Archaic KJV Word
Name
Modern equivalent: label
What Was Lost
The identity equation. When God revealed His name to Moses, He was revealing His very nature. 'The name above every name' meant the identity/authority/character above all others. Baptism 'in the name of' meant immersion into the identity and authority of God. A name was not what you were called but who you were.
Closest Survivor in Modern English
name (still used but no longer carries identity/character meaning)
Peak Usage (1611)
KJV Exodus 3:15 -- 'This is my name for ever'; Philippians 2:9 -- 'A name which is above every name'
Died still used but trivialized (~1800)
Hebrew shem ('name/character/reputation/the totality of who a person is') reduced to an arbitrary label. In Hebrew thought, a name was identity itself -- to know someone's name was to know their nature.
What Replaced It
“label”
Arbitrary designation; shem was the concentrated essence of a person's character and destiny
“title”
Formal designation; a name in Hebrew culture revealed, defined, and carried the person's identity
“identifier”
Administrative function; the name of God was so powerful it could not be spoken