A good first-day activity is to, when introducing ourselves, give the meaning of our names (as well as the spelling and pronunciation as necessary). Many students will know their names’ meanings, and most people enjoy discussing their names. Those students who don’t know their names’ meaning may be inspired to find out by the next class.
This is a valuable activity because it provides speaking and listening practice as students discuss their names. In addition, it provides extra processing time of each name, increasing the likelihood it will be remembered.