Baby Names - Common, Rare Or Biblical - Many Options To Choose From
Author: Edie Mindell

The purpose of a baby shower is to celebrate the arrival of a
new baby, and to welcome the little one into the world. Today,
expectant mothers often decide to know the gender of the baby
before they give birth, and it is known ahead of the baby
shower. However, in some cases, parents choose to wait until the
due date to know the sex of the baby and be surprised the day
that the infant arrives.

In American society, when the gender of the baby is known,
parents often begin brainstorming ideas and deciding on some
names that they believe will be perfect for the baby. In many
cases, parents already know what they want to name the baby even
before the child is born, which allows friends and family
members the opportunity to personalize baby gifts for baby
showers or to welcome everyone home from the hospital. (For a
great selection of personalized gifts, go here:
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This is not the case, however, for various different cultures.
There are a variety of different cultures that view the
baby-naming process from a completely different perspective.
Each cultural group generally has some sort of a baby-naming
ceremony or traditional process. From the Jewish to the
Japanese, each culture views the act of giving a name to a baby
from a very interesting and distinct angle.

In Japan, the baby naming ceremony is typically held seven days
after the baby's birth. The name is written in Kanji, which are
Chinese characters that are usually used in the modern Japanese
Iogographic writing system. On this seventh day, the Japanese
give their children a first name and a last name, but no middle
name, which is a common custom in American society. Girls are
usually given names that are associated with purity and
morality, and boys are often associated with their position in
the family. Lists are often consulted with top 100 baby boy
names and top 100 baby girl names. The idea is to either choose
one that is very popular or the rare baby names from the list.

Greek baby names are chosen in a totally different fashion.
Greek families also often name their babies on the seventh day
after their birth, and sometimes on the tenth day.
Traditionally, first-born males are named after their paternal
grandfather, and first-born females are named after their
paternal grandmother. The Greek Orthodox Church also strongly
influences the baby-naming process, and many infants are given
the names of saints. Because of this saint name acquisition,
children acquire their saint's "name day".Therefore, many Greek
Orthodox people celebrate their lives on two occasions: their
actual birth date and their saint's name day.

For many Italian and Hispanic cultures, baby names are also
often influenced by religion. In these areas, the Roman Catholic
religion is the most prevalent; therefore, biblical names like
Maria (in Hispanic culture), and Paulo (in Italian culture) are
common. Many parents are not only looking for unique spanish
baby girl names and baby boy names. They are looking to the
bibles for biblical baby names.

In Jewish culture, baby girls have what is called the Zeved
Habat ceremony, while baby boys have the Berit Milah ceremony.
The Zevet Habat is a small ceremony held at a home or in a
synagogue. During the ceremony, which is led by a Rabbi, the
mother recites a word, the name-giving prayer is said, and she
then gives thanks to everyone.

There are countless different ways of naming a baby, and there
is no right or wrong method to giving your child the perfect
name. It is interesting to see, however, the traditions and
customs of baby naming across the globe - how they are similar
and yet, very unique, according to customs and traditions.


About The Author: Edie Mindell is the Content Writer for
http://SimplyUniqueBabyGifts.com. If you are looking for a
unique newborn baby idea
(http://www.simplyuniquebabygifts.com/baby-gift-baskets-newborn.html),
baby's first Christmas or gifts for toddlers, visit their online
catalog: http://www.simplyuniquebabygifts.com.