What’s in a baby’s name?

There’s more to a name

Yes, naming a child is not easy. That’s why the task was always delegated to someone else…In our community for instance, the baby’s name is whispered into baby’s ear by the paternal aunt ( bua, phoophi, atya or whatever). But the question still remains – what do we name the child?

Some babies are named after their grandparents while others are named after godparents or in honour of someone the parents think their child should emulate. Some children are given the name of a God , while others are given names that are exotic.

So how do you choose a name?

There are many ways to choose a name. There was a joke once doing the rounds that the Chinese fling some pots and pans in the air and depending on the sounds they made, the child’s name was chosen. Thus you got Ping Ting or whatever. Obviously, this is not only a joke but a bad one at that.

Here’s a delightful article by young mom Seena on how to name a baby.

via Thinking aloud: #AtoZChallenge- N is for ‘Naming the Baby’