Parents Are Naming Their Babies After Coronavirus In These Pandemic Times

Some new parents giving birth during this global pandemic want to make sure their kid never forgets it.

That’s what one couple in India just did when they named their child Sanitizer. The father, Omveer Singh, said that this was the couple’s way of contributing. “Whenever people will talk of corona, they will remember that it was sanitizer that saved them,” the proud dad told the Deccan Herald.

And other likeminded new parents are also finding novel names to pay tribute to their newborn’s entry into the world at such a dramatic moment in history.

Also in India, tiny twins, born March 27, were recently named Covid and Corona. According to a report in Global News, it was the hospital’s delivery staff who began using the names, and the parents just decided to go with it.

“The delivery happened after facing several difficulties, and therefore, me and my husband wanted to make the day memorable,” said the mother, Preeti Verma. “We finally decided to name them after the pandemic.”

Lockdown. This one has a bit of a ring to it. You can see a future businessperson striding into the conference room, doling out firm handshakes and making multimillion-dollar deals with a power name like that.

An Indian couple took their cues from the global COVID-19 crisis to come up with their little bundle’s moniker. According to news outlet NDTV, the father, said:

“I named him after Lockdown as we all are reeling under [the] COVID-19 pandemic. In my view, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the right step to impose lockdown in the entire nation to save us from the deadly virus. My boy will remind everyone to take precautions against COVID-19, to save themselves and the nation.”

One mother in the Philippines named her newborn Covid Bryant, both as a nod to the deadly pandemic and the former NBA star Kobe Bryant, who tragically lost his life in a helicopter crash in January.

They’re not quite as original, but other names to mark the era are a hot topic right now on parenting forums. Suggestions on Mumsnet include Tina (short for quarantine), Demi (short for pandemic) and Rhona, a traditional Celtic girl’s name that means powerful.

One suggestion is the Welsh girl’s name Enfys, which means “rainbow.” The rainbow, has of course, become a symbol of hope in the artwork kids have been displaying from their windows while staying home to flatten the curve. Iris is another name with this meaning.

And over on the U.K.-based site Babycentre, one commenter suggests names that signify strength and optimism, since we all need it in spades right now. On the list were Nadine, Audrey, Aaron and Ethan. A new mother shares why she called her pandemic baby Stella: “I liked the idea that she is a light in the darkness of these times,” the mom wrote. “She was born just as we went into lockdown and I had to give birth alone, so quite the dramatic entry to the world!”

Our favorite suggestion? Patience! Goodness knows we could all do with some right about now.

Experts are still learning about the novel coronavirus. The information in this story is what was known or available as of press time, but it’s possible guidance around COVID-19 could change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations.