This unique guide includes 6,000-plus names from all corners of the globe, and each entry illuminates the name’s distinctive spiritual, historical, and cultural background — its poetry. Names, from the traditional to the newly coined, are fully explained. Pronunciation guide, origin, alternate spellings, and meaning are enhanced by the affirmation carefully chosen for each name. Lists of names by meaning, names by ethnicity, and most popular names by decade provide easy reference. Whether your aim is to honor ancestors, capture a child’s essence, or convey parental hopes, Inspired Baby Names from Around the World will help you greet and bless your new baby with heartfelt meaning.
This unique guide includes 6,000-plus names from all corners of the globe, and each entry illuminates the name’s distinctive spiritual, historical, and cultural background — its poetry. Names, from the traditional to the newly coined, are fully explained. Pronunciation guide, origin, alternate spellings, and meaning are enhanced by the affirmation carefully chosen for each name. Lists of names by meaning, names by ethnicity, and most popular names by decade provide easy reference. Whether your aim is to honor ancestors, capture a child’s essence, or convey parental hopes, Inspired Baby Names from Around the World will help you greet and bless your new baby with heartfelt meaning.
Inspired Baby Names from Around the World: 6,000 International Names and the Meaning Behind Them
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Inspired Baby Names from Around the World: 6,000 International Names and the Meaning Behind Them
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Overview
This unique guide includes 6,000-plus names from all corners of the globe, and each entry illuminates the name’s distinctive spiritual, historical, and cultural background — its poetry. Names, from the traditional to the newly coined, are fully explained. Pronunciation guide, origin, alternate spellings, and meaning are enhanced by the affirmation carefully chosen for each name. Lists of names by meaning, names by ethnicity, and most popular names by decade provide easy reference. Whether your aim is to honor ancestors, capture a child’s essence, or convey parental hopes, Inspired Baby Names from Around the World will help you greet and bless your new baby with heartfelt meaning.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781608683208 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | New World Library |
| Publication date: | 04/21/2015 |
| Pages: | 712 |
| Sales rank: | 1,102,506 |
| Product dimensions: | 7.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.90(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Inspired Baby Names from Around the World
6,000 International Names and the Meaning Behind Them
By Neala Shane
New World Library
Copyright © 2015 Neala ShaneAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-60868-320-8
CHAPTER 1
NAMING CUSTOMS
The Lord said ... you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.
— EXODUS 33:17B (NEB)
Bestowing a name on a child is one of our most important acts as parents, and through a naming ritual we can celebrate and bless our children. A blessing is an acknowledgment of the child's essential nature, the affirmation itself being a gift from the parent to the child. Some rituals are traditional, harkening back thousands of years, while others may be newly created just for this child and this family. Celebrations can take place in the hospital after birth, at home, out of doors, or in a church, mosque, temple, shrine, or any sacred or special setting. They can be done shortly after birth or when the child is old enough to exhibit unique qualities of his or her personality. This section includes but a few examples of such rituals, which serve as a reminder to take every opportunity to celebrate these special milestones.
AMERICAN INDIAN CUSTOMS
According to Wilma Mankiller (1945–2010): "Native Americans regard their names not as mere labels, but as essential parts of their personalities. A native person's name is as vital to his or her identity as the eyes or teeth." American Indian names describe the bearer in some way or tell of an event or action in which she or he took part. Wilma means "determined protector, steadfast guardian." The surname Mankiller refers to a traditional Cherokee military rank. According to Mankiller: "Cherokee women didn't have titled positions. The men had those. But the women had the Women's Council. They had a lot of control.... With the Iroquois the chief was a man, but the women chose the chief, they nurtured him, they installed him. Women could take him out." As the first woman chief of the Cherokee tribe, Mankiller was indeed a warrior woman who protected and guided her people. I find it fascinating that Wilma Mankiller's name was so appropriate to her mission and service in life.
