88 named after Malaysia

PETALING JAYA: “Hi, my name is Malaysia.”

Now, that’s a sentence that only 88 Malaysians can truly say, as they share the same name as our beloved country.

A total of 88 citizens have the word “Malaysia” in their registered names as of today, based on records from the National Registration Department.

The youngest person called “Malaysia” is an eight-year-old girl, while the oldest is a 68-year-old woman.

Interestingly, most of those who are named after this nation are female.

“There are 62 women who carry the name ‘Malaysia’ while the remaining 26 are men,” the department told The Star.

Most of those given the name (32 of the 88 people) were also born in 1963, the same year that the Malaysian federation was formed, perhaps to mark such a historic occasion.

“Thirteen of them were born on the exact day of the event, namely Sept 16, 1963,” said the department.

As such, the 13 “Malaysias” celebrated their 59th birthday yesterday, together with the country, which was officially formed after Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore merged.

Singapore later became a separate country on Aug 9, 1965.

Among those with the name “Malaysia”, most were born in Sarawak (32), followed by Sabah (26) and Selangor (10).

On the subject of patriotic names, there are also 73 citizens with the word “Merdeka” (independence) in their names.

“Out of the 73 people, 53 were born on Aug 31, or our country’s Independence Day,” the department said.

It turns out that “Merdeka” is more popular for men, as males outnumber females, with 52 Malaysian men being called “Merdeka” as opposed to 21 women with the name.

Asked whether there were any rules for Malaysians when registering their children’s names, the department said it had no specific restrictions.

“It’s up to the choice and decision by parents or guardians to name the children,” the department added.

However, to ensure the registered names are suitable, the department has a special guideline to avoid names that are prohibited.

“Among names that are not allowed are Dato’ or Tan Sri, as they are awarded titles in the country,” it said.

Other prohibited names are rankings like “Menteri (minister), Imam or Kapten (captain)” and names that sound vulgar or have vulgar meanings.

“For names which have negative meanings or are deemed unsuitable, advice will be given to parents to choose more appropriate ones,” the department added.