Wacky names generate buzz

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The world is full of unusual people, and every time one comes across an “unusual” name, the first thought obviously resonates with the famous line from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – what’s in a name? Recently, when it was reported that reality TV star Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West named their baby daughter North West, almost every tabloid highlighted this bizarre moniker for a newborn.

The couple received a whole lot of flak from their fans for naming their baby after a direction, and the online world too saw a flurry of jokes once the news was confirmed.
Some people called it another publicity gimmick to get attention by the reality TV couple, but most of the fans laughed on the foolish choice of name. Saurabh Singhal, an IT professional, says, “The hashtag Northwest started trending on Twitter once the news about Kim-Kanye’s baby’s name was leaked. There were many jokes online and people were mocking the couple for their stupidity. One of my favourite tweet was ‘While in a chatroom far far away Apple, Shiloh, Blue Ivy Cater, Princess Tiaamii, Blanket, Denim etc rejoiced on the arrival of baby North West.’”
Many youngsters also feel that a bizarre name is an instant way to get attention, hence lot of people who want to look cool adopt quirky nicknames. Sarthak Kushwaha, a guitarist and an event manger, mentions, “When I entered music industry I didn’t feel like using my full surname, hence I shortened it and changed it to “kush,” which is slang for a variety of smoke. The new name is very different and all my friends like it. However, in my legal documents I use my family name and that’s fine with my parents.”
However, sometimes ‘funny’ names can also cause confusion at professional level and can make the person a butt of jokes. Kanika Trivedi, a HR at an interior firm, recalls, “In my last office, we had a colleague called Maahi Bhalla and everyone in the office used called her Dahi-bhalla. Sometimes, we also come across applicants with funny names, surnames and middle names, and we double check if that’s not a fake applicant.”
Interestingly, a lot of studies support the fact that in an individual’s life the name plays a major role in shaping up his\her personality. Nupur Singh, a primary school teacher at Amity School, mentions, “There are a lot of times when children bully each other by picking on their names or last name. There are many instances where a child might get offended and complain about the name, if not treated sensitively this might grow into a complex in later stages of life. Parents who want to name their children uniquely should understand that while dealing with legal documentations sometimes the person might face difficulties in explaining the authorities about the strange moniker.”