A Study of the Relation between National Identity and Naming Newborns in Shiraz

Questions about individual's and nation's identity have been one of the humanity's concerns in history. In fact, humans have always been after a definition and recognition of their nations, tribes, ethnicities, and their own selves. They have also differentiated between themselves and others. A sign of this tendency to seek their own identity has been their preoccupation with selecting names for their children. Humans are in a perpetual need for proving themselves and maintaining their positions in any way through expressing their characteristics. Name selection is a way to realize one's dreams and honors, hence proving one's identity. The statistical population of the research is those with children in Shiraz and the sampling (420 individuals) was done according to Cochran formula with 4% variable error and 95% trust level. Cluster random sampling was used with the data gathered by questionnaires, and the analysis was done with spss software (univariate regression). The results show the national identity of 14.8% of Shirazis at high level, 66.2% at average level, and 19% at low level. ANOVA correlation test shows there is a meaningful relation between national identity and naming the newborns. Also the result of univariate logistic regression shows that national identity can increase the possibility of selecting religious names for babies by 6%. The conclusion is that if we increase individual's national identity, the possibility of selecting religious and national names for babes also goes higher, and this requires the attention of cultural and educational institutions.