Indian Baby Name - Choosing a Child’s Name

Rajni Sheth

December 24, 2007

An important decision parents have to make is giving their new born child a special name. choosing a child’s name is a great experience for the entire family, but especially for you and your spouse. It is a very big decision because parents or soon-to-be parents have to remember that the child will live with the name they chose, forever. By choosing a name which flows well with the surname and which is easy to pronounce, makes life a little better for the child during his growing up years. Try to avoid unnecessary long names. People have found that naming a child after nature also adds meaning to their lives and makes them beautiful, from the inside and outside.

Giving your child a distinctive name will make him stand out in a crowd. However do not go for a unique and difficult name to pronounce. This can lead to a lot of misspellings and incorrect pronunciations. In India, families are known for going baby name hunting as soon as they know they will be welcoming a baby in nine months. Another big trend making the rounds is naming a baby based on numerology which is believed to bring the child success as he grows older.

However a large number of Indian baby names come from spirituality and religion. Many parents choose to name their child after Gods and saints. Among the Hindu community, family’s get-together before the child is born, to find a suitable name for the child. Hindu grandparents also have a huge say in this serious matter, usually opting for names emerging from religion such as Mrignayani, Kanyakumari, Laxmi, Parvati and others.
An excellent example would be the Hindu child naming ceremony. There are many ceremonies involved in this process. It also depends on the region from where the family originates to the caste of the family. Many Hindu babies have names on the basis of their horoscopes.

A Brahmin or a Hindu priest who gives the horoscope to the parents often chooses the initial letter of the baby’s name. Hindu names have a lot of meaning and there is a lot of thought which goes into naming a child. The Hindu naming ceremony is known is also known as 'Namkaran'. This ceremony usually takes place 10 days after the baby is born as it is considered to be an ‘impure’ time for the mother and her baby.

Other Hindu ceremonies have the naming ceremony after 11 days while some others after three months. The family priest guides the parents to select a name which will not only signify prosperity and power but which will also be pleasing to one’s ears. Your other sources could be naming your child after your grandparents or a near and dear one. Naming babies after celebrities and actors tops the list as well.

Baby names of stars' children

You're sitting there, maybe drinking your morning coffee and idly wondering: What are the best and worst baby names chosen by stars in 2007?Here, according to Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran, authors of "The Baby Name Bible" (St. Martin's Press, www.babynamebible.com), are their picks for the most inspiring and most horrifying baby names chosen by celebrities in 2007.Among the best:• Story Elias, son of Jenna and Bodhi Elfman. Story is an unapologetically modern word name, with no history beyond the ancient tradition of spinning engaging tales. But the biblical Elias balances Story's newfangled charm.• Frances Pen, daughter of Amanda Peet. Proof that not all celebrities go for the attention-grabbing name, Frances is a quiet, gently frayed classic that deserves rejuvenation. And Pen, after Peet's mother Penny, is an example of a fresh, creative way to honor a family member.• Ever Gabo, daughter of Milla Jovovich and Paul Anderson. Jovovich has been quoted as saying the couple gave this "Scottish boy's name" to their daughter as a bow to her husband's Scottish roots.Uh, after consulting their sources, Satran and Rosenkrantz don't think so, though Ever might be the phonetic spelling of the Gaelic girls' name Eamhair. Or even simply a modern word name.Whatever, the baby name experts love this evocative choice, and the child's middle name is another inventive twist on grandparents' names, in this case Jovovich's mother, Galina, and father, Bogie.Among the worst?• Zeppelin, son of Jonathan Davis. After calling his last son Pirate, the lead singer of Korn chose to name his latest after a dirigible -- unless it was in honor of metal group Led Zeppelin. In either case, he'd better come up with a zippy nickname -- and fast.• Ptolemy, son of actress Gretchen Mol. An example of "trying too hard to be cool by flaunting your arcane knowledge" by picking the unpronounceable name of an ancient Greek scientist.You've got to wonder how many times poor Ptolemy will have to explain that the P is silent before he drops the name in favor of his middle name, John.• Cash, son of actress Annabeth Gish. It's just like they say: Nothing beats new fresh Cash.

