How I Named My Baby: Zeraphyn Miu
Selina Hotaru Ng and Jeff Fan live in Singapore with their three children: sons Zenith Ryuu and Zephyr Haruu, and daughter Zeraphyn Miu.
Zeraphyn was born on December 4, 2022. Here, we speak with Selina about how she and Jeff named their little girl.
Tell me how you named Zeraphyn!
We were trying our best to use the initial Z, because our boys are named Zenith and Zephyr. There aren’t many girl names that start with Z, and the ones we found were either too common or not the right style.
We shortlisted two names, Zeraphyn and Zarabeth. Zeraphyn comes from Seraphine, and Zarabeth is a variation of Sarabeth. We shared our choices with friends, and some said that Zarabeth was a strong, warrior-like name. Our daughter was born in the Year of the Tiger, which we had to take into account. She needed a gentle name to balance out the strength of the tiger zodiac sign.
How did you choose her middle name, Miu?
In Japanese, they use Chinese characters. We like Japanese names and wanted to find ones for our kids that are based on the characters in their Chinese names.
Miu has the same characters as Zeraphyn's Chinese name, which means "heart" and "better". Not too fierce, to balance the tiger! The second character of her name is similar to her brothers' and makes the U sound in Japanese. Her second character means "better" and the boys' means "universe".
How did you decide to use the Z initial for all of your children?
It all started with our firstborn, Zenith. I remember telling my husband, “Let’s not use something so common — choose a letter of the alphabet that is relatively rare.” Z names are pretty unique! Jeff found the name Zenith. It means "the highest point reached by a heavenly body", which I think is so nice!
I gave birth to Zenith in Texas, and the nurses came to me and said, “Do you know there’s a TV channel called Zenith?” I had no idea! They pronounce it ZEE-nith, but we say ZEN-ith. After he was born, I realized it is a watch brand as well.
What are the trendy names in Singapore?
Right now, common names in Singapore are Caden, Jayden, and Aidan. We know children named Elsa and Elisa. My husband's niece has a Sanskrit name, Aasha. There are a lot of Arabic names, mostly used by Muslim and Malay people in Singapore.
A lot of parents in Singapore play around with letters and spelling. It's common to see a name like Jason spelled something like Jayson.
Tell me about your own name.
Selina is my birth name. Some Chinese people are born without an English name and choose one later.
I’m a ‘90s kid, and a fair share of us were born with English names. But for those who do not have an English name from birth, they come up with one. Even some of my Malay friends come up with an English alias for themselves.
What are the common names among your generation?
I grew up with three classmates named James. A lot of J names are popular, like Jason, Jasmine, and Jade. I don't see these names in my kids' classes anymore!
I know a lot of Seans, in all different spellings. Terrence is common too — I can't count at least five that I know. Cheryl is popular for women, but Sheryl is not.
I used to work in the modeling industry. Whenever they’d say, “Amanda,” I would always count how many stood up. I remember there were seven of them!
Even though the Chinese characters may be the same, we all had different ways of spelling our surnames. None of the seven Amandas had the same surname!
What names did you like when you were younger?
I read the baby name book that my mom used when naming me. In primary school, I remember liking the name Charmaine. As I grew up, I liked Alissa — it’s so feminine.
I think it’s most important to choose a name that people won’t make fun of. I was called Banana and Gorilla growing up, because they also ended with an A and my surname means “yellow”.
There are some Chinese websites that tell you good names for your specific surname. Tan is a common surname, and they say to avoid using the first name Nelson because together it sounds like “bird laying eggs”.
What advice would you give to someone who’s just starting the baby name process?
At the end of the day, you have to give your child a name that you and your spouse are comfortable calling them. You have to communicate with your spouse to know which names won't work, and which names feel good for them.
Did Zeraphyn receive any special gifts?
In Singapore, we do gifts after the first 100 days. We traditionally give gold pendants and anklets. Now I can hear her when she’s moving around!
We don’t have a gift registry like in the US. Instead of buying something we may already have, people choose to give money or gold, which can be given in place of money.
What are the cool things for parents and kids to do in Singapore?
We like to have picnics are Marina Barrage. It's very hot in Singapore, so it's not for everyone!
We go to nearby shopping malls, where there is always a lot to do. There are often great kids events to go to during the school holidays.
Selina's (and Zeraphyn's) Favorite Things
Baby Tula Carrier
Baby carriers are essential to keep us going in Singapore. We have shopping malls with multiple levels and tons of high-rise buildings here. It’s inconvenient when everyone wants to go in the elevator and you have to fit the pram in there. With the baby wrap, we can go on the escalator. And of course, it soothes the baby and helps with breastfeeding.
Magna-Tiles
These build creativity and keep my older kids occupied. I’m not a fan of giving them devices unless there’s a need.
Rascal + Friends Diapers
Joovy Walker
Peek-a Who?
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Thank you so much, Selina!
Photos via Selina Hotaru Ng
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