How often have you spoken to someone on the phone or met a person while standing in a queue who has one of the strangest names you've ever heard, or just spells it in an unusual way?
Well, while looking through an endless columns of names of matriculants who passed their end-of-year exams, we could not help noticing a number of strange names.
And it was in similar circumstances that freelance journalist Charlene Smith got the idea to write her book, Baby Names For South African Babies.
She says the idea came to her while her son Matthew was in hospital having his appendix removed.
"I didn't want to leave him alone, so I stayed with him in the hospital and read the birth notices and noticed the different types of names."
She spoke to her publisher and they gave her the go-ahead to do research and write the book.
Smith asked many people, both famous and not-so-famous, why they chose to give their child that name.
The book also goes into the history of how a name is chosen in some of the many cultures that make South Africa what it is.
But with our diverse cultures to choose from and write about, Smith had her work cut out for her when deciding what to include and what to leave out.
She says choosing the right name for your child is very important because children often live up to the meaning of their names.
Smith said even before 1994, there was an increase in the number of people in the white and coloured communities who chose to give their children traditionally African names, the most popular being Thandi, Lindiwe, Zinzi, Thabo and Sipho.
Zanele, the name of President Thabo Mbeki's wife, has also become popular since he took office in 1999.
South African-born actress Charlize Theron has made it big in Hollywood and her unusual first name is also proving to be popular among Afrikaners.
Research has shown they tend to give their daughters names starting with "Char".
Speaking to parents, we also noticed
a tendency to make up names by combining the parents' names. Anyone familiar with soapies would recall Brooke and Ridge of The Bold And The Beautiful naming their daughter Bridget. Get it?
Of course, soapies are also often a source of names. The choice of names like Austin and Hope are clearly influenced by the soapie Days Of Our Lives.
Another well-known celebrity with an unusual name is Oprah. It is reported that her name was supposed to have been Orpah, a biblical figure from the book of Ruth, but sources differ on how it came to be misspelt.
When asked if any of the characters in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy would become popular names, Smith said this would be very difficult to predict.
"You normally get a trend developing if things become cultish."
She said a name that has gained popularity, especially in the US and UK, is Tolkien as a first name.
Latest trends
Smith says there has been an increase in interest in some of the beautiful names from the Middle East.
She lists the following names as her favourites:
Girl names:
- Layla or Leila - evening star
- Ghaaliya or Galia - fragrant
Boy names:
- Noor - shining
- Xaverie or Xaviera - bright
- Amir - prince/commander
- Azrael - God helps
- Jordan - (for a girl or boy) descend/flowing down
"The fast pace of our lives is seeing a yearning for a slower time, so old-fashioned names are coming back into style," said Smith.
Girl names
:
- Alice - good
- Chloe - blooming
- Chiara - light
- Bella - beautiful
- Mae - gift from God
- Ophelia - help
Boy names:
- Benjamin - first son
- Blaine - name of a Scottish saint
- Jamie - favoured
- Bailey - (for a boy or girl) server
- MacKenzie - (for a boy or girl) handsome
African names
:
- Mpho - gift
- Mxolisi - one who forgives
Smith says there has been an increase in names that relate to natural things.
For example
: Summer, Indigo, Savannah, Sahara, Poloma (dove), Shanti (peace) and Star (because "Skye is as dead as a dodo. It's way too overused").
People also tend to give their children names which illustrate their hopes for them.
- Fundiswa - educated (Xhosa)
- Fujo - wholeness (East African)
- Katarina - pure (Greek)
- Samara - guardian/under God's rule
- Thulisile - she who made things quiet (Zulu)
Unusual names
Girl names
:
- Tisetso - perseverance (Sotho)
- Noluvuyo - happiness (Nguni)
- Cassarah - what will be, will be (Latin: que sera, sera)
- Melia - courage (Polynesian)
- Gia - Earth
- Imani - faith (West Africa)
- Jemila - beautiful (West Africa)
- Lali - beautiful girl (Hindu)
- Raziya - agreeable, sweet (North Africa)
- Udele - rich, prosperous
- Xina - anointed
Boy names
:
- Abasi - nobility (Swahili)
- Aedan/Aidan - fire/also the name of an earthly saint (Irish)
- Bayo - joy (West African)
- Cieran - dark (Irish)
- Gabangaye - we are proud of him (Zulu)
- Ishan - sun (Indian)
- Malik - king (Swahili)
- Neel - blue (Indian)
- Tai - tribe (Chinese)
- Tau - lion (African)
- Vidal - learned or wise one Sanskrit)
And some really unusual names:
- Admirene
- Danoline
- Frenerique
- Geronewin
- Jenorita
- Querida
- Senovia
- Schelaine
- Syntesia
- Surence
- Urania
- Vanderlei