Baby naming ceremonies: what they are, how to plan one, and invitation wording

What is a naming ceremony?

A naming ceremony announces a child's name and welcomes them into a family and a community. Some are led by a celebrant, some by an elder, a priest or an imam, and some by the parents themselves. Most end with food.

In the UK you will meet several kinds. These are the common shapes, not rules: every family does it its own way, and the timing below is when it is traditionally held, not when you must hold it.

What happens at a non-religious naming ceremony in the UK?

A humanist or civil naming is led by a celebrant, at home, in a garden, a hotel or a hired hall. There is usually a welcome, a reading or a poem, the story of the baby's name, promises from the parents, and promises from supporting adults (often called guideparents or mentors), who take the place godparents have in a christening.

Older siblings and grandparents are often given a part, and there is usually a party straight after. Because the date is chosen rather than set by custom, these are often held when the baby is a few months old, in good weather.

A naming ceremony is not a legal act. In England and Wales a birth must be registered within 42 days, and in Scotland within 21 days, whatever ceremony you plan.

What happens at a Yoruba naming ceremony?

Ìsọmọlórúkọ is usually held in the baby's first week or so, often on the seventh or eighth day, early in the morning, at the family home. Families and towns differ on the day, and some still count it differently for a girl and a boy, so ask the elders. An elder or a minister leads prayers, and the baby is given small tastes of things that each carry a wish for their life:

• Water, so they will never thirst.
• Honey and sugar cane, for a sweet life.
• Salt, for a life with flavour and worth.
• Palm oil, for an easy path.
• Kola nut, to keep harm away.
• Bitter kola, for a long life.
• Alligator pepper, for many children.

The baby is then given several names: one the child is born with (such as Taiwo for a first twin), names chosen by parents and grandparents, and a praise name. A Christian or Muslim family may lead the prayers with the Bible or the Qur'an, and keep or leave out some of the tastes. A party usually follows, sometimes the same afternoon, sometimes at a hall that weekend.

What is an Igbo naming ceremony?

Iba nwa afa, giving the child a name, is traditionally held between the seventh and twelfth day, depending on the town. It opens with an elder of the father's family blessing and breaking kola nut. The paternal grandparents often lead, the father gives the name, and relatives may offer names of their own. Today many families fold it into a child dedication at church, with a reception after.

What is a Ghanaian outdooring?

An outdooring is the first time a baby is brought out of the house, usually on the eighth day. Among the Ga it is called kpodziemɔ and is held at dawn. An elder places a drop of water and then a drop of drink on the baby's tongue, to teach them to know one from the other and to tell the truth. An Akan child carries a day name, such as Kofi or Ama for a Friday or a Saturday birth, beside the name the family gives.

In the UK the outdooring is often held at home early on a weekend morning, with the wider family joining for a party later that day.

Who do you invite to a naming ceremony?

Most naming days are two gatherings with two lists. The ceremony is for parents, grandparents, elders, siblings and the supporting adults, often in a room at home. The party is for everyone: friends, colleagues, church or mosque members, neighbours and their children.

• The ceremony: close family and elders. Say plainly that it is small, so nobody turns up at 7am to a house that holds twenty.
• The party: everyone you would like to celebrate with, with numbers for the caterer.
• An evening, if there is one: whoever stays on, which can be bigger than either.

Keep one list of people with each gathering ticked against each name. It stops the same aunties being counted twice and shows you who is asked to what.

When should you send naming ceremony invitations?

For a humanist naming or a party planned for later in the year, send the invitations four to six weeks before, with a reply-by date about two weeks before.

For a naming in the baby's first week there is no time for any of that. Message the family as soon as the baby is born and the day is fixed, and ask for replies within a day or two. This is where an invitation on WhatsApp earns its keep: it arrives the same morning, on the phones of relatives in London, Lagos and Accra alike.

What to put on a naming ceremony invitation

1. Whose naming it is. The baby's name, if you are sharing it beforehand, or "our daughter" if the name is the surprise of the day.
2. Who is inviting. The parents, the grandparents or the whole family.
3. Each gathering on its own line. The ceremony and the party, each with a time and an address.
4. What to wear, if there is a colour or traditional dress.
5. When to reply by, and a way to say how many are coming and what they cannot eat.

Naming ceremony invitation wording to copy

How to do it with Our Guest List

1. Add each gathering. The naming and the party, and an evening if you have one, each with its own time, venue and dress code.
2. Add your guests. Paste a list, bring people in from your phone's contacts, or type them. Put each household on one invitation.
3. Choose their events. Open a guest and press Choose their events. Elders get the naming and the party; friends get the party alone.
4. Send on WhatsApp or iMessage. Each guest gets their own message from your own phone, with a link to their own invitation.
5. Read the numbers. Each gathering has its own replies and headcount, and the Guests step exports the dietary notes for the caterer.
6. Check names at the door. Turn on door check-in, and whoever is on the door can see who is invited to which gathering.

The free plan covers 50 guests and two events, which is enough for a naming and a party. Tailored, a one-off £65, gives you 400 guests and as many events as you need. Bespoke, £195, has no guest limit. See naming ceremony invitations.

Questions people ask

What happens at a naming ceremony?

The baby is welcomed and given their name in front of family and friends. Depending on the tradition there are prayers or readings, promises from parents and supporting adults, symbolic tastes such as water and honey, and almost always food and a party afterwards.

Is a naming ceremony legally binding?

No. A naming ceremony has no legal force in the UK. The child's legal name is the one on the birth certificate, so register the birth as usual, whatever ceremony you hold and whenever you hold it.

What do you give at a naming ceremony?

Common gifts are money for the baby, often in an envelope, a keepsake such as a silver spoon or a bangle, books, or clothes in the next size up. At many Nigerian and Ghanaian namings a cash gift for the baby is the usual present. If you are unsure, ask the parents.

Who leads a naming ceremony?

A humanist or independent celebrant for a non-religious naming, an elder of the family for many Yoruba, Igbo and Ghanaian namings, a minister or imam where it is a religious occasion, or the parents themselves.

Do you need separate invitations for the naming and the party?

You need separate replies, not separate invitations. Send each guest one invitation that lists only the gatherings they are asked to, and ask for a yes or no to each, so the small ceremony's numbers stay apart from the party's.