爲孩子取名發愁？向好萊塢明星取取經
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 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 .
"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."
好萊塢女星哈里•貝瑞給女兒起名爲Nahla，這讓一些人迷惑不解。但育嬰專家們稱，這反映出如今的父母給孩子起名時追求與衆不同的一種新潮流，同時這也催生了“嬰兒取名顧問”這一新職業。
如今，很多父母在給孩子取名時不再想用家族成員的名字或男女通用名，而是希望孩子的名字能夠與衆不同。
育嬰專家網站開展的一項在線調查發現，15%的家長認爲孩子的名字會影響他們的一生，因此取名時不可太隨便——而有這種想法的人便會去尋求其它幫助。
該網站主編琳達•穆雷說：“過去，家長給孩子取名時常用家族成員名或聖經中的名字，但由於如今的選擇太多，因此很多家長不知該如何決定。”
“這個問題會讓人很頭疼。這是家長們在育兒過程中所面臨的第一個重大決定。無法決定的家長希望能尋求其它幫助，因此‘取名顧問’服務在過去幾年中應運而生。”
哈里•貝瑞並沒有解釋爲什麼她與其模特男友加布里爾•奧布里給他們的剛出生的愛女取名爲Nahla。
但經考證，Nahla一詞在斯瓦希里語中意爲“禮物”，在阿拉伯語中意爲“飲水”。
穆雷說：“對於一個你期待了很久的寶貝，給她取名爲‘禮物’最合適不過了。”哈里•貝瑞今年41歲，Nahla是她的第一個孩子。
如今，具有“精神”意義的名字和有含義的名字最受歡迎。取名顧問的服務收費標準從25美元至幾百美元不等。
安吉利娜•茱麗和布拉德•皮特給他們的女兒取名爲“夏洛伊”，這在希伯來語中意爲“和平”；湯姆•克魯斯和凱蒂•赫爾姆斯給女兒取名爲“蘇芮”，意爲“公主”、“紅玫瑰”。
