Naming a new child can be a stressful exercise for parents. Everyone, it would seem, wants to ensure that their offspring’s name reflects its unique qualities. In some cultures, babies are named after a festival being celebrated on the day on which they were born or after a figure in a religious book. Sometimes, a baby could be named after a virtuous relative – leading to debates about how virtuous this relative actually was.
Sometimes, the decisions are plain idiosyncratic.
That’s what Twitter users have been discovering since Wednesday, when someone asked how people on the site had got their names.
Soon after @floydimus sent out his tweet, anecdtoes began pouring in.
Not everyone was lucky enough to have an interesting story attached to their names.
The Twitter thread sparked a sub-discussion on how Malayali parents are lazy.
Scroll has produced award-winning journalism despite violent threats, falling ad revenues and rising costs. Support our work. Become a member today.
In these volatile times, Scroll remains steadfastly courageous, nuanced and comprehensive. Become a Scroll Member and support our award-winning reportage, commentary and culture writing.