Topic Fourteen: Wiccan Names

What is a Wiccan or Eke name? Why do we use them? What is the history of them? How do other people use them? Should I have one?

What on earth is an eke name?

Etymologically speaking, an “eke name” is the same as a nickname. “Eke” meant “also” or “extra,” as those familiar with Chaucer might remember. The term “nickname” comes from the Middle English “eke name,” and was created by a process known as “wrong division.” In the case of “eke name,” the term was eventually changed to nickname by a misunderstanding of the indefinite article “an” at a time when the language was chiefly verbal, not written. Over time “an eke name” came to be “a neke name,” and thence to “a nickname.”

Etymology not withstanding, though, in a Wiccan context “an eke name” refers to the name you go by as part of a circle, tradition or group. Also called a Witch name, Wiccan name or spirit name, for some, eke names are nothing more than a fancy sounding pseudonym used to make one sound more unique or scary. For most of us, however, eke names are genuine and heartfelt religious designations with deep meanings, often at both the spiritual and personal level. They represent not just what we are, but also our place in the greater community. With that in mind, is it surprising that so many early names had “of the Wica” attached to them? Our religion, like our family, had become a defining part of who we were.

While it is true that many solitary practitioners currently choose their craft name, historically craft names were used as part of identification within a community and were meaningless outside of that community. Indeed, unless only you and your gods know your craft name—a valid choice, I might add—you are using the name as part of a community, even if that community is difficult to define. Even if you call yourself “Stephanie Roundbottom Skytop,” you are often making an implication about who you are and what you’re doing. Often the epithet “of the Wica” or “of the community of Wiccans” or even “of such and such a tradition,” is implied, even if not stated. A craft name (save for those secret names known only to the gods) is not about your identity in general, but about your identity in the community, specifically.

In my experience, these community craft names come in three varieties. While not a definitive list, eke names can be divided into Names of Choice, Names of Practice and Names of Initiation.

Names of Choice are names that a person invents or takes as a result of a desire to use a new name. These are similar to screen names and may reflect the personal likes of the user. A bobcat loving woman, who loves copper and sheep as well, might call herself “Lady Copper Bobcatsheep.” As you may expect, these names can get very silly. In my experience, the Lady Copper Bobcatsheep of the world generally are called things like Sarah or Stephanie, and the Lady Bobcat nonsense is used only when writing indignant letters to the press or making websites.

These names are the lowest level of craft name, generally not of much value, often with little meaning and often very silly. It behooves you to think about your name clearly, and one method I use is to simply sleep on it for a few nights. If “Lady Copper Bobcatsheep” doesn’t sound silly to you after rolling it around in your mouth a few times, you’re welcome to it as a name of choice because, put simply, it is your choice. However, if you are concerned with being laughed at, it may be a name worth rethinking.

Names of Practice, on the other hand, are names chosen to reflect a spiritual practice. This may be a dedication name, such as when you say “I am Steve, and from this day forward I shall be known as Dragonfire of the Wicca.” These names are similar to the above names in that people usually pick them themselves. The difference, however, is seen in the fact these names usually are taken to represent a new practice in one's life, and are not merely a representation of one’s likes or a desire to have a cool or scary-sounding name. A Name of Practice can be chosen when one discovers one’s patron or matron deities, when one dedicates oneself to a new religion or tradition, when one marries or at another life-changing event. In many cultures, people assume a new name at adulthood, and this name of practice is similar to that name; it is a name of “Wiccanhood,” if you will… a name used to describe the new you, who is not the same as the old, non-Wiccan you. This is an important distinction between a Name of Practice and a Name of Choice: A Name of Choice is taken merely from the desire to have a craft name, and does not mark a life turning point. A Name of Practice is taken for a reason beyond mere desire.

Both types of names have the potential to be silly, although one hopes that Names of Practice, because of the more serious nature of the reasons for taking such a name, will not be so… or will, at the least, be much less so.

Lastly, Names of Initiation are names given on the entry into a coven or tradition. They may be chosen, usually with guidance, or they may be given. An initiation is a formalized entry ritual into a group or tradition, and Names of Initiation are a group decision. Note that this differs from Names of Practice taken upon entry into a tradition or coven in that it is a formal occasion in which the naming is a part of the official initiatory ceremony. The name may be private, or you may have a private and public name. The choice of such a name is tradition-based and often oathbound. The naming ceremony and the way the names are assigned is similarly not my right to reveal, but an example of a similar practice from fiction might make it clear:

Stilgar nodded, tugging at his beard. “I see strength in you... like the strength beneath a pillar.” Again he paused, then: “You shall be known among us as Usul, the base of the pillar. This is your secret name, your troop name. We of Sietch Tabr may use it, but none other may so presume... Usul.”-Frank Herbert, Dune

This example is excellent because most Wiccan groups that give names give two: a name, often long, that is used in contact with other Pagans, and a shorter name used within the immediate coven. This is similar to a nickname but better guarded. To reveal this name to the general public is generally forbidden, and is, at the very least, inappropriate. This would be similar, I suppose, to listing my nom de plume as “Mommy” or “Hun,” which I am sure the Library of Congress would not appreciate in the slightest.