Choosing Chinese Baby Names
Posted by Babies - 10/03/10 at 10:03 pmLike any other large life decisions, picking Chinese baby names requires a fair amount of time researching and looking through baby name dictionaries. Most parents that are expecting a child will attempt to find a name that honors their family but remains unique to the child itself. The Chinese are no different than parents in the west when it comes to deciding on a name, although their customs may vary.
The Chinese zodiac plays an important role in the choosing of the name, perhaps the most important role. What time, what year, what season, etc. All come into play. The Chinese believe that the zodiac will determine what type of person their child will be. Finding a name that corresponds to the traits that they believe the child will grow into is crucial part of that child’s life.
It is considered unlucky, because of the importance of the zodiac, to choose the name before the child is born. There is a fear that naming the child ahead of time will have horrible consequences. Along with this is a belief that a child can be kidnapped by evil spirits before it is born, so many parents might refer to a child as being an animal or as being something ugly in order to make the child seem less desirable to the demon spirits.
There is another tradition that is a little different in Chinese culture. That is to give a baby an informal infant name. The name is used in the family to refer to the baby. It is a sort of nickname for a child that is used until they are old enough to be start being addressed by their formal name. The infant name is not considered as important to the parents, and so can be something that is somewhat degrading or seems to give the child little importance.
The use of Family Chinese surnames is important to the choice as well. Middle names are generally the same for each generation in the family. Last names remain the same from generation to generation. The new babies name will be a reflection of the genealogy for the entire family. The Chinese place great importance on their ancestors and this can be seen easily in the name of everyone of the family.
When it is time to choose the formal name, there are many factors other than the zodiac that do come into play. One recurring theme within names is to choose symbols that represent traits the newborn possess or traits that the parents hope the baby will develop as they age. For Chinese baby girls names, the characters for virtue, beauty, and elegance can often be found. For boys, the characters for glory, power, or knowledge can often be found. Those traits are not just what the parents see in the children at the moment they name them, but they are also indicators of what their expectations.
Finally deciding on new Chinese baby names can be tricky, but ultimately not too different from how the west chooses names. Because China has enjoyed a long history, they have many traditions that may seem different, but they are well known within the culture and thus make it easy for people to understand how they should go about naming their child.