Ella Deloria, a Dakota Sioux anthropologist, has stated: "In Dakota, you do not say ... 'What is your name' but, 'In what manner do they say you?' That means 'According to what deed are you known?'" American Indian children often receive a number of names throughout their lifetimes, such as birth names, early childhood names, puberty names, names upon the accomplishment of a major feat, names revealed in a dream, or names that will trick evil spirits if one is critically ill. Ceremonial names are usually kept secret; they are often symbolic, with meanings known only to a chosen few.
Some naming rituals include ear piercing or spirit dancing. In more ancient times, ear piercing was done by the Sioux during the first sun dance held after the child was able to walk. It was done by a man of the tribe through personal invitation of the family, and the man became the child's second father. In his book The Mystic Warriors of the Plains, Thomas Mails explains:
He made a solemn vow taking the child under his protection until one or the other had died. In the mind of the Indian, ear piercing played, in fact, a role very similar to Jewish circumcision and Christian baptism. In all the great ceremonies of the Sioux there was not one which bound two men together so strongly as this. The tie was even stronger than natural brotherhood, because the invited man had assumed a responsibility not placed on him by nature.
Tom Ration shares the following Navajo blessing:
Today we are blessed with this beautiful baby. May his feet be to the east; his right hand to the south; his head to the west; his left hand to the north. May he walk and dwell on Mother Earth peacefully.
HAWAIIAN CUSTOMS
Traditional Native Hawaiians carefully craft a new name for each child that contains significant meaning and thought. Names are of great importance to Hawaiians. A child receives his or her name from a parent, grandparent, or other close relative, and the given name is believed to influence the child's spiritual development. Children might be named after relatives, but names are not copied from other families.
A naming ceremony called the ho'ola'a is adapted from ancient Hawaiian tradition. The Hawaiian word ho'ola'a means "to consecrate, dedicate, or make sacred." In ancient Hawaii, the birth of a child, especially the firstborn male, was celebrated with a consecration ritual that invoked the presence of the family aumakua, or primordial guardian spirit, and was then celebrated with a feast. This act of dedication is an important rite because it acknowledges that an ohana (family) is willing to commit to the responsibility of rearing the child in love and affirms the child's spiritual connection to Ke Akua He (God) and with the spirit of aina or the land. This rite helps to "clear the way" for the child to walk the path of life under the care, protection, and guidance of the ohana, designated spiritual guides, and godparents.
AFRICAN CUSTOMS
Naming customs vary a great deal among cultures in Africa, although naming is itself taken very seriously. A Yoruban proverb states that a child's name influences his or her behavior, and a proverb from Zaire states that the name is the Spirit. Many Africans see names as carrying a specific function and destiny for a child.
In some tribes, the baby "chooses" his or her own name. While a list of names is recited, adults watch for the infant to respond to one with a smile, cry, sneeze, or other body movement. In other cultures, the baby is offered sticks inscribed with names; whichever stick the child grasps is the name she or he "chooses." Some Africans regard a chronically crying child as communicating displeasure with his or her name. A new name is therefore chosen.
In Ethiopia, fathers might fast until the appropriate name for his child comes to him. In West Africa, the Ashanti name their children according to the day of the week on which the child was born. A child born on Monday, for example, would be considered quiet and peaceful, while a Wednesday birth would mean a quick-tempered child.
In the United States, some African families perform the following naming ceremony: around a ritual table laden with foods and objects, a hymn is sung. Then a spiritual leader explains the symbolism of the foods and objects, offering each one to the baby and to the participants to taste or touch. The baby's name is announced, and his or her foot is touched to the ground, symbolizing that the first steps will be guided in the right direction. Prayers, poems, and hymns are then offered to bless and protect the baby and the family's living space.
CHINESE CUSTOMS
A Chinese proverb states that the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names. A "milk" name is given in a ceremony a month after the baby is born. The parents usually do not use this name, however; they refer to the child in a way that reflects his or her position in the household (firstborn daughter, and so on). As the child becomes an adult, subsequent other names are given at important times. Traditionally, Chinese surnames are selected from the Pe-Kia-Sin, a poem attributed to Chinese Emperor Yao (circa 2300 BCE). The first generation of a family took the first word of the poem, the next generation the second word, and so on, so that each generation's name created a poetic record of the ancestral lineage. In a naming ceremony after birth, Chinese children are given a surname, a generation name, and a first name, the surname being written first.
