Naming ceremonies around the world: a comparison by country

A name is a first gift, and many cultures mark it with a ceremony. The child is presented to the family and the community, a name is chosen or revealed, and prayers and blessings are said. The rite may come on the eighth day, the fortieth, the hundredth or when the baby is a year old, and it may be led by a priest, an elder, a grandmother or the parents themselves. The name might honour an ancestor, tell the day of birth, express a hope or follow the sound of a holy word. These ceremonies bind a new person to a family, a faith and a story.

What it is for

A naming ceremony turns a newborn into a recognised member of the community. It tells people who the child is, links the child to forebears, and often asks a blessing or protection on the name. In some faiths the name is a spiritual identity, given in the presence of God or the ancestors. In others it is a social act, announced to relatives and friends. Parents often think carefully, consulting elders, astrologers or holy books, and many names carry a meaning that the child will hear for the rest of life.

Common elements across cultures

The usual parts are a gathering of the family, a blessing or prayer, a statement of the name, often whispered first into the baby's ear, and a shared meal or sweets. Some rites include a symbolic bath, a shaving of the head, a touch of honey, water or salt, or the placing of the baby in a cradle. Godparents, elders or an aunt may help with the naming. In many African traditions the name is told to the ancestors first, and the child is shown to the sky or to the earth, to introduce it to the world.

Food, dress and music

Foods are chosen for symbolism: honey for sweetness of life, salt for a good character, water for purity and fruit for abundance. Sweets are given out to guests in India and the Middle East, red eggs in China and sugared almonds in France. The baby is dressed in white or new clothes, often a family gown, and relatives wear their best. Songs and chants are sung, from lullabies to hymns and drumming, and storytellers recite the ancestry of the family during a ceremony in some West African societies.

How it is changing

Many families now hold a smaller, informal ceremony, sometimes combined with a baptism or a party, and some choose a non-religious rite led by a celebrant. Parents are choosing names for sound and style as well as heritage, and many are reviving old family or tribal names. Social media has made the announcement a public one, with photographs and the name posted at once. In many countries there are legal registration rules that sit alongside the ceremony, and some communities are working to bring back naming rites that colonial rule once suppressed.

Naming ceremonies around the world

🇮🇳 India

Namakarana is held on the 11th or 12th day, when the baby is placed in a cradle and the name is whispered into the ear. Many families choose a name based on the baby's birth star, or nakshatra, and a sacred syllable.

Read: Namakarana

🇳🇵 Nepal

Newar and other communities hold a naming rite on the sixth, eleventh or twelfth day, with a priest, a horoscope and a family feast. Names often reflect the birth star or day of the week.

Read: Namakarana

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Balinese families name the baby at 42 days, in a rite called tutug kambuhan, and the baby is later named according to birth order, such as Wayan, Made, Nyoman and Ketut. Javanese families hold a selametan.

Balinese caste system, being written

🇨🇳 China

At one month, the baby is given a milk name, and the family gives red eggs, and a banquet follows. The formal name is chosen with attention to the five elements, tone and meaning.

Chinese name, being written

🇰🇷 Korea

A name is chosen with attention to generational syllables, the dollimja, shared by cousins, and may be checked with a fortune teller. A first-birthday party, dol, follows.

Korean name, being written

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

A mullah or an elder whispers the call to prayer and the name into the baby's ear, and the family hold a feast. A name is often chosen after a grandparent or a prophet.

Culture of Afghanistan, being written

Compare all 20 places

Traditions to start with

NamakaranaThe Hindu naming rite.Yoruba naming ceremonyThe Nigerian eighth-day rite.

Name dayThe feast of one's patron saint.

Also part of it, and being written: Aqiqah (Muslim naming with a sacrifice.), Christening (The Christian naming and baptism.), Akan name (Day names in Ghana.), Zulu people (The Zulu introduction to ancestors.), Brit milah (The Jewish covenant and naming of boys.).

Questions people ask

Why are names whispered into the baby's ear?

In Muslim, Hindu and other traditions, the first sound a baby hears is held to be sacred, so a prayer or name is whispered at birth or at the naming.

What is a day name?

A name given for the day of the week of the birth, as in Akan culture, where a boy born on Monday is Kwadwo. It is part of the child's identity throughout life.

Do all cultures name a baby soon after birth?

No. Some wait until the child survives the first weeks or months, and some give names that change at later stages of life, such as initiation.

Are there rules for choosing a name?

Yes, in many cultures: after a grandparent, a prophet or saint, a star, a day of the week or a family syllable. Others leave it open and choose for sound or meaning.

What is a naming ceremony without religion?

A gathering led by a celebrant or family member in which parents state their hopes for the child, friends or guides make promises and a name is given. It has become common in secular homes.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

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Naming ceremonies