Much thought goes into naming a newborn. After all, it’s a tag for life! Today, M&B finds that traditional names are actually getting trendy! We find out why...

Words Swati Chopra Vikamsey
Illustration Ajay Paradkar
Visual Mother & Baby Picture Library

Naming your child can be a wonderful experience for both you and your husband. There is a special feeling when both of you sit down to pick out a name for the child you have created together. But there are several factors that affect this decision....

Trend
The naming trend these days is that the most popular names are the traditional names. Names from the Vedas, mythology and Sanskrit appear very popular. According to renowned author MV Kamat, who has compiled Jaico’s Book of Baby Names, these names come from “mythology, religious texts, stotras and novels”. He avers that all traditional Indian names have meaning and hence, are more popular. “Because most Hindus are conservative and they want a name to convey a meaning and provide the child with a distinct identity, traditional names have become the norm these days,” he adds.

Monica Bhatia from Patiala is mum to Prajnya, two, and Rudransh, seven months. She and her husband intentionally chose traditional names for their kids. “It is also believed that people get good vibes when they associate with traditional names. A familiar name, besides having mythological importance, seems to be a major force behind choosing the traditional names. Besides, there’s a trend of going back to one’s roots that compels people to choose such names. Moreover, we Indians still believe in tried and tested things. I personally feel English and modern names stand no appeal when compared to the olden-golden names. Take, for example, my name Monica; it is as old as I am but till date, I do not know its meaning. People these days want to relate to the names which are meaningful. Also, passing of names of ancestors to the next generation seems to be another factor. A classic example is our MP Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, who has been bestowed with his grandfather’s name,” she says. Archana Vikamsey, mum to Dev, nine, and Yasha, seven, opines that a saturation of western influence in our lives has led to this trend. “I guess parents of the current generation feel the need to keep the next gen in contact with our origin and roots,” she says. Fashion designer Shaina NC says, “My son’s name Ayaan wasn’t a result of this trend. Ayaan is more Arabic and means ‘a gift from God’, which was perfect, since the pregnancy wasn’t anticipated! All in all, such unusual names are so much better than the Neeta, Meeta, Geeta variety!”

Distinguished
A name stands for personal identity. Your baby needs her own clothes, accessories, toiletries, toys, etc. One of the most important requirements though is her own name, which will identify her in a crowd and be a word which she will associate herself with for the rest of her life. Your child will not choose her own name. You, as her parent, will select it for her. Hence, it is a crucial decision which you should take, keeping a long-term point of view. Shubha and Ashish Poddar are a Delhi-based couple who have named their 11-month-old son Agastya Veer. “This was because I wanted to give him a name which is unique and, in later years, can help him identify himself in this big world! I sincerely hope that his name will remind him of who he truly is or can be in adverse times,” reveals the thoughtful mum. Like Ashish and Shubha, most parents like their child to have a rare and unique name so that she can stand out in a crowd. This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. She will easily recognise when she is being called. At the same time, rare and complicated names have immense potential for misunderstandings and mistaken pronunciations. Teachers and caregivers may unintentionally mangle your child’s name if they have difficulty speaking it aloud. At the same time, it is not a great idea to give your child a name that is too common. Varsha regrets the name she gave to her son Anil. There were five boys with the same name in her son’s class at school. Everyone kept getting confused. For the entire year, her son would proudly introduce himself as Anil B whenever he met someone. Even at home, he would only respond if she called him by this name!

Personification!
According to Monica, “A name is an identity gifted to a child since birth, and it stays with her forever. In fact, even after a person dies, his name remains. In that sense, a name is immortal! One might have to part with a lot of things in one’s life but the name is the only precious gift that stays with the child for a lifetime and beyond. A unique name, thus, gives a stronger sense of individuality amongst peers.” It is generally observed that we become our names and our names become us. Now, this leads to an obvious question, Can something as simple as our names have a good impact on who we end up becoming? Can they shape our final destinies? Kamath has this to say: “Names are extremely important as the child will have to live with it to the end of one’s life! A beautiful name is certainly an asset. Whether a name affects a child’s personality is something a a psychiatrist will assess! But I am sure it does affect.” Psychologists do believe that happy people are generally happy with their names. Giving children very foreign or highly uncommon names can cause social trauma at a very young age, leading to scars that can be permanent or difficult to overcome. Even a common name with an unusual spelling can traumatise a little kid, If you want to name your kid Preeti and if the spelling you chose was Prity, she is going to have trouble correcting people on the way her name is spelt throughout her life.