Why do people write their names on surfaces?

yes, it is human nature to want to tag your name on things. well, part of human nature anyway. some people don't do it at all. i don't like the notoriety.

I think it is human nature. We want to find ways to be imortalized for the centuries ahead. Everyone does it! It must be instinctual or something. The ones I see are on water towers and hillsides. I think some feel the bigger the better. But they will be around for years to come.

One finds grafitti everywhere,on trees,monuments,latrines railway carriages,every where.Everyone likes to see his or her name emblazoned in public places.I guess it is a human trait and it has been going on since ancient times.

I remember my eldest son bringing his girlfriend to our home, went outside to the trees in the backyard, and showed her their names engraved in the trunk of the tree, sort of telling the whole world how much he loves her. When they broke up, he would go once in a while when to that tree and comes back feeling relieved. i see it as a means of "recognition" as a symbol of existence of the love they once had.

We have a saying in here : The fools names are on every wall. So that`s why we write our names everywhere. Because we are fools.

I see a lot of benches and walls with many writings on them. Most of them do it during the class hours if the class is very boaring. Sometimes i also do the same and it is an human nature.

Maybe it goes back to historical times, making your mark on something to claim it as "yours" whether its something you want/need or not. I'm not one to write my name on things anymore. I used to write/doodle on paper all the time when I was younger. No scrap of paper was safe. But I have NEVER had the urge to write on a desk or chair, or wall, or anything like that.

i also write my name on paper not on wall whenever i am feeling lazy or sleepy and out of concentration. i just like to write it over and over again to regain my concentration. it also helps me to think about what to do when i am in a middle of nowhere.

I believe its because it's the easiest way to write something, when you feel the urge to. I mean, if you're in the wilderness, and you need to write a warning or a signal for others, you don't want to waste your time looking for a paper and a pen. You scribble your way on anything that would last - like a tree. But, if we're talking about vandalism, i think its silly for people to do that.

There can be several reasons. One is that you are just bored and mindlessly doodling. Your name is one of the things you will write the most in your lifetime: signing the top of papers, receipts, checks, official documents, etc. So you can mindless doodle your name very easily. Another reason it that people want to leave their mark on a place, either to claim an area, or as a reminder for them to find if they visit the same place in the future

lol I guess it's just human nature? I have always done that! In fact, the ceiling in my Monte Carlo is completely covered! I had all my friends write on it and I wrote/drew all over it. I just love to write on stuff, it makes it mine and more perosnal I guess. =]