Wherever you live in the world, selecting a name for a newborn child has always been a complex and fascinating process. For thousands of years, Asian baby name selection for the majority of world’s population was performed according to a traditional system, one that eliminated personal bias and reflected, according to astrological principles, the best qualities that the child was supposed to grow up with. In Asia names were usually selected after calculations involving the horoscope, the exact time and place of birth, as well as the traditional textual links between numbers so derived. Naming babies in Asia was an extremely complex and learned process, requiring deep knowledge of ancient texts as well as their applicability in normal or special circumstances. Highly specialized training was needed as well as a thorough grounding in the methodologies and processes of the Rites and Rituals dimension of Religions. Modern Asia is a melting pot of many religions, with different baby naming rituals, however the religious connotations and connections remain as strong as ever. The meanings of baby names are very important in Asian culture. With thousands of gods and goddesses to choose from, as well as the deeply rooted traditions of honoring family ancestors, the Asian baby naming process remains a fascinating and spiritual one.

However, with the rapid growth of the Asian economy and its accelerating adoption of western culture, Asian parents are also beginning to use to more modern methods of finding names for their children and also looking for more modern and more “Westernized” names. For example, there are many Internet sites, full of excellent lists of Asian baby names, together with their roots and meanings. These are great sources of ideas for names. But as with choosing any baby name, the process of choosing a more modern or stylish Asian baby name can lead to major problems. In western and more secular societies, this may not be much of an issue, but in Asian societies this could be disastrous for the future of the child. Choosing names with moderate thinking and also keeping religious and traditional value in mind is not an easy job. In fact the difficulties of choosing an Asian baby name is a true reflection of Asia’s own struggles to balance its traditions with its desire to become a modern, 21st century continent. Most of the Asian people take this job as a competition to one another. This thinking brings more and more modern names in their minds.
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