What's in a name?

While checking my student’s attendance during the Maths extra class today, I came upon one student who wasn’t listed.
His name is clearly written on his name tag. So, instead of asking his name, I asked for his surname.
He looked at me and then shifted his eyes up, signaling he was thinking.
And then, he flipped his exercise book to check his name on the front cover.



“Eii, nama sendiri pun boleh lupa kah?”

He smiled and told me his name.

“How do you spell your name?” I continued.

Again, he looked to his name on the front cover and uttered out the letters slowly, in what seem like a hard thing for him to do.

“Susah kah mau spell nama kau?” But I know it was hard cos the spelling of his name is somehow tricky, with the unusual mix of consonants and vowels.

He smiled.

“Nama bapa kau kah tu?” I was referring to the second name he told me and he shook his head. I asked him what his father’s name is and he blurted it out effortlessly. Even spelling it was not a problem.

To that, I sighed to myself.

“Kesian ni anak, kena kasih nama yang dia sendiri susah mau sebut dan eja.”

So parents, do you think it is wise to name your children with super boombastic names and weird spelling that obviously would send every teacher in town having headaches writing the names down?

I understand the need to have a unique name so your child will not be mistaken with other people. Take for instance, me. My name is Caroline Charles and in Sabah alone, I know three other Caroline Charles and there were the occasion when I was mistaken for the other Caroline Charles. You know, like when you were called by a bank for an unsettled car loan installment when in fact, you don’t yet own a car. Or when you check-in into a hotel only to be identified as Caroline Charles who hailed from Papar when in fact you are from Keningau. However, the fact that my name is easily pronounced and spelled makes me glad that it is my name.

But to name your children with a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious name? Would you?