How baby names reveal cultural trends

BabyCenter.com released its annual Top Baby Names List on Thursday. There were few surprises among the most popular names, with mainstays like Jacob, Noah, Madison and Emily maintaining spots in the top 10.Sophia landed at No. 1 on the girl’s list, up six spots from last year. Olivia moved down two to No. 10, perhaps because the legions of well-meaning parents are finally realizing the popular children’s book character after which they were naming their daughters is actually a pig (albeit a precious one), thereby setting themselves up for years of psychotherapy bills and eating disorder evaluations.The name Reagan made its debut on the girl’s list at No. 80. Fifty-six year old Rush Limbaugh is said to be considering becoming a first-time father in order to move the name up even more on next year’s list, just in time for the presidential election. The name Layla shot up 60 spots to No. 40, perhaps because of the release of Eric Clapton’s autobiography. Addison and Bailey also rocketed up the list in 2007 to Nos. 6 and 60 respectively, thanks to characters of the same names on the popular TV drama “Grey’s Anatomy.”Of course naming babies after celebrities isn’t a new trend. The number of newborn girls named Shirley more than doubled between 1933 and 1935, which is right around the time when Shirley Temple starred in the film “Bright Eyes.” Elvis shot up 527 spots on the Social Security Administration’s 1,000 top baby names’ list when the king of rock ‘n’ roll released “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956.After Tyra Banks appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in 1997, her name surged more than 50 percent among newborns the following year. No word on if the name took a nosedive this year after the former supermodel appeared again on a beach in a swimsuit, but this time with an additional 30-plus pounds packed onto her frame. In 2007, the name Ava fell two spots in popularity to No. 5 on BabyCenter’s list. Part of the downgrade blame could potentially be attributed to the highly publicized divorce of actress Reese Witherspoon and actor Ryan Phillippe, whose 8-year-old daughter is named Ava. A new report out this year claims divorce has a crucial effect on global warming, so it’s quite possible that eco-friendly parents don’t want to associate their newborn baby girls with the child of a broken, nonenvironmentally friendly home. (Plus, Reese’s most recent film, “Rendition,” was a total box office bust.)Maddox, the name of the oldest child in Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s ever-expanding brood, did not make the top 10 this year, but its popularity has nevertheless surged threefold in the past few years. And apparently new parents in Nebraska and Kansas have taken a liking to the name more so than new parents in any other state.Likewise, the name of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ daughter, Suri, didn’t crack the list of most popular names, according to BabyCenter. However, that hasn’t stopped residents in the great nutmeg state of Connecticut in particular from naming their baby girls after the daughter of the couple that landed in the No. 2 slot in Us Weekly’s Couple of the Year issue (on newsstands now). (Brangelina was No. 1.)Naming their daughter Apple has done little to help Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow and Grammy winner Chris Martin boost the frequency of children being named after fruit. Not only did Apple not make it onto BabyCenter’s list, but it has never appeared on the Social Security Administration’s list, either. However, 3-year-old Apple Martin shouldn’t take it personally, as nature’s candy has always fared poorly in the first-name slot. The only exception is Orange. In 1884, 13 boys were named after the nectar of Florida’s official beverage. Popularity of the name took a nosedive when only six boys were named it in 1892. However, it rebounded significantly — to approximately 12 namings — around 1898. In a show of solidarity, Olives everywhere are hoping for Apple and Orange comebacks in 2008.In 2007 Aiden, continued its reign as the most popular boy’s name for the third year running on BabyCenter’s list. No doubt “Sex and the City” enthusiasts, who have largely graduated from singledom to mommydom, have had a hand in the enduring popularity of the name of Carrie Bradshaw’s onetime fiancé. Jayden, the name of Britney Spears’ second biggest surprise in life (biggest surprise and son No. 1, Sean Preston, was born a year before Jayden), made its debut this year in the No. 4 slot. BabyCenter noted the name had more varied spellings — 26 in all — than any other name on the list. Twenty-five of the different Jayden spellings are being attributed to Spears, who completed only one year of high school.More outrageous names are expected among 2008’s crop of newborns, who will be born just as a slew of celebrities give birth. Expectant mothers everywhere are hoping Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Nicole Richie, Halle Berry, Jessica Alba and Paris Hilton (who isn’t pregnant, but is sure to either get knocked up or arrested in the new year) don’t let them down.

2007's top baby names

PARENTS are continuing to reject celebrity-style names and are opting to give their babies more Biblical and Victorian names.
The next big trend in baby names, however, is likely to be the emergence of Arabic names such as Mohammed and Fatima.
Data from the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages reveals parents have shown a strong preference for traditional favourites such as Ella, Emily, Olivia and Charlotte for girls and William, Joshua, Thomas, James and Noah for boys.
This year, a Gaelic influence has also entered the boys' list, with Cooper, Riley and Lachlan featuring among the top 10.
Jack has topped the boys' list for the past four years, but Isabella has skyrocketed from sixth place last year to knock Chloe from the number one spot.
Hollywood baby names such as Shiloh, Suri and Apple have not yet infiltrated the top 100.
However, the toddler daughter of tennis pro Lleyton Hewitt and his actress wife Bec is called Mia, which has risen to fifth on the girls' list.
Although the most popular names are overwhelmingly conventional, immigration is expected to diversify the list significantly within the next couple of decades.
Mohammed is already the second most popular name for baby boys in Britain and is forecast to take over the top spot from Jack in 2008.
Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages spokeswoman Alana Sheil said baby names tended to come in and out of fashion but some classics withstood the test of time.
"Jack, William, Joshua and Thomas have been popular for a number of years. They're proving to be names the community likes," Ms Sheil said.
"There has always been a strong biblical presence, but over the coming years, we would expect to see a rise in Arabic names.
"People like to give children names from their culture."
The top 10 girls names for 2007 are the same as last year, albeit in different positions.
Within the top 30 are more recently trendy names such as Matilda, Amelia, Chelsea and Madison.
Sienna entered the top 10 for the first time last year, partly attributed to the rise in popularity of British actress Sienna Miller.
"Isabella has had strong interest for many years but Mia is on the rise," Ms Sheil said.
"Names like Mia have a cross-cultural appeal because they're simple and can be spoken in any language because there's no accent."
Danny and Kylie Paulson, who live at Wauchope, on the NSW north coast, named their two-year-old daughter Isabella in memory of her grandmother Isabelle, who died 10 months before her birth.
"I like pretty names for girls; our other daughter is called Amelia, and I like the name Jasmine too," Mr Paulson said.
"Our Isabella is a bit of a tomboy, though. "I was surprised to hear it was the most popular girls' name, because we don't know any other Isabellas."

Name at Birth

The name at birth is the name a child is given by his or her parents, according to an apparently universal custom, and legal requirement[1] to file a form of birth certificate. What happens subsequently about this name has a substantial cultural component.
Where births are officially registered, a name entered into a birth certificate may by that fact alone become a legal name. The assumption in the Western world is often that the name from birth (given name plus family name at least), or perhaps from baptism, persists to adulthood in the normal course of affairs, with some possible changes (such as concerning middle names, uses of diminutive forms, adoption, choice of surname if parents divorce or were not married). Matters are very different in some cultures where a name at birth is only a childhood name, rather than the default choice for later life.
Birth name is a term now sometimes used for maiden name (name before marriage of a woman, in cultures where a married woman's name customarily changes), by those who find maiden name to be an old-fashioned usage with the wrong connotations. By extension to men, birth name or now sometimes birthname can mean name at birth, or possibly (and less precisely) the more elusive concept of real name (i.e. name before taking a professional name such as stage name, pen name, ring name, or an assumed name/alias name/nickname, or some recognised name change process which de jure alters names).

About Hebrew names

Hebrew names are names that have a Hebrew language origin, classically from the Hebrew Bible. They are mostly used by people living in Jewish or Christian parts of the world, but some are also adapted to the Islamic world, particularly if a Hebrew name is mentioned in the Qur'an. A typical Hebrew name can have many different forms, having been adapted to the phonologies of many different languages. An integral facet of the Jewish religion worldwide is to give a Hebrew name to a child that is used religiously throughout his or her lifetime.
Not all Hebrew names are strictly Hebrew in origin; some names may have been borrowed from other languages since ancient times, including from Egyptian, Aramaic, Persian, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Spanish, German, and English.

