georgia, so she gave them names of promise and of hope, reaching-forward names, not looking-back ones.”

“Aja gave Loor an up and down once-over. She then said, "Is Loor a man's name or a woman's name?"Ouch.Loor answered, "It is the name of a legendary hero on Zadaa. A woman."Really?" Aja said. "What did she do that was so heroic?"She killed her enemies and ate them.”

“What's your name?''Names!' she sniffed, rolling her eyes. 'People always want names, don't they? They're mad about naming. I will let the moment name me.' she eyed Jack expectantly.'You want me to name you?' he asked.'People from the other side are very dull,' she sighed.'Give yourself a name for me. I don't need naming for myself, do I?”

“Ask a gal which name she wants you to call her, she will choose a chichi-name to be her name in lieu of chick.”

“The baby went without a name for weeks. Mom said she wanted to study it first, the way she would the subject of a painting. We had a lot of arguments over what the name should be. I wanted to call her Rosita, after the prettiest girl in my class, but Mom said the name was too Mexican."I thought we weren't supposed to be prejudiced," I said."It's not being prejudiced," Mom said. "It's a matter of accuracy in labeling.”

“...by the time you've finished naming a thing, it has already changed and the name you gave it no longer defines it exactly...”