How We Picked Our Baby’s Name — and What It Means to Me Now

A name is more than a label. It’s a whisper to the future.

“So, What’s the Baby’s Name?”

It’s the first question people ask after “boy or girl?” But in Indian families, naming a baby isn’t just a sweet couple’s task — it’s a mini cultural festival with guest appearances from tradition, family expectations, astrological charts, and often… unsolicited advice.

Ours had all that potential. But we quietly chose to script our own version — one that blended love, instinct, and a bit of inside-joke magic.

A Secret Pact — Even Before the Pregnancy News

When we found out we were expecting, we kinda both knew — deep down — that if it was a boy, the name would start with P. No official pact, no dramatic ceremony… but a silent, shared knowing.

In fact, I had a name in mind since we got married — yes, way back!. Not only did it sound great, but I’d even thought it could be a cute couple hashtag if we ever became that couple. You know…like Virushka or DeepVeer. (No offence to the more creatively stretched couple-name combos out there — but PraNav just works, okay?) It wasn’t just a cute blend of Prateek + Navya — it sounded like a real name. A good one.

So you’d think the name was final then and there, right? Wrong.

You Just Focus on the Pregnancy, Okay?

Navya, ever the thoughtful partner, would bring up names now and then. I’d always play it cool and say: “You focus on the pregnancy, that’s the more important part”.

What I didn’t say out loud (yet): I already had a name in my heart.

We also chose to keep the pregnancy news just between us and our respective parents — who were in India, while we were in Canada. Not because we weren’t excited, but because we didn’t want the noise. We wanted to enjoy this quietly powerful phase, without getting lost in a storm of WhatsApp forwards, YouTube remedies, and well-meaning-but-overwhelming advice. (You know what I mean — and if you’re Indian, you really know.)

And yes — we also chose not to find out the baby’s gender. Call us old-school or new-age, but we wanted the big reveal to come from the universe, not a sonographer.

One Name. One Moment.

Then one evening, Navya brought up some baby name suggestions she’d been exploring.
I nodded. Listened. Smiled. And then… she said one name.

Pranav.

I froze for a second. Out of every possible combination, every idea, she had said the only name I had been quietly holding onto since the beginning. No discussions followed. No second-guessing. No boy-name list after that. It was as if the universe had texted both of us the same message.

Fun twist? We brainstormed a whole bunch of girl names during the pregnancy — and couldn’t finalize even one. Not during the months of prep. Not even during labour. The list was still open when the hospital monitor beeped its countdown.

A (Baby) Boy Enters the Chat

Luckily…March 14, 3:59 AM.

A brand new human made his debut. A little boy. A tiny marvel. Born in the quiet early hours, surrounded by relief, joy, and that surreal rush of becoming parents.

And yes — I was grateful. Grateful that he arrived healthy. Grateful that Navya was okay. And honestly? Grateful that it was a boy…Because otherwise, we’d still be brainstorming names in the delivery room.

Why the Middle Name Matters

Here’s something I’d quietly decided long before Pranav arrived:

I grew up as a single child raised by a strong, steady mother — the kind who held everything together without ever asking for credit. And there was this small detail from school that always stayed with me: on my CBSE Class X and XII mark-sheets, her name was printed right beside mine. A simple line of text, but it felt like a reminder of who stood behind every achievement.

So during the pregnancy, I casually told Navya that I wanted our child — boy or girl — to carry her initials as a middle name. It was my way of honouring the women who shape us quietly, consistently, and often invisibly. Navya agreed instantly. And that’s how he became:

Pranav N. Ranjan.

The “N” isn’t just an initial — it’s a thank you. To her. To my mother. To all the love that builds us before we even know it.

What Pranav Means — Now and Forever

In Sanskrit, Pranav is associated with the sacred syllable Om — the original sound of the universe.
It represents creation, essence, the divine hum that underlies existence itself.

But today, for me, it also means:

• Holding him in one arm while replying to emails with the other
• Eating meals with a slight tilt so he can stay nestled against me
• Balancing spreadsheets and baby coos in the same breath
• A new rhythm to life — soft, chaotic, and deeply grounding

And here’s a fun epilogue:
My dad, when casually chatting with us, mentioned a name he had in mind — if it turned out to be a boy.
Wanna guess? Yep. Pranav. Guess it really did come from the universe.

Tips for Naming Your Baby (With Less Stress)

If you’re navigating the baby-naming maze, here’s what helped us:

• Start early. Give the name time to breathe in your heart.
• Keep a shared note to brainstorm together.
• Say it out loud — imagine calling it across a park or whispering it at bedtime.
• Avoid crowdsourcing — too many opinions can cloud clarity.
• Honour meaning, but follow feeling.

And hey — if you’re lucky, the name might already be sitting inside both of you, waiting to be discovered.

A Name, A Beginning

When I call him Pranav now, I don’t just say a name.
I feel a chapter. A heartbeat. A beginning.
I see Navya. I see my mother. I see a thread that connects our past to our future.

Names can’t predict who our children will become.
But sometimes, they whisper who we’re becoming too.

The Curious Optimist Sign-Off

Thanks for reading —
To all new parents out there,
May your child’s name hold stories, soul, and surprises.
And may you smile every time you say it out loud.

Until next Monday — stay curious, stay kind, and may the name you choose feel like it was always meant to be part of your story.

— The Curious Optimist
Live curious. Think optimistic