“What’s in a name?” William Shakespeare once wrote. But turns out, there is actually a lot in a name. Naming a child is not just a process, it is a ritual, a tradition in all religions. It has special significance in Sanatan Dharma. It is among the 16 rites of passage in Hinduism. It is said that a child often adopts the qualities associated with the name given and their nature is dictated by this name. A name is also believed to direct happiness, prosperity and success.
Names have been given great importance in numerology. The first letter of a name holds tremendous value in astrology as well, in which different letters have been suggested for the 12 zodiac signs. While several households in India see parents, aunts or grandparents select the name of the child, in many places suggesting the best name for your baby has become a business.
Taylor A. Humphrey, New York’s top ‘professional baby namer’, often makes headlines. Humphrey named more than 100 children in 2020. In 2015, she founded her business ‘What’s in a Baby Name’. Since then the ‘baby namer’ trend has grown rapidly. The 33-year-old’s boutique consultancy has a full-service baby-naming concierge, and she charges Rs 1.14 lakh onwards ($1,500) for the name. Humphrey isn’t alone. There are several ‘professional baby namers’ who make a living out of making it easier for parents’ to pick a name.
Naming a baby has become a business because there are several factors to be kept in mind while picking a name. From the information related to the birth of the child, to the zodiac and numerology, a list of ‘what to be called’ is prepared and the name is picked after contemplating on the parents’ desire for their child’s personality.
Research over the last 70 years has shown the effect of children’s names on their lives. Although everyone’s personality is unique, the research showed the difference in personalities of people with common names or names starting with common letters as compared to unusual names.
The New York Times quotes Dalton Conley, a sociologist at New York University – who named his daughter E and his son Yo Xing Heyno Augustus Eisner Alexander Weiser Knuckles, as saying, “Research suggests that having a weird name makes you more likely to have impulse control and that impulse control is even more important than I.Q. in predicting socioeconomic success, marital stability, and even staying out of prison.”
According to reports, children with unusual names are more likely to succeed as compared to others.
Economist Gregory Clark also put forward a similar theory and wrote a book ‘The Son Also Rises: Surnames and the History of Social Mobility’. According to Clark, names have an effect on personality, so there are examples of people with unusual names doing unusual things, but it may vary according to different social scenarios. Perhaps this could be the big reason that the trend of unusual names has increased year after year. In the US, he said that in 1950 only 5 percent of parents chose a name for their children that was not among the first 1000 names in circulation, and in 2012, when it was calculated, this percentage had increased to 27.
Similarly in India, the search for unique names often takes parents back to Sanskrit. According to a survey, in the last 10 years, the percentage of choosing Sanskrit words as names in India has increased to 67.
As per tradition, after a name is picked, the family is told not just the name but also the meaning and the qualities attached to it. This helps the people surrounding the child in their formative years to ensure that the child imbibes these qualities.
Every year there are several names that come in trend. Several people prefer names starting with A. Talking about the year 2022, the name Amrita, starting with A, was very among the most popular names. Amrita is called ‘Dub’ or ‘Raha’. Raha name origin
is in the Sanskrit word ‘Dub’ or ‘Atibla’. The ‘Atibla’ plant, which flowers twice a year in September-October and February-March, is used in Hindu rituals. Mahakavi Tulsidas has also paid tribute to it in his writing. This is what made Raha also one of the most sought after names. The meaning of Raha is free will and also way ahead.
Many parents pick these names not just for the ring to it, but also for their qualities. For example, parents often select Raha name meaning peaceful and free for these traits.
The second most popular name after Amrita is Arna which means Lakshmi. Apart from this, the name Sanvika was also very popular in the year. Sanvika means Godess Lakshmi or rainbow. According to astrology number 6, the word Sanvika defines a responsible, balanced, friendly, generous and honest personality. Cricketer Sreesanth’s daughter’s name is also Sanvika. Apart from this, the name Vedanta also proved to be very popular in the year 2022. This name refers to the Vedic method of self-realization. Another name that parents flocked to was Aadvik, which means unique and different from others. Apart from being a favourite, this name was in the news a lot. When 4-year-old Advik of Dharamsala chanted the Mahamrityunjaya mantra 14 times in 1 minute, his name was recorded in the Asia Book of Records.
