In an interview with Billboard writer Norman Gimbel, it was revealed that Croce chose to record the song "because his father had a dream for him but had died before his son's first success.

However, the culmination of the narrator's beliefs and pride in his identity is really in the chorus, as he declares that no matter what, he is joyfully "moving" and "rolling" himself "down the highway" of life.

All in all, as he moves forward in life, carrying his name, his song, and his dream as part of him, his biggest goal is to simply not focus on the past, but look to the present and future instead.

The narrator ends by sharing his hope that he can live each day to the fullest, "moving ahead so life won't pass me by."

In 1973, Billboard wrote, "The song is bigger and more grandiose in lyric and melody content than Croce's usual funky material which makes interesting contrast."

[7] There is at least one other known live video recorded performance of "I Got A Name," at Royce Hall, UCLA Campus, Los Angeles, California in August 1973.

In the 2001 "Ready, Willing, and Disabled" episode of the cartoon Family Guy, Mort Goldman is seen singing along to a muzak version of the song in his pharmacy.

Croce, Jim's son, recorded the song for a 2018 Goodyear tire commercial featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr.