What's in a Name?
Note: Back Dated Post. written sometime in Oct 2012
So the stork has announced his intention to visit! By the time this post goes public, the stork would already have arrived. Only upon the visit, would I finally know if it’s a king or a queen, till then I just have to keep guessing from the black and white screens of ultrasound images. Do I have a preference? Maybe I do :-) but I am not telling you!
The job of naming His or Her Majesty has already begun though. After diligent efforts, I figured it’s not an easy task. Here are the complexities which parents would typically contemplate while doing the ‘Naamkaran’
“I want a unique name, but should be meaningful”
“The spelling should not be complicated. Want to avoid confusion”
“Hey, we are in the 21st century, the world is a small place now. I want my kid to have a globally acceptable name. Should not be similar to a slang in Spanish”
“I want a short name maximum 5 alphabets”
“Damn, our surname sucks! We need to find a name which suits the surname”
“The name should be clearly masculine or feminine. I would hate people to ask me if it’s a he or a she”
“How about inventing a word from the mother and father’s name”
“All my friends have already taken the good ones; don’t want to be seen copying anyone”
“The family astrologer will give his divine benediction in the form of an alphabet for the name”
“My grandmother had already made it clear even before I married that she would name her progeny. Problem is, the in laws don’t like her chosen name”
“I don’t want a Muslim or Christian name. The name should be an identity of ethnicity”
“I DON’T want the name to identify any particular caste, language or ethnicity”
“It’s crazy how names get always modified by friends to a ‘call name’”
“This is such a lovely name, if only that sick celebrity had a different name”
“Hell with this naming business, let’s just ask the babe to pick his or her own name by lottery!
And the list will keep growing…
In my experience till date, which surely will get more intense in the months to come, I have a few general observations to make.
1. There are tons of great names for girls out there, but there is a dearth of great boy names.
2. There is limited flexibility in naming innovation if one were to sample names from South India. Predominantly, names are cognates of the Hindu pantheon of gods/goddess
3. It’s important to think of a name’s suitability in the times it would really be tested, that is several years later.
Some Boy Names I Longlisted
Ansh
Anunay
Anvay
Arman
Arth
Ashk
Atharv
Bhramar
Eklavya
Saahil
Nirav
Saanjh
Sanchay
Nirvaan
Abhirut
Saarth
Shardul
Palash
Ridhaan
Rishaan
Vihaan
Akshit
Adhrit
Archan
Ishaat
Sharvil
Nimit
Iheet
Aryamaan
Anvit
Taral
Alakh
Agharn
Nilay
Akshan
Advay
Anay
Arin
Raayan
Yashas
Parinay
Pravit
Tvarit
Svarit
Aayan
Viaan
Nivaan
Yuvaan
Some Girl Names I Longlisted
Asmi
Tarana
Paridhi
Shipra
Muskaan
Prisha
Swara
Dhriti
Shrila
Svna
Sia
Kyra
Kaayna
So the stork has announced his intention to visit! By the time this post goes public, the stork would already have arrived. Only upon the visit, would I finally know if it’s a king or a queen, till then I just have to keep guessing from the black and white screens of ultrasound images. Do I have a preference? Maybe I do :-) but I am not telling you!
The job of naming His or Her Majesty has already begun though. After diligent efforts, I figured it’s not an easy task. Here are the complexities which parents would typically contemplate while doing the ‘Naamkaran’
“I want a unique name, but should be meaningful”
“The spelling should not be complicated. Want to avoid confusion”
“Hey, we are in the 21st century, the world is a small place now. I want my kid to have a globally acceptable name. Should not be similar to a slang in Spanish”
“I want a short name maximum 5 alphabets”
“Damn, our surname sucks! We need to find a name which suits the surname”
“The name should be clearly masculine or feminine. I would hate people to ask me if it’s a he or a she”
“How about inventing a word from the mother and father’s name”
“All my friends have already taken the good ones; don’t want to be seen copying anyone”
“The family astrologer will give his divine benediction in the form of an alphabet for the name”
“My grandmother had already made it clear even before I married that she would name her progeny. Problem is, the in laws don’t like her chosen name”
“I don’t want a Muslim or Christian name. The name should be an identity of ethnicity”
“I DON’T want the name to identify any particular caste, language or ethnicity”
“It’s crazy how names get always modified by friends to a ‘call name’”
“This is such a lovely name, if only that sick celebrity had a different name”
“Hell with this naming business, let’s just ask the babe to pick his or her own name by lottery!
And the list will keep growing…
In my experience till date, which surely will get more intense in the months to come, I have a few general observations to make.
1. There are tons of great names for girls out there, but there is a dearth of great boy names.
2. There is limited flexibility in naming innovation if one were to sample names from South India. Predominantly, names are cognates of the Hindu pantheon of gods/goddess
3. It’s important to think of a name’s suitability in the times it would really be tested, that is several years later.
Some Boy Names I Longlisted
Ansh
Anunay
Anvay
Arman
Arth
Ashk
Atharv
Bhramar
Eklavya
Saahil
Nirav
Saanjh
Sanchay
Nirvaan
Abhirut
Saarth
Shardul
Palash
Ridhaan
Rishaan
Vihaan
Akshit
Adhrit
Archan
Ishaat
Sharvil
Nimit
Iheet
Aryamaan
Anvit
Taral
Alakh
Agharn
Nilay
Akshan
Advay
Anay
Arin
Raayan
Yashas
Parinay
Pravit
Tvarit
Svarit
Aayan
Viaan
Nivaan
Yuvaan
Some Girl Names I Longlisted
Asmi
Tarana
Paridhi
Shipra
Muskaan
Prisha
Swara
Dhriti
Shrila
Svna
Sia
Kyra
Kaayna
Labels: Baby Names, Parenting
2 comments
haha! no matter what you choose, he (or she) is going to have some issues with it some day so as long as you two like it, that should do, I think........what do you think of your own name, by the way:)
Thanks, for sharing this information.
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