Chinese tradition also has long used the philosophy of feng shui when naming children. This naming method incorporates the concepts of ying and yang, as well as the five elements of earth, water, fire, metal, and wood. These elements are associated with specific personal characteristics, and they manifest themselves depending on the year, day, and time when a child is born. Choosing an appropriate name is often associated with luck and prosperity, and a Chinese astrologer is frequently consulted when naming a baby.
JAPANESE CUSTOMS
Modern Japanese names usually consist of a surname followed by a given name. Middle names are not generally used. Japanese names are often written in kanji, characters of Chinese origin with Japanese pronunciation. Kanji names and rules of their use in Japan are governed by the Japanese Ministry of Justice. Rules also govern which names are considered inappropriate. In many families, a naming ceremony known as the Oshichiya Meimeishiki is done on the seventh night after birth. Once the baby's name is decided, the father has it written in Japanese calligraphy on the Meimeisho, or name certificate, which is prominently displayed in the house. Relatives and friends gather around the newborn, who is traditionally dressed in white, and present their monetary gifts, or shugibukuro. Two auspicious dishes are usually served: sekihan (red rice) and tai (sea bream).
KOREAN CUSTOMS
Koreans place the family name first and their given personal names second. Family names are traditional clan names and each has a village from which it comes. Thus, there is a difference between a Kim who comes from Kyong-ju and a Kim who comes from Kimhae. Koreans will generally avoid calling a person by their name when possible. Instead, they will call them by their title, position, trade, profession, scholastic rank, or some other honorific form such as "teacher." Fortune-tellers and baby name specialists are often used for finding an auspicious baby name. Korean babies are usually named by the husband's grandfather, but nowadays that is changing and sometimes they are even given their mother's Korean family name along with their father's.
BUDDHIST CUSTOMS
Unlike in other major world religions, no traditional Buddhist baby-naming ceremonies exist. In more recent times, however, Buddhist rituals have mixed with those of other world cultures. In many countries that practice Theravada Buddhism, outside influences have inspired the development of Buddhist baby-naming rituals. Often these rituals incorporate a visit to the monastery to enlist the naming services of local Buddhist monks. In Sri Lanka, for example, parents will select an auspicious day or full-moon day and take the child to the nearest temple. Babies in Thailand are most often named by either a monk or a grandparent using Thai astrology. In Myanmar, the naming ceremony occurs when the baby is one hundred days old. At this ceremony, monks chant prayers and bless the baby.
CHRISTIAN CUSTOMS
Catholics in various countries often name children after a Catholic saint, a site of a mystery, or a religious feast, such as Santiago, Lourdes, or Pascual. Though there is no special naming ceremony, the Roman Catholic Church takes naming seriously. In Canon 761 of its Code of Canon Law, it states: "Let parish priests take care that a Christian name be given to him who is baptized; if they cannot do this, let them add the name of some saint to the name chosen by the parents and enter both in the register of baptisms." Until recently, priests in Roman Catholic baptisms would ask the baby, "Quo nomine vocaris?" (What is your name?) The parents would then answer with the baby's Christian name. In their book The Language of Names, authors Justin Kaplan and Anne Bernays continue:
He then blew gently three times on the infant's face, made the sign of the cross on its forehead, placed consecrated salt in its mouth, with his own saliva touched the ears and nostrils, asked the infant to renounce Satan, and anointed the child with "the oil of salvation," all of this preceding formal baptism at the font, with the water poured three times on the head of the infant.
In Protestant faiths, people frequently celebrate the birth of their child in a church ceremony that welcomes the infant into the congregation. Although not specifically a naming ceremony, this ritual usually confirms a promise made by the parents and the congregation to raise the child in the expression of their faith.
