Hollywood actress Halle Berry's decision to call her daughter Nahla had some people perplexed, but baby experts said it mirrored a trend for unusual names which has helped create a new profession -- baby name consultant.
Many parents have moved away from giving their children family or unisex names and want their youngsters to have names that stand out from the crowd.
An online survey by specialist Web site Babycenter.com found 15 percent of parents think the name you give a child plays a role in their success in life, so it is not a decision taken lightly -- and this has made people seek outside help.
"It used to be more common to choose from family names or names from the bible, but today's parents have so many more choices and many of them are overwhelmed," said Linda Murray, editor-in-chief of babycenter.com.
"It can be very stressful. It's the first big public parenting decision you make. People want extra help so consultants have cropped up in the last few years to provide this service."
Berry has not explained why she and her model boyfriend Gabriel Aubry chose Nahla for their new-born daughter.
But Nahla was found to have a few meanings ranging from gift in Swahili to "drink of water" in Arabic.
"What better name for a baby you've waited so long for than gift?" said Murray of Nahla, 41-year-old Berry's first child.
Spiritual names and names with meanings have become popular with consultants charging anything from $25 to several hundred dollars to help couples find the right meaning for their child.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named their daughter Shiloh, which means "peaceful one" in Hebrew, while Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' daughter is Suri, which can mean "princess" or "red rose."
(Agencies)
好莱坞女星哈里•贝瑞给女儿起名为Nahla，这让一些人迷惑不解。但育婴专家们称，这反映出如今的父母给孩子起名时追求与众不同的一种新潮流，同时这也催生了“婴儿取名顾问”这一新职业。
如今，很多父母在给孩子取名时不再想用家族成员的名字或男女通用名，而是希望孩子的名字能够与众不同。
Babycenter.com育婴专家网站开展的一项在线调查发现，15%的家长认为孩子的名字会影响他们的一生，因此取名时不可太随便——而有这种想法的人便会去寻求其它帮助。
该网站主编琳达•穆雷说：“过去，家长给孩子取名时常用家族成员名或圣经中的名字，但由于如今的选择太多，因此很多家长不知该如何决定。”
“这个问题会让人很头疼。这是家长们在育儿过程中所面临的第一个重大决定。无法决定的家长希望能寻求其它帮助，因此‘取名顾问’服务在过去几年中应运而生。”
哈里•贝瑞并没有解释为什么她与其模特男友加布里尔•奥布里给他们的刚出生的爱女取名为Nahla。
但经考证，Nahla一词在斯瓦希里语中意为“礼物”，在阿拉伯语中意为“饮水”。
穆雷说：“对于一个你期待了很久的宝贝，给她取名为‘礼物’最合适不过了。”哈里•贝瑞今年41岁，Nahla是她的第一个孩子。
如今，具有“精神”意义的名字和有含义的名字最受欢迎。取名顾问的服务收费标准从25美元至几百美元不等。
安吉利娜•茱丽和布拉德•皮特给他们的女儿取名为“夏洛伊”，这在希伯来语中意为“和平”；汤姆•克鲁斯和凯蒂•赫尔姆斯给女儿取名为“苏芮”，意为“公主”、“红玫瑰”。
unisex:男女通用的
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