Editing Akhenaten (section)

=== Name change ===

Among the last documents that refer to Akhenaten as Amenhotep IV are two copies of a letter to the pharaoh from [[Ipy (noble)|Ipy]], the [[high steward (Ancient Egypt)|high steward]] of [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]]. These letters, found at [[Gurob]], informing the pharaoh that the royal estates in Memphis are "in good order" and the temple of [[Ptah]] is "prosperous and flourishing", are dated to regnal year five, day nineteen of the [[Season of the Emergence|growing season's]] [[Paremhat|third month]]. About a month later, day thirteen of the growing season's [[Parmouti|fourth month]], one of the [[Boundary Stelae of Akhenaten|boundary stela at Akhetaten]] already had the name Akhenaten carved on it, implying that the pharaoh changed his name between the two inscriptions.{{sfn|Murnane|1995|pp=50–51}}{{sfn|Ridley|2019|pp=83–85}}{{sfn|Hoffmeier|2015|p=166}}{{sfn|Murnane|Van Siclen III|2011|p=150}}

Amenhotep IV changed his [[Ancient Egyptian royal titulary|royal titulary]] to show his devotion to the Aten. No longer would he be known as Amenhotep IV and be associated with the god [[Amun]], but rather he would completely shift his focus to the Aten. Egyptologists debate the exact meaning of Akhenaten, his new [[nomen (Ancient Egypt)|personal name]]. The word "akh" ({{langx|egy|[[wikt:ꜣḫ|ꜣḫ]]}}) could have different translations, such as "satisfied", "effective spirit", or "serviceable to", and thus Akhenaten's name could be translated to mean "Aten is satisfied", "Effective spirit of the Aten", or "Serviceable to the Aten", respectively.{{sfn|Ridley|2019|pp=85–87}} Gertie Englund and [[Florence Friedman]] arrive at the translation "Effective for the Aten" by analyzing contemporary texts and inscriptions, in which Akhenaten often described himself as being "effective for" the sun disc. Englund and Friedman conclude that the frequency with which Akhenaten used this term likely means that his own name meant "Effective for the Aten".{{sfn|Ridley|2019|pp=85–87}}

Some historians, such as [[William F. Albright]], [[Edel Elmar]], and [[Gerhard Fecht]], propose that Akhenaten's name is misspelled and mispronounced. These historians believe "Aten" should rather be "Jāti", thus rendering the pharaoh's name Akhenjāti or Aḫanjāti (pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|k|ə|ˈ|n|j|ɑː|t|ɪ}}), as it could have been pronounced in Ancient Egypt.{{sfn|Fecht|1960|p=89}}{{sfn|Hornung|2001|p=50}}{{sfn|Elmar|1948}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; margin:1em auto;"
|-
|
! scope="col" | Amenhotep IV
! scope="col" | Akhenaten
|-
! scope="row" | Horus name
|<br/><hiero>
E1:D40-N29-A28-S9
</hiero>

''Kanakht-qai-Shuti''

"Strong [[bull (ka hieroglyph)|Bull]] of the [[Shuti hieroglyph (two-feather adornment)|Double Plumes]]"
| <hiero>i-t:n:N5-mr</hiero><br/>''Meryaten''<br/>
"Beloved of Aten"
|-
! scope="row" | Nebty name
| <hiero>wr:r-sw-t:n-i-i-m-i-t:p-Q1-t:Z2</hiero><br/>''Wer-nesut-em-Ipet-swt''<br/>
"Great of Kingship in Karnak"
| <hiero>wr:r-sw-i-i-Aa15:N27-i-t:n:N5</hiero><br/>''Wer-nesut-em-Akhetaten''<br/>
"Great of Kingship in Akhet-Aten"
|-
! scope="row" | Golden Horus name
| <hiero>U39-Y1-N28:Z2ss-m-O28-W24:O49-M27</hiero><br/>''Wetjes-khau-em-Iunu-Shemay''<br/>
"Crowned in Heliopolis of the South" (Thebes)
| <hiero>U39-r:n-V10:n-i-t:n:N5</hiero><br/>''Wetjes-ren-en-Aten''<br/>
"Exalter of the Name of Aten"
|-
! scope="row" | Prenomen
| colspan="2" | <div class="center"><hiero>ra-nfr-xpr-Z3-ra-wa:n</hiero><br/>''Neferkheperure-waenre''<br/>"Beautiful are the Forms of Re, the Unique one of Re"</div>

|-
! scope="row" | Nomen
| <hiero> i-mn:n-Htp-R8-S38-R19 </hiero><br/>''Amenhotep Netjer-Heqa-Waset''<br/>
"Amun is Satisfied, Divine Lord of Thebes"
| <hiero>i-t:n:ra-G25-x:n</hiero><br/>''Akhenaten''<br/>
"Effective for the Aten"
|}