People often ask me why, with such an unusual name myself, I called my children Tallullah, Inigo, Xayla-rae, Affrika and Ottilie. The answer is that I love the sense of uniqueness.

When my mother told inquisitive friends the origins of my name, I felt proud. Jennai was the name given by the Chinese to the British missionary Gladys Aylward, who led 100 children to safety during the Japanese invasion in 1938. It means “she who is loved by everybody”. What’s not to like?

Not that there haven’t been problems with my children’s names. Affrika gets called India, and even Australia. Xayla-rae gets shortened to X-rae.

Overall, though, my children say the names make them feel special. Tallullah is an American Indian name, meaning “running water”. Inigo is a Spanish form of Ignatius, meaning “fiery”, Affrika was a Celtic 12th-century queen and Ottilie is Old German for “prosperous”.

A name is a label for life, so why not choose something special?

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