Patronymic naming for Handmaids
The patronymic naming system imposed on Handmaids in the Republic of Gilead is a fundamental mechanism of identity erasure and social control. Each Handmaid is assigned a name composed of the possessive preposition "Of" followed by the first name of the Commander to whose household she is assigned—Offred, Ofglen, Ofwarren, and so on. This naming practice systematically severs the woman from her past life, her original name, and any personal history that might sustain a sense of self independent of her reproductive function. The name is not a personal identifier but a legal designation of ownership and purpose, marking her as the property of a specific man and reducing her identity to her role as a vessel for his potential offspring.
Origin and Enforcement
The patronymic naming system is part of the broader Gileadean project to reorganize society along strict patriarchal and biblical lines. As the Historical Notes reveal, such names were "composed of the possessive preposition and the first name of the gentleman in question" and were "taken by these women upon their entry into a connection with the household of a specific Commander, and relinquished by them upon leaving it." The system is enforced from the moment a woman enters the Rachel and Leah Re-education Center, where she is stripped of her former name and prepared for her new designation. The name is not merely a label but a legal and social category that determines her rights, movements, and relationships. Offred reflects on this erasure: "My name isn't Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it's forbidden." She keeps the knowledge of her original name "like something hidden, some treasure I'll come back to dig up, one day," recognizing that her true name has "an aura around it, like an amulet, some charm that's survived from an unimaginably distant past."
Function as Control and Erasure
The patronymic naming system serves multiple functions of control. It destroys the Handmaid's former identity, making it harder for her to maintain connections to her past life, her family, or any resistance networks. It reinforces her complete dependence on the Commander, as her very name changes with each new posting. When Offred's shopping partner Ofglen is replaced, the new woman simply says, "I am Ofglen," demonstrating how the name is a fungible title, not a person. Offred reflects on this: "I never did know her real name. That is how you can get lost, in a sea of names." The system also marks the Handmaid as a public possession, visible to all in her red dress and white wings, her name a constant reminder of her subjugation. The name is a brand, a public declaration that she belongs to a particular man and exists solely for his potential progeny.
Resistance and the Buried Self
Despite the system's power, the Handmaids find ways to resist the total erasure of their former selves. Offred clings to her original name as a secret treasure, a source of inner strength and continuity. She lies in her single bed at night, eyes closed, and the name "floats there behind my eyes, not quite within reach, shining in the dark." This private act of remembering is a form of defiance, a refusal to let the regime define her completely. The patronymic naming system, while effective in public and legal terms, cannot fully extinguish the private self that remembers a different life. The tension between the imposed name and the buried one becomes a central psychological struggle for Offred, a battle between the regime's definition of her and her own sense of identity.
Thematic Significance
The patronymic naming system is a microcosm of Gilead's larger project: the reduction of women to their biological functions and the systematic erasure of their individuality. It literalizes the Handmaid's status as property, a "two-legged womb," and demonstrates how language itself can be weaponized to enforce social hierarchy. The system also highlights the regime's reliance on biblical precedent, as the name "Offred" echoes the story of Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel, who was given to Jacob to bear children on Rachel's behalf. By invoking this ancient narrative, Gilead attempts to naturalize its oppressive practices, presenting them as timeless and divinely ordained. The patronymic naming system is thus not merely a bureaucratic convenience but a profound act of violence against the self, a daily reminder that in Gilead, a woman's identity is not her own.
