SINCE names are an inherent part of an individual’s identity and something a child will carry throughout his or her life, the National Registration Department (NRD) has a guideline for registering children’s names.
The guideline states that registered names must not exceed 80 characters, including spaces.
NRD director-general Datuk Badrul Hisham Alias was reported as advising the public to consider implications when choosing names, such as when the individual would have to fill in forms or handle official matters such as marriage.
Badrul said the NRD had received 1,575 applications since 2024 from individuals to have their names shortened.
Names that have bad meanings, such as “evil” or “busuk” (stinky), will not be accepted.
Children’s names should also not have confusing or overly fancy spellings that are difficult to pronounce or spell, such as “ytjt” or “chuynx”.
Single alphabets, numbers, names of fruits, vegetables and tools are also regarded as undesirable.
However, parents who insist on naming their child “dhurryan” or “hotel” must sign a sworn statement confirming they have understood the advice given by NRD but have chosen to go ahead.
Official titles and honorifics such as Tan Sri, Datuk, Tun, Haji, Governor and Dr cannot be registered as names.
Hereditary titles such as Tengku, Engku, Megat, Syed, Sharifah and Nik are allowed, only if the title is inherited through the father in a legitimate marriage.
As for the inclusion of “son of” (a/l) and “daughter of” (a/p) in Indian names, Home Affairs Ministry confirmed during a 2017 parliamentary session that it was not compulsory, though it was the norm for Indian parents to add these abbreviations.
Name corrections on a birth certificate can be made through an application if the child is under a year old.
During a 2025 parliamentary oral session, the ministry also made it clear that for children over one year old, a name change can only be made when applying for a MyKad or after the MyKad application is made. However, the original name in the birth certificate will remain.
In the ministry’s social media post last February, trends for Malay names showed that before 2000, names such as Kamarudin, Baharudin, Osman, Mustapha, Kassim, Zainal and Salleh were popular.
Today’s parents prefer shorter and more internationally styled names such as Aariz, Danish, Rayyan, Aydan, Zayn, Arissa, Nayla and Kiara.
A child’s birth must be registered within 60 days in Peninsular Malaysia. According to the Sabah Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance (Cap. 123) and Sarawak Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance (Cap. 10), it is 14 days for both states.
