The "true name" is a concept in magical theory. The idea is that each thing that humans have given a name to -- people, animal species, rocks, trees, and so on -- also have a true name, one which if invoked will give the invoker power over the object or objects which are covered under that name. This idea finds its roots in ancient Egyptian magic, and made its way from there into Hermetic magic. The idea of the true name is now commonplace throughout most Western magical traditions, and some Eastern ones as well. See also Hermetic magic, Enochian, and the Enochian Alphabet.