Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

The diversity and complexity of ancient Egyptian personal names points to a range of availablepatterns and options for name-giving. Alongside personal names that make direct reference tothe name-bearer and his or her family, there are numerous names that refer to a god, the ruling(or an earlier) king, or some venerated individual, with or without simultaneous reference to thename-bearer or his family. An individual could be designated, for example, as one beloved,given, or protected by a god or king, but a name could equally contain an objective statementabout god or king.