In an interactive sermon on the titles of Jesus, a church member asked why does Jesus have so many names? It was a good question. On reflection, Jesus had one name: Jesus, but many titles, (Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, The Good Shepherd, etc.)
Similarly for God Himself. In scripture His people actually used names for God, (Adonai) that were given to them by God Himself. That’s an interesting dynamic – God names Himself. Theologians will say God ‘reveals’ His name to humanity. What comes to mind is the famous incident with Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14) when Moses asks God who he shall say to Pharaoh who is sending him? God replies אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה. Well, at least he would have replied that Hebrew word without the little squiggles underneath – those are vowel sounds added to the Hebrew script at a later point in the development of that language. This is the sacred, holy name of God – too holy for Jews to say or for many, to even write. Theologians will call it the ‘tetragrammaton’ – the four letters. In English they are transliterated as YHWH. (You’ll note that ancient Hebrew only had consonants, and no written vowels.) We imagine the vowel sounds to turn it into YaHWeH. If you are German, as many 19th theologians were, that would be JHVH or in their tongue JeHoVaH.
My point here is not so much about the name itself but the dynamic of the action that God named Himself. Who else is there to name Him except us, the angels, or other mysterious creatures in heaven? We can hardly be trusted to give God an adequate name.
In ancient times – and it is still true now – if we name something or someone, it connotes that we have authority to do so – authority over the thing or person named. That’s why parents name children, and owners name pets, houses, boats etc.
Who has authority over God? No-one but God. Only he is worthy to reveal His name.
Does God have a name? Yes and no. He has hundreds of titles in scripture, and the closest thing we have to a name is the unpronounceable holy tetragrammaton YHWH.
Final thought: wise commentators have pointed out that the holy name seems to be two breath sounds – a breath out YaH, and a breath in WeH. If that is true, then God’s name is the breath of life: breathing life out into us, and later breathing us back into Him. What a beautiful name that is!