What's in a Name? by Mystery Scribe

This is pure speculation, so please don’t burn me for not having enough facts. I’m just curious about something. I’ve always wondered whether the Lost writers chose certain character names for a purpose, as if their names would either be their destiny or be something they’d have to overcome. I looked up some of the male character names and found them quite revealing. I’ll do the same of the women later. Here’s what I found:

Jacob: He who supplants
James: James is a form of Jacob
John: God’s grace
Jack: A diminutive form of John. John light?
Hugo: Mind, heart, and spirit
Jin: benevolence
Sayid: a title for descendants of the Prophet
Frank: Honest
Benjamin: Son of the right hand
Richard: Powerful leader

The most interesting names are Jacob and Richard. Who has Jacob supplanted? IMHO, the real leader of the island or the embodiment of the Island itself—Richard. So far, we’ve seen Richard as an advisor to the leader of the Others. But we’ve also see that that position doesn’t sit well with him. I’m not at all convinced that Jacob is good. What if Jacob supplanted the real Leader through manipulation or coercion? Perhaps he is holding something over Richard. Maybe Jacob had something that Richard wanted more than his own life. If so, that would explain why he would step back and let Jacob lead. That’s also why he wouldn’t want Jacob to die. If Jacob died, the secret died with him. Or maybe Jacob made Richard think that MIB and/or Smoky (may not be the same entity) did something horrible to Richard or to someone he cared about deeply.

It’s also interesting that James is a form of Jacob. What will that mean by the end of the series? We’ll have to wait and see. Will he take Jacob’s place? Will he die for Jacob? Or will he supplant the rightful Island Leader?

Benjamin—son of the right hand—may mean that Ben was always destined to do someone else’s bidding. That seems to play out so far. And I’ve always thought that Ben was either jealous or afraid of Richard. Why would that be if Richard was there to help him make good decisions? Perhaps because Ben was doing MIB’s bidding all along.

Our friend Hugo. I think in many ways he is the “mind, heart, and spirit” of the Losties and maybe even of the Island itself.

In Jin’s mind, I think, he’s always been benevolent. Even though he did some horrible things off island, he did them to save lives. When he tells Sun to button up her sweater and to stay close to him, he is trying to protect her. Of course I don’t agree with how to did that, but in his own mind, he’s doing what he thinks is right.

Sayid. His name may foreshadow that he is meant for loftier things. Has he become a deity, a candidate, or someone who will lead?

Frank. I’ve always thought of him as honest and someone who does the right thing and says what he means—a good, solid name for him.

John—the real John Locke—has experienced a miracle or God’s grace. I think before the end of Lost, he’ll receive another miracle—resurrection (?). I’m crossing my fingers.

And Jack? I think he may wish that he had John’s faith. But since he has so little of it (the diminutive form of John’s faith?), it’s hard for him to believe in anything, even his own skills as a doctor at times.

Oh well. Those of may thoughts. I’d love to hear yours.