Baby Naming Customs and Culture
There
is an apocryphal saying, "When someone loves you, they say your name
differently. And you know your name will be safe in their mouth."
A kind of inheritance
The
notion is compelling, that a name might not be safe. The idea that a name can
somehow be abused when spoken implies that a name is an important possession, one
that is worth protecting. This can be seen by the fact that parents often
choose names for their babies from their family trees, and some more primitive
cultures choose names from totems. Such names are specific to a particular
family's ancestral line. This makes a name a kind of inheritance, no less than
a prized piece of Steuben crystal, or a Hepplewhite chair, handed down from
generation to generation. As far back as the Bible, we see that Noah's first
task was to name the animals, which tells us that the practice of naming has
long been considered a grave responsibility.
Pride and unification
The
Shona people of Zimbabwe
have, since the beginning of their culture, named babies according to 25
identifiable family totems. Each baby has a totemic name plus a 'praise name,'
a name chosen from among some 60 such names. The totem name is often that of an
animal. It is the praise name that associates a child with a specific clan for
sometimes clans share the same totem. The added praise name prevents incestuous
relationships. Totemic names express tribal pride and unification.
In
some Chinese populations babies receive a two character given name, the first
character representing the generational name. It is considered rude in this culture
to refer to someone by his generational name, as this name is not the name
which distinguishes the person's identity from that of his relatives. In China, what the
Western world thinks of as surnames, are written and pronounced before the
given name. The Chinese are sometimes given an additional name at marriage, and
still another name in later years that is a type of formal nickname.
A kind of rebirth
In
Christian thought, the baptismal ceremony is thought to be a kind of rebirth
for the soul. Baptism is a sacrament that initiates a child into the church.
The name under which a child receives his baptism helps to link the baby to an
identity along with his place in society.
In
Judaism there are two sets of naming practices. In the Askenazic tradition,
babies are named after deceased relatives as a kind of memorial. Sephardic Jews
name babies after living relatives to honor them. Jewish thought links the name
to the qualities of the soul. Thus, a child named, for instance, Adin, meaning
delicate, would be expected to display a delicacy of character.
