Cross Cultural Naming Traditions
For many parents the process of selecting a name for their newborn is filled with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Names not only serve a legal purpose but also convey social, cultural and spiritual meaning for the family and its community. The purpose most often recognized for a name is its legal purpose, which essentially identifies and distinguishes one legal persona from another on documents such as the birth certificate. Parents, when selecting names for their children, however, select names that they hope will both personify the essence of the child’s personality or character as well as establish some kind of standard which the child is expected to aspire towards and attain in his or her life. These are just a couple of considerations that parents take into account when choosing from among the millions of possible forenames. Across the globe, many families from different cultural traditions and spiritual beliefs have found ways to reconcile these hopes and fears in the naming of their offspring. This article seeks to highlight some of the major cross-cultural traditions practiced in the naming of children.