Anagram Your Name

Do you know what an anagram is? It’s basically taking a word (or a name) and rearranging the letters to create another word or phrase. For example, the name Meg Ryan when rearranged spells Germany.

If you’re curious about the anagrams that could be made from your name and don’t want to spend the time figuring it out (that is why we have the internet, isn’t it?), there’s a great site that can do it for you: Wordsmith.org

I tried this out and came up with this zany saying from my name:  “men calm my rill.”  In case you’re like me and don’t know what a “rill” is, it’s a small stream. I don’t own a small stream, but if I did, I’m sure there’s only one man who could calm it for me (thanks, honey!).

What do they mean, these anagrams? Roy Feinson in his book, The Secret Universe of Names suggests that anagrams can have an “uncanny ability to reflect the characteristics of their subjects by communicating emotional content through the letters of the original name.”

Feinson describes how the letters in our name are nothing more than an amalgamation of sounds which can bear an emotional impact, regardless of their order. He gives examples of famous names and their anagrams; Clint Eastwood becomes “old west action” and James Taylor becomes “oral majesty.”

There’s a Facebook Page called Anagrammy Awards where you can participate and vote for your favorites, including some doozies like these great word-based anagrams:

• Astronomer (moon starer)
• Desperation (a rope ends it)
• Slot machines (cash lost in ‘em)
• Conversation (voices rant on)

However, I’m not sure how much credit I give anagrams in predicting personal characteristics, but it sure is a lot of fun. Tell me, did you find anything interesting from your name’s anagram?