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Throughout this novel it is very obvious that names hold a lot of power. Through sloppiness, the soldier that changes Jake’s name to ‘Macon Dead’ erases his entire family history. Macon’s wife, Sing, persuades him to keep the name, because it does just that: erases a horrible past. In doing this, Macon, Macon Jr. and Pilate no longer have a connection to or a way to track down their ancestors. When Sing dies, he refuses to speak her name again, leaving Macon Jr. and Pilate grow up not knowing her name, severing any connection to both of their families. Because of this Macon, Jr. and Pilate grow up alone. It takes Milkman to find the names of his grandparents and his family.
Just about every character's name in the book has a story of its origin and significance. A lot of the names seem to come from the bible and they often share some of the same characteristics as them.

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(Children's Song)
One day when Milkman is walking through Shalimar, he sees children playing and singing the same song Pilate would sing, “O Sugarman,” except they sing “Solomon” instead of “Sugarman.” Here you can see how the song of Solomon has spread and changed throughout Shalimar and other black communities. The name has been changed through misinterpretation but in some ways those changes can be seen as evolution. The story has changed like it was meant to.

Jake the only son of Solomon
Come booba yalle, come booba tambee
Whirled about and touched the sun
Come konka yalle, come konka tambee

Left that baby in a white man's house
Come booba yalle, come booba tambee
Heddy took him to a red man's house
Come konka yalle, come konka tambee

Black lady fell down on the ground
Come booba yalle, come booba tambee
Threw her body all around
Come konka yalle, come konka tambee

Solomon and Ryna, Belali, Shalut
Yaruba, Medina, Muhammet, too
Nestor, Kalina, Saraka cake
Twenty-one children, the last one Jake!

O Solomon don't leave me here
Cotton balls to choke me
O Solomon don't leave me here
Buckra's arms to yoke me

Solomon done fly, Solomon done gone
Solomon cut across the sky, Solomon gone home

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The family’s last name, Dead, is like wordplay. Milkman's family accidentally attained the name from their white oppressors when Jake, his grandfather, told a soldier that his father was dead and lived in Macon, the soldier wrote that “Dead, Macon” was his name. This suggests that their real name died, and with that, so did their family’s entire history. The importance of names describes a sense of belonging and being able to trace your roots back in time. With his father and grandfather as his namesake, and his nickname coming from his mother nursing him past infancy, Milkman can't seem to escape from either of his name. Throughout the novel, there are references of Milkman being ‘dead’. This can apply to both his name and his character. After the incident between him and Guitar in the woods,

“He thought he heard himself gurgling and saw a burst of many-colored lights dancing before his eyes. When the music followed the colored lights, he knew he had just drawn the last sweet air left for him in the world,”  (p279).

you can say that a part of him did die, and the part of him that's remaining is almost like a new Milkman.

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Hagar, a biblical name, is a direct explanation of her strained and desperate relationship with Milkman, who abandons her, as can be predicted through the Bible. In the Bible, Hagar is a handmaiden to Sarah and Abraham. Hager has a son, Ishmael for Abraham and then she is exiled from his sight. Like in the book, Hagar is used by Milkman, who only appreciates what she has to offer him. The connection between the two Hagar’s shows how women were and have been often treated since ancient times.

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Circe's name comes from Homer's Odyssey. She is the enchantress who provides Odysseus with important information on how to end his voyage. In Song of Solomon, Circe tells Milkman stories about his family history, so that he can complete his search for his family’s ancestry.

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Officially called Main Street, the townspeople honor and celebrate when Dr. Foster, Ruth’s dad, moved into town by only referring to it as Doctor Street. Aware of this, the post office insisted on calling the street by its official name. The townspeople then decide to call it “Not Doctor Street” as a way to keep celebrating the black community and to mock government officials.

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Her dad, Macon, pointed to a random spot in the Bible and landed on Pilate. Pontius Pilate is the man who oversaw the execution of Jesus. When the nurses tell him he should choose a different name, because of it’s origin, Macon refuses. As she gets older, Pilate keeps her name locked in a snuffbox dangling from her ear, making it seem like it’s kind of a big deal to her. Pilate shares some similar traits with the Bible’s Pilate. Although she is not cruel, ‘Pilate’ is a man’s name, implying that she has the stereotypical characteristics of a man, at least that's how society makes her seem because of the way she presents herself.

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"I saw it when my mother took me downtown with her. I was just a baby I cried for it, they said. And always asked about it," (p45)

Guitar is named after something that he conclusively cannot obtain. This unreachable goal almost exactly describes his character throughout the novel. He isn’t able to overcome any of the obstacles that stand in his way of him reaching the goals he has set for himself.

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Some may say that names don't mean that much. Sometimes they're right, people often name their children whatever they think sounds good or what they just like the sound of. Names don't always have to come with a meaningful story to explain them.