One of the very first tasks that couples need to handle as parents of a new born baby is choose a suitable name for their offspring. Even though it may not seem so, choosing an appropriate name for a new born baby is a great responsibility as it is the first gift that parents offer to their child which also helps to establish his/her unique identity in the future. It is perhaps the knowledge of this truth that makes almost every community and culture across the globe follow a pre-defined set of guidelines for naming their offspring. Traditionally, the Hindu community in India also follows specific guidelines for naming their children, the most important of which are listed below.

Time And Date Of Birth: This is perhaps the most important factor in deciding a baby's name in Hindu families. The exact time of birth and the date according to the Hindu lunar calendar are used determine the moon sign of the child and the set of alphabets with which the baby's name should start. Naming the little one with these alphabets is considered to be auspicious for the future of the child and always keep him/her blessed and happy. People who believe in numerology also use the time and date birth of the children to find the most appropriate name for them.

Physical Features Of Child: Apart from the astrological factors, many Hindu families choose to name their babies according to their prominent physical features. In most cases, these names are generally used as pet names or nicknames for the babies. However some parents also prefer a name that combines both the astrological aspects and the physical features of the baby to provide a unique name.

After Mythological Characters: A large percentage of Hindu parents name their children after the various Gods and mythological characters listed in the Hindu scriptures. It is believed that naming the babies after these characters will automatically incorporate their positive traits and qualities into the child. In keeping with the same it is considered inauspicious or even a curse to name a child after the evil or dark shaded mythological characters.

After Parental Lineage: Another common tradition followed by Hindus while naming their babies is to choose names that adhere to the parental lineage. This is generally common in the Southern parts of India, where naming children after the paternal forefathers is still quite common. In other regions also, parents might choose to add the name of father or grandfather at the end of the child's name to ensure that their child's lineage is easily understood.

Caste Based Names: Although this trend is no longer practiced in popular culture, there are still some orthodox families that name their new born babies according to the specific caste of the family. Such people believe that they hold the right to specific names just because they belong to the elite social casts according to the ancient customs. It is therefore common to find multiple children sharing same names within an extended family.