What do the characters say about their names in the book Anthem by Ayn Rand?

Question

What do the characters say about their names in the book Anthem by Ayn Rand?

Answer 1

The characters in Anthem were named things like "Equality" and "Justice" followed by numbers.  This was a mechanism Ayn Rand used to further illustrate the collective nature of Anthem's society.  A real name is symbolic of individuality, whereas a number is suggestive of a machine, or a cog in the wheel of society.  

Rand used "Equality" and "Justice" ironically, because there is nothing "Just" about having one's career chosen for oneself, and there's nothing equal about one forced career in a decision-making role and another sweeping streets; and yet at the same time its citizens were "equal" in the sense that no matter what a man's abilities were, he was destined for the same fate as someone with half the abilities.  ("Equal" is a dirty word in Ayn Rand's philosophy in that sense; equal opportunity is good, but equal results regardless of ability is not.)

As for what the characters thought of their own names, I don't remember specific passages, but my guess is that the majority of citizens did not think twice about it; not questioning the status quo is a quality of the collective society.  The reason that the protagonist is special is that he does think about his role in the society, his contribution to it, and his uniqueness in it.  At the end, he understands the meaning behind the forbidden word, understands his own individuality, and he gives himself a name.  That act speaks for itself.