In deaf culture, someone´s name sign is the sign that identifies that person as a member of the Deaf community, and can only be assigned to a new non-native member of the community by a culturally and lingually Deaf person. That name sign is considered as a gift given by someone, and not something that a non-native can choose for oneself. Similar to how Native Americans grant names to outsiders that have become honorary members of the tribe, people who have been assigned a sign name have been embraced in the Deaf community.
