What to consider when naming your child
A name is not just a name. Names are very powerful.
Before picking a name, here are a few legal and social aspects to consider:
1. Social stigma - will your child’s name affect their ability to fit in? Will they be isolated, especially if they are living within a particular community?
2. If your child has to travel outside the country and you wish to apply for their birth certificate as a single parent, you are asked to get a custody order or guardianship order. This is to prevent child trafficking or child abduction. Though this rule is not tied to the child’s name, but it has a lot to do with their identity.
3. In cases of property inheritance, a name comes in handy when you have your parents’ surname and their name in your birth certificate. It is proof that you are related to them, and it can help you avoid the long legal processes of proving you are someone’s child which may include taking DNA tests.
4. Before settling for a name, think about how the name will sound a decade from now, whether the child might be bullied, the possible nicknames and the possibility of regretting that name pick (especially if it’s based on a trend or a public figure).
