Remembering Rituals: Naming Ceremonies

There are rituals that root us.

Rituals that wrap us in lineage, intention, and memory.

And among the oldest of them is this: the giving of a name.

To name someone is to call them into being.

To see their soul and say, I recognize you.

It is a sacred act of witnessing—and of weaving.A name, when given with care, becomes a thread binding the body to spirit, self to kin, child to cosmos.

The Yoruba Ìkómójádé: Speaking Destiny

In the Yoruba tradition of West Africa, naming is not a single gesture. It’s a ceremonial chorus.

On the seventh day after a baby girl is born (or ninth for a boy), family and elders gather to observe Ìkómójádé, the ritual of “bringing the child into the world.”

The child may receive up to twelve names, each one imbued with power and purpose:

• Orúkọ Àmútọ̀runwá – the name the child brought from heaven.

• Orúkọ Abíko – names given to children believed to be spirit children, who come and go between worlds.

• Orúkọ Ìná – names reflecting the family’s circumstances or emotions during the birth.

  
  

A child may be named Ayodele ("joy has returned") or Babajide ("father has returned")—signaling ancestral rebirth, or a moment of restoration in the family line. These aren’t simply poetic. They are declarations. Agreements. Spiritual contracts.

Hindu Namakarana: Aligning with the Cosmos

In Hindu culture, the Namakarana Samskara—the naming ceremony—is one of the 16 sacred rites marking the soul’s journey through life.

Held on the 11th or 12th day after birth (or sometimes on the 101st), the ritual is a convergence of love, lineage, and celestial design.

A priest is often present, reading the baby’s janma nakshatra (birth star), to suggest the first syllable of the name. It’s believed that this vibrational sound, aligned with the moment of birth, helps the soul walk its dharma—its divine path.

Family members whisper the name into the baby’s ear, often accompanied by fire offerings (homa), chants, and blessings. In some families, the mother bathes the child in scented water and offers the name under the gaze of elders and deities alike.

A name here is not just personal—it is cosmological.

Māori Ingoa Tapu: Names as Land, Names as Lineage

In Aotearoa, Māori naming traditions hold a profound truth: you are your ancestors. You are your land. You are your name.

Names may come through dreams (moemoeā), visions, or be gifted by elders as a way of keeping whakapapa—genealogical connection—alive. A person may carry the name of a mountain, a river, or a deceased relative. That name is not a metaphor—it is a living relationship.

There are also Ingoa Tapu (sacred names), given when a person reaches a moment of spiritual responsibility, often linked to tribal leadership or ancestral protection.

Ceremonies are performed with karakia (prayer), waiata (song), and whānau (family) present. The child is not just named—they are claimed by the community, the land, and the ancestral world.

Indigenous Naming in Turtle Island: A Lifelong Journey

Among many First Nations peoples of Turtle Island (North America), names are not necessarily given at birth. A person may receive several names throughout their life, marking spiritual awakenings, rites of passage, or gifts received from the spirit world.

In Lakota culture, a name might be given after a vision quest or through a naming ceremony conducted by an elder or spiritual guide. The name could reflect the person’s character, a sacred animal, or an event in nature. It is not uncommon to hear names like Walks With Thunder or Gentle Elk Who Watches—names born of dreams and direct relationship with the land.

And because life changes us, names may change too.Each new name is a chapter. A remembering. A return.

Chinese Traditions: Names as Legacy and Blessing

In Chinese tradition, naming is an act of intention and continuity. Babies are sometimes given a “milk name” at birth—intimate, playful, private. Later, a formal name is chosen, often after consulting elders, poets, or metaphysical texts such as the I Ching.

Characters are chosen for their meaning, tone, and stroke pattern—often reflecting aspirations like wisdom (慧), peace (安), or light (明). The balance of yin and yang, the Five Elements, and numerology may all guide the choice.

Historically, Chinese men received a zi (courtesy name) at adulthood, signifying respect and social identity. A few, often scholars or spiritual practitioners, received a hao—a self-chosen name expressing their inner truth or highest calling.

Rastafari and Afro-Caribbean Naming: A Revolutionary Return

In Rastafarian and Afro-Caribbean traditions, naming is often a radical act of reclamation.

Many descendants of enslaved Africans were given colonial names that erased their roots. In response, individuals choose names like Ras Tafari, Empress Menen, or Zion Lion—names that reconnect them to Africa, to spirit, to sovereignty.

Naming ceremonies may involve Nyabinghi chanting, drumming, reasoning circles, or solitary spiritual journeys. The name chosen (or received) becomes a declaration of identity not bound by systems of oppression. It becomes a banner of liberation.

The Forgotten Names

And then… there are the names that live beneath the names.

The ones not printed on a birth certificate.

The ones that come to us in dreams.

The ones we’ve whispered to ourselves in moments of truth.

Some of us were never named with ceremony.

Some of us carry names that don’t fit the shape of our soul.

Some of us were renamed—by systems, by colonizers, by fear.

And yet... our real names still echo. In our blood. In the breath between thoughts.

We can honour the names we were given—those chosen with love or survival.

And we can also create, remember, or receive new ones.

A Soft Invitation

Take a breath!

• What does your name mean to you?

• Was it chosen with intention? With story? With spirit?

• Do you feel called to remember a name you haven’t spoken aloud yet?

• If you could name yourself now, from the place of your truest being… what would that name be?

  
  

Maybe it’s a name you write in your journal.

Maybe it’s one only you and the stars know.

Maybe it's the one your ancestors have been waiting for you to remember.

Because in the end, a name is not just a label.

It is a remembrance of your soul’s sound.

And it’s never too late to speak it into the world.