What’s in a name?

Choosing the right name for your baby is crucial – but you can have so much fun going through all the wrong options beforehand, writes Margot Bertelsmann

NEXT YEAR’S GRADE 1 teachers will be calling for Sophia, Olivia, Emma and Isabella more than any other girl names in their classes. Their boys will overwhelmingly be called Jack, Liam, Lucas and Aiden. Okay, these are stats from the US, but be honest, you know one or two children with those names, don’t you?

Obviously in South Africa things look a little different. We are so multicultural that no one language or naming tradition dominates. But if you’re interested, Statistics SA sometimes takes a break from reporting relentlessly bad economic news to give us the low-down on things such as what names are most popular in Mzansi.

HOMEGROWN NAMES

Its “recorded live births report” is available online, with the latest stats being from 2017. “In South Africa, just as with most of the African countries, traditional African names often have unique stories behind them. From the day or time a baby is born to the circumstances surrounding the birth, several factors influence the names parents choose for their children. Whichever ethnic group you look at, these local names reveal a wealth of information about the bearer,” says the report. Boys born right now will, according to this list, most likely be called: Enzokuhle, Lethabo, Melokuhle, Lubanzi, Amogelang, Siyabonga, Bandile, Junior, Bokamoso or Mpho.

Girls are most likely to be:

Enzokuhle, Melokuhle, Amahle, Lethabo, Amogelang, Omphile, Lesedi, Rethabile, Luthando or Thandolwethu. The middle name choices are interesting too: there is a trend for parents to give children their “English” names as middle names rather than first names, which does suggest that we are successfully reclaiming pride in our African names. The girls’ middle names are likely to be Precious, Princess, Angel, Blessing, Faith, Hope, Grace or Pretty – followed by Amahle or Luthando. Boys’ middle names show the same trend: Junior, Blessing, Gift, Prince and Innocent are the top five middle names, followed by Lubanzi, Bandile, Enzokuhle, Melokuhle and Siyabonga.

In addition, the English names are also words that have meaning rather than Biblical choices of past generations such as Solomon or Mary. Be aware of initials that can spell short words. Lubanzi Innocent Dlamini (SA’s most common surname, by the way) could become LID, and spare a thought for his sister, little Melokuhle Angel…

INTERNATIONAL SHORES

Internationally, trends for 2019’s babies include nonbinary or gender-neutral names, as gender identity awareness is having a moment right now (hi, Caster!). Names such as Robin, Skye and Wren, Avery, Riley, Dakota, Sawyer, Peyton, Quinn, Blake and Sage (and almost anything else you can think of) are fair game.

Three-letter names are all the rage for 2019, with names such as Jem, Liv, Lux, Kit and Rio on the hit parade, according to Parent24.com.

Global names are another trend, says website Nameberry.com, although we do have to wonder how many South African parents will be tempted by ancient Greek or Native American names, when they may already have several local cultural influences competing for attention. Nevertheless, if you want to cast your eye far, you could try naming your precious Acacius, Cyrene, Jedda, Kiran, Lior, Niabi or Sena. See if your father-in-law still speaks to you after that…

TRENDS

Seriously, though, we do know that family naming traditions can make grandparents catch feelings.

Are you prepared for the fallout if you

choose to go against family tradition and name your baby something unexpected? Best to discuss your family’s expectations before the birth if it’s likely to become an issue.

Then there’s the trend of muted colours – so 2019, apparently.

Ash, Fawn, Grey, Ivory, Olive and Sage are all contenders. Just be aware that by 2039, when little Moss is 20, it may be the Year of Neon…

We’re still suckers for names with Ws and Xs in them, as international name counters list an uptick in names such as Willow, Bartholomew, Harlow, Crew or Bristow, as well as Xavier, Felix, or even Onyx. Speaking of rankings, go to the fascinating babynamewizard.com/ voyager. You’ll spend hours spotting the trends for yourself.

We’ve always had Ruby, but now other gemstones are lining up for their time in the sun. Expect to see more Amethysts, Garnets, Jaspers, Jets (three letters!), Onyxes (there’s your ambi-gender and your X!), Opals and Peridots in your circle of friends soon. Ruby has a U – but so do these ever more popular U names: Eulalie, Hugo, Jude, Juniper, Luca, Reuben and Tallulah.

AVOID!

If you’ve read Trevor Noah’s Born A Crime, you’ll understand both why African children have sometimes been named after dictators such as Hitler – and why it’s a really, really bad idea in a global village to name your child after a racist murderer. Seriously, find another name. In some countries, it is illegal to name children culturally foreign names, or the state reserves the right to deny particularly odd choices.

“In South Africa, says family lawyer Maresa Kurz of Johannesburg firm Clarks Attorneys, the Births and Deaths Registration Act defines a forename as the “word or words by which a person is designated as an individual and which precede his or her surname”. Maresa therefore opines that, while to her knowledge there’s no spelled-out list limiting what a baby’s forename may be, a birth notice incorporating a number or an emoji as a forename (not a word) will be rejected by the Department of Home Affairs. Says Maresa: “In my opinion, a parent could register a baby’s forename as ‘Love’ but not as the heart emoji, or as ‘Three’, but not as the number 3.” Maresa also advises that an offensive forename that does not pass constitutional muster may be rejected by the Department of Home Affairs, when considering the right to human dignity, equality and the rights of minor children. Makes sense?

Stats SA 2017 births report: “Every child born has a right to a name from birth according to section 28 of the Constitution. A person’s forename and surname are fundamental human rights enshrined in the Births and Deaths Registration Act, which are one of the most distinctive markers of individuality and are a prerequisite for the issuing of a birth certificate.”