What's in a name? A chance to create a prophecy. Names are permanent and sacred. Many believe a name embodies the essence of a person and influences self-concept, personality, and success.

Research shows your name affects personal, social, and work-related activities.

For rock sensation Madonna, her identity has always been tied to her name, "Madonna is my real name. It means a lot of things. It means virgin, mother, mother of earth, someone who is very pure and innocent but someone who's very strong."

For icon Elvis Presley, "My name's got 'evils' and 'lives.' It's probably better not to wonder too much about it."

In Hawaii, naming a child is magical, full of important tradition, culture, and spirituality. Names are usually not arbitrarily selected. A Hawaiian family will consult the elders (kapuna) or extended family (ohana). The name chosen for a child is a special gift, closely tied to an individual's spiritual power (Mana).

The French traditionally named their child after the saint whose feast was celebrated on the day of the child's birth. Greek custom called for the first-born child to be named after the paternal grandparent of the same sex. This continued until all four grandparents were honored.

So Dylan is the sea god, Geron is the angel of magic-based prayer. Diana is the Roman moon goddess, Michael is Hebrew for "like unto the Lord," and Leilani is heavenly child.

Your name is a connection to your heritage.