Names people play

by Chamitha Kuruppu

I happen to know three people with the name 'Maryanne'. Although they share a common name, these three Maryannes belong to three different walks of life. The eldest in her 40's, another in her 20's and the cutest just turned nine months. Whenever I think of them - a strange thought comes to my mind; why don't I happen to know a Kusuma, a Nimala or a Chandima representing different generations? - just like my three Maryannes.

Although still unanswered - thanks to a recent hunt for baby names - I have come to a final conclusion; Kusumas and Chandimas will never stand a chance with the present generation of Shanudhas and Sathsaranjanis. The era of Charles, Claude, Juliet and Imelda was long gone. The cohort of Kamala, Sarath, Susil and Dhammika was replaced by the generation of Chamindas and Chandimas. And now it's the time for Dushans and Nandinyas.

"Whenever I am with my half a dozen nieces and nephews, I thank myself for not becoming a teacher" says Nilupul Fernando. "Too bad I am struggling to pronounce the mere six 'weird' names, imagine my plight as a teacher calling out at least thirty odd such names everyday - not once or twice, but several times, "adds the 25-year-old banking executive.

"Having an 'uncommon' name is fine. But, the names that children have these days, are impossible. Not only are they impossible to pronounce properly, but some sound eccentric,"complains Nilupul.

According to Amara Rupasinghe, naming her newborn was as difficult as childbirth. "I used to hate my name, so I wanted a unique name for my baby. But my husband insisted having a western name because we are planning to migrate in the near future. On the other hand, both my parents and in-laws demanded naming the baby considering astrological aspects. Finally, we ended up naming the baby Mano Brian Rupasinghe, which sounds impossible," asserts Amara.

However, for twenty three-year-old Ruwani, who calls herself a movie addict, naming her two children Kajol and Abhishake was an achievement. "I love Hindi movies. Abhishake and Kajol are my favourite celebrities. Although my husband objected initially, I insisted on naming our two children by their names," notes Ruwani.

"I hate people who fuss about the way they spell or pronounce their names. A name is for mere identification, so why do people worry so much about such a simple process," queries this young mother.

But, according to Samanthi Ahubudu, who is responsible for the many names that people have been christened with, unlike the good old days, naming a baby at present, has become an important and significant process.

"Just like physical appearance, people today believe that a name should have an identity as well as an ability to be exceptional among others," says Samanthi. "There was a time when people preferred common names such as Gamini, Chandima and Kamala. But today, the situation has changed, where every person opts for unique and nationalistic names," notes Samanthi.

According to Samanthi, four important factors; nationality, meaning, identity and constellation of the stars are taken into consideration when a person is christened with a name. "A name could help someone to build up a strong personality, therefore it is important to consider these aspects before deciding on a name," points out Samanthi.

However, due to a number of reasons such as, preference for western and Indian names and having meaningless names carried away by the mere accent are contributing heavily towards an unhealthy trend in names. "There are Indian names such as Akash and Mandira which fail to give a true Sri Lankan identity. Names such as Dushan and Nandindya might sound nice, but they don't have an actual meaning. This is why I say there is an unhealthy trend in names," stresses Samanthi.

Meanwhile, a name could also harm a person's personality and vice versa. "I knew a Ranga Budhdhika whose friends used to tease him by calling him Manda Budhdhika (autistic). Rupun means enemy and Thimira is darkness. These names might sound nice but they all give a negative meaning. Names such as P.Nonis and C.Q.C. Fernando too have other meanings, that could seriously harm a person's mentality."

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Naming babies

According to maestro Arisen Ahubudu, during the Anuradhapura era people had short nationalistic names such as 'Agbo'. During the Polonnaruwa period the names blended with Sanskrit, such as Mahasen (Mahasena), Devana Pa Tis (Devanam Piya Tissa).

Following the Portuguese invasion names such as Don, Almeida and Silva became common. During the Dutch period Singho and Bartholameus came into practice. Caroline, Alfred, Victor, Edmund became household names following the English invasion.

However, following intervention by Anagarika Dharmapala, the English names were gradually replaced by Sinhalese names such as, David becoming Dharmapala. The last major milestone in Sinhala names occurred during the Kumarathunga Munidasa era where Sinhalese names had a touch of Sanskrit, where Dharmapala became Dhampal.