HINDU CUSTOMS
In Hindu practice, names are typically drawn from the names of God, who is both nameless and multinamed. All names are the name of God, as everything in creation is seen as a manifestation of the Divine. The traditional Hindu ceremony of naming the baby is called namkaran. Selecting the best name for a child is seen as an important duty of the parents, for the child's name determines the faith of the child, as well as being a social and legal necessity. Namkaran is usually performed on the twelfth day after birth, and this naming is considered a highly auspicious occasion that creates a bond between the child and family.
In addition, in Indian astrology, the ecliptic contains twenty-seven nakshatras, or clusters, of stars. The birth star of an individual is determined by finding out the position of the moon at the time of birth in relation to these nakshatras. For example, if the moon is in the domain of the nakshatra Ashvini at birth, then Ashvini would be the person's nakshatra. Since Ashvini has four syllables associated with it — Chu, Chay, Cho, and La — parents would choose one of these syllables to begin their child's name, such as Chundadeva, Cholan, or Lalitha, for instance.
JEWISH CUSTOMS
Jewish tradition places a great deal of emphasis on the naming a baby, as a Hebrew name is viewed as the foundation of one's Jewish identity and a link to the countless preceding generations. Jewish ceremonies represent the covenant between God and Israel, called brit milah for a boy and brit bat for a girl. Adults also have name-changing rituals. The Sephardic Jewish custom is to name a newborn child after a living relative. American Jews, who are predominantly Ashkenazi, tend to give children an English name and a Hebrew name. Often, a child's given name relates to or honors a deceased relative: the first letter of the deceased relative's Hebrew name is used as the first letter of the child's name. For example, a child might be named Adam in memory of a grandfather whose Hebrew name was Avram (Abraham).
The practice of circumcision is known as brit milah or the "covenant of our father Abraham." The ceremony takes place on the eighth day after birth, usually in the home. Interestingly, on the eighth day of a baby's life, levels of vitamin K and prothrombin peak in the child. As these are the blood's primary clotting agents, this day is seen as the safest time to perform this operation. A mohel performs the circumcision operation, blessings are recited, and a Hebrew name is given to the infant boy.
Traditionally, girls are welcomed into the covenant through a naming ceremony held the first time the father attends a synagogue after the birth. In liberal congregations, a newly invented ceremony for a daughter, called a brit bat, usually takes place in the home or in a hall, between seven and thirty days after the birth.
If an adult is critically ill, a life-affirming name is often chosen in order to trick the Angel of Death. The most common names added in these Jewish rituals are Chayim (for a man) or Chayah (for a woman), both meaning "life."
MUSLIM CUSTOMS
Although there are not many specific modern Islamic naming ceremonies, there are naming customs that are considered important. Muslim names usually draw from the Koran and traditional Islamic texts. Customarily, Muslims choose names that refer to the ninety-nine qualities of Allah as described in the Koran or that draw from the more than five hundred names given to the prophet Muhammad and his family. The belief that angels pray in every house where there is a Muhammad (or variation of that name) makes this name the most common in the Muslim world. Muslim names also relate to religious matters, nature, virtues, or occupations.
One interesting naming tradition, known as an aqeeqah, is held on the seventh day after the baby's birth. The infant's head is shaved and covered with saffron. The hair is weighed, and the equivalent in money of the hair's weight in gold is given to charity. A goat or lamb is sacrificed on behalf of the child, giving thanks to Allah for the gift of the child. The meat is then distributed to the poor.
These are but a few of the numerous naming rituals used around the world. Create your own naming ritual, perhaps adapting elements of various rituals that appeal to you. Remember, there are as many ways to bless your child's name as there are children in the world. So go ahead — name your child, bless your child, and celebrate!
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Inspired Baby Names from Around the World by Neala Shane. Copyright © 2015 Neala Shane. Excerpted by permission of New World Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
ContentsIntroduction
Naming Customs
Meditations
Name Change
Abbreviations Key
Pronunciation Guide
Female Names
Male Names
Most Popular Names by Decade
Grandparent Names
Most Popular Pet Names
Names by Meaning Index
Names by Ethnicity Index
Affirmation Authors and Sources
Acknowledgments and Permissions
About the Author