Have you ever met someone, whose name seemed to suit them perfectly? You met and spoke and his or her name meshed with the personality facets to a T?

I am convinced that naming a child is an important affair, and should not be a reflection of the parents' egos (I want my child to stand out, to be different from all the rest), but to be an integral part of who that child is and will become.

That said, I'd like to see parents wait a few weeks before naming a child. A child--even a newborn--is an individual and is quiet and laid back, or high strung and alert or stubborn and subdued or any number of traits, right from the start.

His or her name should match, so that the child's name fits and blends with life patterns. In traditional India, a child wasn't named until its first birthday, both for the suitability of the name, and to see if it would survive that first perilous year.

Cases in point: My husband's given name does not suit him. My brother-in-law's name does. The latter found early in life what kind of work and life style suited him. The former never did and his name so clearly is wrong, even he admits it. (If I had been in his shoes, I would have been called by his middle name, which a most apt name).

My mother got it right. My sister was Lucy and was exactly the right name for her. My name and middle name were well-chosen also, and I cringe when anyone uses the common nickname for it, because it most emphatically is not me. I answer to it only out of politness. Batty's nickname for me is quite fine and I've considered using it more. She obviously has a good ear for such things.

I'm of the opinion that having a wrong name can twist and misshape a child's image of himself and how he interfaces with his world. It's an important decision.

Does your name fit you? How do you feel about it?