Don’t name your child Delilah - Pastors warn parents about giving their children negative names

Clergy members are cautioning parents who are naming their children to look beyond how names sound and instead focus on their meaning and spiritual implications.

Popular pastor Rev Dr Al Miller stressed the importance of intentional naming, as "names carry meaning, biblically and historically".

"So wisdom says we should not willingly draw names from a hat, because not just that they carry meaning, but there is a spirit that comes with what it means," he said.

Dr Rowan Edwards, founder and bishop of the Lighthouse Worship Centre in Spanish Town, St Catherine, explained that while naming a child may seem simple, it should be approached with care.

"Names are something that parents must be very careful that they use. Because they have to first check the meaning of the name that you're giving the child. You're naming the child what it is."

Edwards pointed to the biblical story of Jacob to illustrate how names can shape identity.

"That name (Jacob) means that he's a planter and he's a thief. That's what he was called by his parents. He had to wrestle with God. It's not until when God changed his name that he became what God wants him to become," he said.

Miller reinforced this idea, noting the old saying of "by name and nature".

"Because your name is a representative of who you are and should speak of who you are and your destiny," he said. "Names are important because every time you are speaking, you are speaking the destiny of that child. So give them positive names. You don't know the meaning of the name? Don't use it because other people a use it".

Miller also highlighted the importance of teaching children about their names.

"Teach them that 'We call you this because of this, therefore your name means this. So this is how you should be this, and be true to your name because your name is your identity'," he said. Miller attributed the use of negatively associated biblical names to a lack of awareness. Edwards also warned against choosing names tied to negative biblical figures.

"You can't call the child 'Delilah'. She's a trickster. She's an evil woman. So you don't want to name the child Delilah because it could end up putting the child at some real hard risk. You don't want to call your child 'Cain' because you know what Cain did (killed his brother Abel). He messed up the whole world," he said.

Edwards added that children may face social challenges because of their names.

"They (other children) would mock your child when they go to school. They call them names based on what they're named," he said. "So one has to be very careful because you could mar the child's life because of the name that you give to the child."

Despite the warnings, both pastors acknowledged that many biblical names carry positive associations - such as Moses.

"You know that you're telling the child that [they will] be a deliverer. Because that's who Moses was, a deliverer. If you call the child a 'John', then you know that you want the child to become a preacher," he said.

Edwards encouraged parents to provide context for such names.

"If you give them a biblical name, read the scripture that surrounds that person or that name, so ... when they get to a certain age, they will know the reason why you're calling them that name and they know the meaning of names."

Both men also noted a shift away from giving babies biblical names in modern times.

"Not many people do it any more because there are some people who are trying to keep their children away from religion," Edwards said. Miller agreed, opining that parents are drawing influence from movies.