The term "soul" has a variety of meanings, depending on varying mythical, religious, philosophical or psychological traditions and doctrines in which it occurs.
The soul is considered as our essence, the seat of emotions, feelings and sensations. The worldly body has its own consciousness (the mind) and takes leadership on earth with the intellect (ego). We are a spiritual entity (light body) which inhabits a physical body.
From shamanic point of view, our soul decides for the life in order to experience, to learn and to grow. Therefore, on earth we get the appropriate events and tasks. Experiences and emotions persists even when the body passes away and we are purified.
As a spiritual being, before we chose a body, we already had a name.