Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Putting a face to the name

By Ross Pringle
Whanganui Chronicle·
23 Nov, 2012 08:54 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

What's in a name, really?

I don't mean the kind of mangling we reported on this week where Whanganui MP Chester Borrows has to take out a listing for the wrong spelling of his surname, so common is the error.

No, what I am curious about is what our name says about us as individuals. Clearly it's an identifier, and a person's name can so often seem apt and in tune with its historical meaning. But what aspect of your identity is defined by your name, and what impact does your occupation, parentage or even where you live play in shaping who you are?

Of course, names have a long association with all those factors. Back in time they were determined by your occupation - think carpenter or butcher - and/or links to location or your parentage. So MacDonald is son of Donald. Pringle, for instance is derived from a place near Stow Roxburghshire, Hoppringel.

Names and how they are used can also convey certain meanings. Use of a nickname suggest a level of friendliness and informality. Some people become known simply by their initials, almost as a term of endearment, such as JFK and SBW - aka John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Sonny Bill Williams.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Only on certain occasions is a person's full name used: by your mother or perhaps a partner when you have done something wrong, or in a criminal sense.

There is of course a good reason why people's full name is used when they are subject of criminal proceedings and face charges.

Using the accused's full name, occupation and age is critical in establishing identity so as not to bring into disrepute the reputation of any other people with similar names, especially where a person has a common Christian and/or surname.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Even in those cases, the way the name is used can say a lot.

I recall the Bain massacre in Dunedin and when David Bain came under scrutiny and was eventually charged, the way he was referred to as David Cullen Bain. The emphasis on his middle name seemed unnatural to me - it was spat out with a type of venom that had definite connotations and seemed clearly designed to affect the public perception.

That came to mind during the recent furore over the placement of Stewart Murray Wilson on the grounds of Whanganui Prison.

He was largely referred to as Stewart Murray Wilson and, as per newspaper convention, Wilson. Often the ghastly nickname he was lumbered with was trotted out.

So what did that say about him, or our perceptions of him? No kindly SMW for him, that's for sure.

So many people were using his name, spitting it out, yet as much as they knew of what he had done and that he was coming to our patch, they knew very little about the man behind the name.

Murray Wilson was released on parole on August 29, and in the three months since, has largely dropped out of the public domain. While battles and debate around his terms of release and possible trespass have continued, we have heard little about how he has been filling his days, or his life, after 18 years of incarceration.

Today, we are able to change that. Reporter Laurel Stowell, who earlier had written to Mr Wilson, had a lengthy telephone interview with the man with the famous name.

It is enlightening and reveals that Mr Wilson is leading a most mundane, lonely existence. That does not mean we have to feel sorry for him but it does show that behind all the Beast hysteria, there is a man, albeit one who has done some despicable things but still a man ... with a name. Feedback: editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Body of missing man found

Whanganui Chronicle

End of the line for former St George's School buildings

Whanganui Chronicle

Netball: Kaierau edge Pirates in thrilling Premier 1 clash


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Body of missing man found
Whanganui Chronicle

Body of missing man found

Kahu Gill's body was recovered near the Cobham Bridge on July 14.

16 Jul 08:34 PM
End of the line for former St George's School buildings
Whanganui Chronicle

End of the line for former St George's School buildings

16 Jul 06:00 PM
Netball: Kaierau edge Pirates in thrilling Premier 1 clash
Whanganui Chronicle

Netball: Kaierau edge Pirates in thrilling Premier 1 clash

16 Jul 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP