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Perfect Baby Name
It really does matter what you name your baby
By Shaan Moledina
Choose wisely, the name you pick for your baby could affect her future!
If you have set your heart on a name that is significant to you both but feel the pressure to use traditional family names, middle names are a great way to slot them in.
Anagrams are a good way to play around with parents’ names. Scramble up the letters in Adelina and you get Daniela!
The decision lies with you, as it does every parent, so make sensible choices. As one wit notes cogently, “Words have meaning and names have power.” |
Deciding on a name for your baby can be a minefield. Do you want her to stand out with something unusual, or blend in with the fashionable name of the moment? Will you go seasonal like Nicole Richie’s daughter, Harlow Winter, or exotic like Halle Berry’s tot, Nahla?
PUTTING A NAME TO A FACE
Research shows that images are linked with certain names - John is a reliable type, while Scarlett is a wild child in the making. The list goes on, with plain Janes, strong Troys and wicked Adolfs!
A Boston University study seems to support these findings. Teachers were given eight identical stories with a different name on each - Lisa, Karen, Michael and David scored significantly higher marks than Bertha, Adele, Hubert and Elmer. We hope this was a fluke result and doesn’t actually happen in our schools!
But now that we know for certain that names do matter, here are some tricks to pick a name that says “you” without your child running the risk of becoming the butt of, well, punny jokes.
CHOP SHOP
If you want to create a special name for your baby, not all monikers have to be outlandish or downright strange. Lucky couples may have names that blend nicely to create a whole new name, such as Michael + Adelle = Michelle, Li Wei + Mei Shan = Li Shan, Sanjiv + Indra = Sandra, Ali + Hafizah = Alizah.
Anagrams are also a good way to play around with parents’ names. Scramble up the letters in Adelina and you get Daniela!
STAR STRUCK
Don’t just name your child after your favourite singer, think outside the box. For instance, Elvis fans may decide on Memphis or Aaron for their little boy, or if the best summer you ever had was in North Carolina and you’re James Taylor fan (he sang Carolina In My Mind), Carolina for your baby girl might be an obvious choice. If you eloped to Vegas for a whimsical wedding, you could settle on Wynn or Venetia, instead of a more direct link, like Nevada.
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE
If you have set your heart on a name that is significant to you both but feel the pressure to use traditional family names, middle names are a great way to slot them in. For instance, your grandfather’s dated name, Bonaventure, might be better as a middle name. If your surname is on the brink of extinction since there are no males to pass down the family name, consider dropping the conventional middle name and use a hyphenated surname for your child instead, like Michelle Kishore-Wong. Or why not use your last name as the baby’s middle name, for example, Jessica Ling Tan?
SPEAKING OF PARENTS
Many couples give their newborns name to honour a loved one. Both Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow gave their daughters middle names - Marcheline and Blythe - to pay tribute to their mothers. Instead of lifting a name wholesale, change the spelling or shorten it while still retaining the essence. For example, Gertrude to Trudy, Mah Xiao Lin to Lynn, Anuyathri to Anya, or Fardianah to Farrah.
MEANING ISN'T EVERYTHING
Though choosing a name with weighty meaning does play a part when you make your choice, we dare say it isn’t everything. Inshtatheumba means bright eyes in a Native American dialect, but you’d do well to refrain from picking this little mouthful for your child in this neck of the woods! On the other hand, you may love the name Mallory and not care that it means unlucky.
MATCH GAME
We can’t stress enough that your child’s first, middle and last name need to go together, initials included. We assure you that Fatt Ai Sin, Shirley won’t be too happy with the nickname “fat ass” gathered from her initials. For sure, your little Sade Tan, Fleming Goh, or Harry Kok will get a deed poll as soon as they can say, “What were you thinking?!” While you’re at it, you may want to think twice about names that are too “rhymey”, such as Mia Xia, Millie Lee or Hamil Jamil.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS
It is very common to use names starting with the same letter for your kids, even more so for twin treasures. While pairs like Elizabeth and Emma or Tanya and Taylor are cute, save Mork and Mindy for your pet Labradors.
REMEMBERING ROOTS
Mixed marriages are becoming more and more common in our society. If you married to a Caucasian and don’t want your children to forget your Asian roots, pick a name that’s acceptable to both cultures (eg cross-cultural names like Nina, Lee or Sara), or give your child a name that is a blend of East and West, such as Daniel Harish or Kayla Jun-Li.
PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING
Here’s something to think about - in Singapore, even the most beautiful name is at risk of being butchered by bad pronunciation. Little Thelma may end up being called “tell mah”, while Mikhail might just have to get used to being called Michael.
CELEB-IMMUNITY
For your children’s sake, don’t get caught up in the Hollywood trend of anointing their kids with weird names. So think ahead!
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Strange celebrity baby names
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Baby
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Celebrity
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Seven and Puma
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Singer Erykah Badu
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Zowie (Bowie!)
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Singer-actor David Bowie
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Moon Unit, Dweezil and Diva Muffin
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Singer Frank Zappa
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Pilot Inspektor
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Actor Jason Lee (My Name is Earl)
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Bamboo
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Singer Big Boi (Outkast)
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Jermajesty
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Singer Jermaine Jackson
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Moxie Crimefighter
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Actor/TV host Penn Jillette
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THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
Give your little one multiple lengthy names and he’ll be cussing each time he has to fill up an immigration form. It’s a good idea to pair lengthy last names with shorter first names. If you can’t decide between four favourite names, don’t string them all together as a quick solution to your indecision! On the flipside, make sure you like the shortened versions of your child’s name as well - you may like Richard, but what about Ricky, Rich or Dick?
YIN & YANG
For parents who value balance and harmony, consider a palindromic name. These symmetrical names read the same when spelt forwards and backwards. Check out Aidia, Ana, Viv, Aziza, Habibah, Hannah and Elle.
At the end of the day, the decision lies with you, as it does every parent, so make sensible choices. As one wit notes cogently, “Words have meaning and names have power.”
If you have any comments or practical suggestions, write to us at editor@family.sg
- Mother & Baby
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