Top 100 Boys' Names

1
Aiden
2
Jacob
3
Ethan
4
Ryan
5
Matthew
6
Jack
7
Noah
8
Nicholas
9
Joshua
10
Logan
11
Andrew
12
Michael
13
Caden
14
Dylan
15
Tyler
16
Connor
17
Jackson
18
Caleb
19
Jayden
20
Alexander
21
Nathan
22
Brayden
23
Zachary
24
Benjamin
25
William
26
James
27
Daniel
28
Gavin
29
Evan
30
Luke
31
Joseph
32
Landon
33
Christopher
34
Mason
35
Cameron
36
Anthony
37
Owen
38
Gabriel
39
Austin
40
Lucas
41
Christian
42
John
43
Sean
44
Elijah
45
David
46
Samuel
47
Carter
48
Hunter
49
Brandon
50
Alex
51
Jordan
52
Liam
53
Thomas
54
Justin
55
Dominic
56
Ian
57
Jake
58
Colin
59
Hayden
60
Jonathan
61
Isaiah
62
Cole
63
Adam
64
Tristan
65
Isaac
66
Max
67
Kyle
68
Aaron
69
Nathaniel
70
Wyatt
71
Robert
72
Chase
73
Riley
74
Carson
75
Brady
76
Jason
77
Parker
78
Charlie
79
Devin
80
Cooper
81
Blake
82
Eric
83
Xavier
84
Sebastian
85
Brian
86
Henry
87
Seth
88
Steven
89
Brody
90
Bryce
91
Will
92
Brendan
93
Patrick
94
Sam
95
Julian
96
Drew
97
Miles
98
Kevin
99
Peyton
100
Ben

Top 100 Girls' names

1
Emma
2
Madison
3
Ava
4
Emily
5
Isabella
6
Kaitlyn
7
Sophia
8
Olivia
9
Abigail
10
Hailey
11
Hannah
12
Sarah
13
Madeline
14
Lily
15
Ella
16
Alyssa
17
Riley
18
Chloe
19
Lauren
20
Grace
21
Kaylee
22
Samantha
23
Brianna
24
Mia
25
Alexis
26
Addison
27
Mackenzie
28
Natalie
29
Taylor
30
Zoe
31
Sydney
32
Anna
33
Elizabeth
34
Isabelle
35
Avery
36
Maya
37
Savannah
38
Makayla
39
Kayla
40
Julia
41
Megan
42
Morgan
43
Jasmine
44
Katherine
45
Ashley
46
Allison
47
Kylie
48
Arianna
49
Jordan
50
Keira
51
Gabriella
52
Rachel
53
Peyton
54
Brooklyn
55
Brooke
56
Victoria
57
Claire
58
Abby
59
Audrey
60
Rebecca
61
Katie
62
Alexandra
63
Sophie
64
Camryn
65
Kate
66
Amelia
67
Paige
68
Caroline
69
Leah
70
Aubrey
71
Lillian
72
Gabrielle
73
Jessica
74
Ashlyn
75
Charlotte
76
Jayden
77
Kennedy
78
Jenna
79
Gracie
80
Alexa
81
Kendall
82
Molly
83
Lucy
84
Ellie
85
Trinity
86
Faith
87
Mckenna
88
Amanda
89
Nevaeh
90
Nicole
91
Gianna
92
Maggie
93
Destiny
94
Jada
95
Angelina
96
Erin
97
Marissa
98
Juliana
99
Bailey
100
Layla

Honorary value of names

Besides their grammatical function, names can have additional or pure honorary and memorial values. For example, the posthumous name's primary function is commemorative.
Care must be taken in translation, for there are ways that one language may prefer one type of name over another. For example, there are "merchants' and sailors' terms" for their own convenience: the spellings Leghorn, Genoa, and Rome do not appear on Italian maps. Also, a feudal naming habit is used sometimes in other languages: the French often refer to Aristotle as "le Stagirite" from one spelling of his place of birth. Finally, claims to preference or authority can be refuted: the British did not refer to Louis-Napoleon as Napoleon III during his rule.

What is naming?

Naming is the process of assigning a particular word or phrase to a particular object or property. This can be quite deliberate or a natural process that occurs in the flow of life as some phenomenon comes to the attention of the users of a language. Many new words or phrases come into existence during translation as attempts are made to express concepts from one language in another.
Either as a part of the naming process, or later as usage is observed and studied by lexicographers, the word can be defined by a description of the pattern to which it refers.

A name

A name (etymology: from OE nama; akin to OHG namo, Latin nomen, nominis, and Greek όνομα, ultimately from PIE: *nomn- [1]) is a label for a human, thing, place, product (as in a brand name) and even an idea or concept, normally used to distinguish one from another. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. A personal name identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person. The name of a specific entity is sometimes called a proper name (although that term has a philosophical meaning also) and is a proper noun. Other nouns are sometimes, more loosely, called names; an older term for them, now obsolete, is "general name".