Naming Glossary
Key terms and concepts from Asian naming traditions
Jakinyeongsa
작명영사 (作名領事) / 작명사
A professional Korean name consultant who specializes in creating auspicious names based on saju analysis, ohaeng balance, hanja selection, and traditional naming principles.
Goyueo Name
고유어 이름
A pure Korean name composed of native Korean words rather than Sino-Korean characters, reflecting a modern trend toward distinctly Korean linguistic identity.
Naming Taboo
名讳 (míng huì)
The traditional Chinese practice of avoiding the use of characters from the names of emperors, ancestors, and elders as a sign of respect.
Courtesy and Art Names
字号 (zì hào)
Traditional supplementary names given at adulthood (字, zì) or self-chosen as artistic pseudonyms (号, hào), reflecting maturity, ideals, or literary identity.
Kirakira Name
キラキラネーム
A colloquial term for unconventional Japanese names that use creative or unexpected kanji readings, often considered difficult to read or excessively unique.
Diacritics in Vietnamese Names
Dấu thanh trong tên
The system of tone marks and vowel diacritics in Vietnamese that are essential components of names, distinguishing entirely different words and meanings.
Văn and Thị
Văn / Thị
Traditional Vietnamese gender-indicating middle names where Văn (文) designates males and Thị (氏) designates females, a convention that remains common but is declining.
Name Taboo
Kỵ húy / Tên húy
The Vietnamese cultural practice of avoiding the use of names belonging to ancestors, elders, or revered figures, rooted in Confucian respect hierarchies.
Nāmakaraṇa
नामकरण
The Hindu naming ceremony, one of the sixteen saṃskāras (life-cycle rites), traditionally performed on the twelfth day after a child's birth.
Singh and Kaur
सिंह / कौर
Singh ('lion') and Kaur ('princess') are the universal surnames adopted by Sikh men and women respectively, instituted by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 to abolish caste distinctions.
Saṃskāra
संस्कार
The system of sixteen sacred life-cycle rites in Hinduism, several of which — including prenatal rites and the naming ceremony — directly influence how a child is named.
Peerage Naming
Peerage Title
The British system of hereditary and life titles — Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, Baron — that create a parallel naming identity distinct from a peer's birth surname.
Regnal Name
Regnal Name
The name a British monarch chooses to reign under, which may differ from their birth forename and is formally adopted at accession to the throne.
Christening Name
Christening Name
The name formally given to a child at Christian baptism in British tradition, historically the sole legal means of name registration and identical to the given name in most cases.
Saints' Calendar Naming
Calendrier des saints
The French tradition of giving children names from the Catholic calendar of saints, historically mandated by law and still reflected in France's tradition of celebrating name days (fêtes).
Breton Celtic Naming
Anvioù Brezhoneg
The naming traditions of Brittany's Celtic Breton-speaking population, featuring names from Breton mythology, Christian saints, and the Arthurian tradition, long suppressed by French naming law.
Ainm Baiste
Ainm Baiste
The baptismal or christening name given to an Irish Catholic child at the sacrament of baptism, historically the primary form of personal identification in parish records.
Gaeltacht Naming
Ainmniú sa Ghaeltacht
Naming practices specific to Irish-speaking Gaeltacht regions, where Irish-language names are used exclusively or preferentially as part of active language preservation.
Gaelicisation
Gaelú
The movement and process of restoring or adopting Irish-language forms of personal names that had been anglicized under British colonial administration, particularly active since the late nineteenth century.
Scottish Regnal Naming
Ainm Rìoghail
The tradition by which Scottish monarchs chose or were designated a regal name — sometimes distinct from their baptismal name — to express dynastic continuity, legitimacy, or political alliances.
Kirk Naming Traditions
Ainmeachadh na Eaglaise
Naming customs associated with the Church of Scotland (Kirk), including the baptismal register tradition, godparent naming conventions, and the influence of Reformed Protestant theology on name choice.
Highland Gaelic Naming
Ainmeachadh na Gàidhealtachd
Naming conventions of the Scottish Highlands, characterized by Gaelic given names, patronymic bynames (sloinneadh), territorial associations, and the use of descriptive nicknames (fionn, dubh, ruadh) to distinguish individuals.
Norwegian Name Day
Navnedag
A navnedag is a calendar tradition in Norway in which specific given names are assigned to particular days of the year, and bearers of that name may celebrate their name day similarly to a birthday.
Norse Mythology Naming
Norrøne mytologiske navn
Norwegian naming inspired by Norse mythology draws on the names of gods, giants, and legendary figures from the Old Norse religious tradition, with names like Thor, Freya, Odin, and Sigrid remaining in use today.
Norwegianisation of Sami Names
Fornorsking av samiske navn
Norwegianisation (fornorsking) refers to the systematic colonial-era policies that pressured and sometimes forced indigenous Sami and Kven people to adopt Norwegian names, suppressing indigenous naming traditions from the mid-19th century through much of the 20th century.
Swedish Name Day
Namnsdag
The Swedish namnsdag is a calendar tradition in which specific first names are assigned to each day of the year, and bearers of those names may celebrate their name day. The Swedish name-day calendar is formally maintained by the Swedish Academy.
Swedish Baptismal Name
Dopnamn
A dopnamn is the given name received at baptism in the Swedish Lutheran tradition. Historically, it was the primary legal identifier of a person, and baptismal records kept by the Church of Sweden were the main source of civil registration until 1991.
Swedish Peasant Naming Traditions
Allmogenamn / Allmogens namnbruk
Allmogenamn refers to the naming customs of Swedish common people (allmoge) — the rural farming population — before the adoption of fixed hereditary surnames, characterised by patronymics, farm names, and descriptive bynames.
Navnedag
navnedag
The Danish name day (navnedag), a calendar tradition in which each day of the year is assigned one or more personal names, and individuals celebrate their navnedag as a personal occasion akin to a secondary birthday.
Danish Royal Naming Traditions
Kongelige navnetraditioner
The naming conventions of the Danish royal house, characterised by a rotating set of dynastic names drawn from Norse, German, and Christian traditions, reflecting Denmark's historical alliances and the continuity of the monarchy.
Døbenavn
døbenavn
The Danish baptismal name (døbenavn), the given name formally bestowed upon a child during the Lutheran church christening ceremony, which historically was the primary means of name registration in Denmark.
Nimipäivä
nimipäivä
The Finnish name day (nimipäivä), a calendar tradition in which nearly every day of the year is assigned one or more Finnish names, celebrated as a personal occasion by Finns bearing those names.
Finnish Nature-Based Names
luontonimistö
The Finnish tradition of deriving given names and surnames from natural elements — forests, waters, landscapes, plants, and animals — reflecting the deep cultural connection between Finnish identity and the natural environment.
Suomalaistaminen
suomalaistaminen
The Finnish-language movement to replace Swedish-language personal names with Finnish equivalents, particularly surnames, which was especially intense during the late 19th and early 20th centuries as part of Finnish national awakening.
Kalevala Naming
Kalevala-nimet
The Finnish tradition of drawing personal names from characters and concepts in the Kalevala, Finland's national epic compiled by Elias Lönnrot in 1835–1849, including names such as Väinö, Aino, Ilmari, and Tapio.