Namakarana means “the making of the name”. It is the fifth of the sixteen samskaras and one of the most widely celebrated. A child receives a name in public for the first time, in the company of family, with prayer. In the Vedic tradition the name matters because it is the sound by which the child will be called for a lifetime, and families take care to choose it well.
This page covers the ceremony itself. To find the first syllable from the birth nakshatra, use the baby names by nakshatra section and its name finder. For choosing a day, a namakaran muhurat guide is planned, and the panchang can be read in the meantime. The previous rite is jatakarma; the next is nishkramana.
What the rite is
In the Grihya Sutras, the naming is a short domestic rite. The father (or the family priest) whispers the chosen name into the child’s right ear, and the family is told. Many texts speak of more than one name: a secret name known to the parents and used in rites, and a public name used in daily life. The Ashvalayana Grihya Sutra, for example, discusses the form of the name, such as an even number of syllables for a boy and an odd number for a girl in some accounts, and the sounds that a name should contain. These rules differ between texts, and we do not claim a single rule.
Over time the practice of taking the first syllable from the birth nakshatra became the usual one in many communities. Each nakshatra has four padas and each pada has a syllable, which gives the starting sound for a name. That is the system the baby names section follows.
When it is done
The most common timing is the eleventh or twelfth day after birth, once the period of ritual restriction after a birth has ended. Other traditions hold it on the tenth day, the twenty-first day, the hundred-and-first day or at the end of the first year. Many families now hold it when the mother has recovered and the family can gather, often between the eleventh day and the first few months. The Grihya Sutras give different days, and families follow their own tradition or the family priest.
To choose the day, the family looks at the panchang for a favourable tithi and weekday and for a nakshatra that suits. A priest may also check the baby’s chart where one has been made.
The steps as families perform them
- Choosing the name. The family finds the nakshatra and pada of the baby’s Moon and takes the starting syllable. They then shortlist names beginning with that sound, with the meaning in mind. The nakshatra calculator does the first step from the birth details.
- Preparation. The house is cleaned and a small altar is set up. A priest is called, or the family does a short puja without one.
- The puja. Ganesha is invoked first. A lamp is lit and the deities are offered flowers and sweets. A short homa may follow.
- The naming. The father whispers the name into the baby’s right ear, usually three times, and may write it on rice or in a plate of grain. The name is then announced to the family.
- Blessings and the meal. Elders bless the child and give gifts. A meal is shared.
The child is often dressed in new clothes and placed in a cradle. In many families the cradle is decorated and songs are sung.
What the Dharmasutras and Grihya Sutras say
The Gautama Dharmasutra counts namakarana among its forty samskaras. The Grihya Sutras give the procedure and the day, and Manusmriti is generally cited on naming, with the advice that a name should be easy to say, clear in meaning, gentle, and ending in a long vowel. The texts differ in details, and so do regional rules, so we describe them only in outline.
Regional customs
- Gujarat: the baby’s paternal aunt (the father’s sister) traditionally names the child, and the rite is held on the sixth day with worship of Shashthi, the goddess of newborns, or on the eleventh or twelfth day.
- Maharashtra: the naming is often held on the twelfth day, called barsa, with women of the family singing a lullaby around the cradle, and the aunt announcing the name.
- Tamil Nadu and Kerala: the name is whispered into the child’s ear, often on the eleventh or twelfth day, and the child may also be given a name for a family deity.
- Bengal: the formal naming is often held together with the first rice meal at six or seven months, and a pet name (daak naam) is used earlier.
- North India: the ceremony is commonly called namkaran and is held on the eleventh day or later with a havan.
Families in the diaspora often hold the ceremony on a convenient weekend.
How families adapt it now
The core of the ceremony, the whispering and announcing, is easy to keep. Here is how families adapt the rest.
- Hold it when the family can gather, not on a fixed day. A weekend within the first two months is common.
- Keep the syllable tradition if it matters to the family, and also choose a name that is easy to pronounce in the child’s country and workplace. Many families give two names, a formal one and a short everyday one.
- Think about meaning. A name is spoken thousands of times, so the meaning should be kind.
- Register the name with the authorities as soon as it is chosen, since the birth certificate needs it; the ceremony does not delay legal registration.
If you want a reading to compare names against a baby’s chart, the consultation page explains what we offer. The astrologer’s view here is a tradition for reflection, and no name has a proven effect on a child’s life.
Frequently asked questions
↳ On which day is the naming ceremony held?
Most often on the eleventh or twelfth day after birth, but practice varies from the sixth day to the end of the first year. Many families now choose a weekend when the mother has recovered and relatives can attend.
↳ How is the first letter of the name chosen?
It comes from the pada of the nakshatra the Moon occupied at birth, using the Avakahada table, which gives one syllable per pada. Our baby names section lists the syllables for all 27 nakshatras.
↳ Is the ceremony required before the name is used?
No. Many families choose and use a name before the ceremony, and the rite then announces it formally. The birth certificate should be registered within the period set by local law.
↳ Who whispers the name to the baby?
Traditionally the father, though in many families the priest, a grandparent or the paternal aunt does it. In Gujarat the father's sister commonly names the child.