This Single Parent Named His Son Naruto Minato Namikaze, And He's Proud Of It

Choosing a name for your child is not an easy task. There are parents who prefer easy and common names, some would combine their names to come up with a unique one, while others go for the bizarre and unusual ones. To each his own.

This dad, well, went for the story behind the name he gave his son.

Jamesey Bolivar Maribojo, 29, is a single parent from Davao. He is a property consultant at a large real estate developer, and a huge fan of Naruto: Shippuden, one of the longest-running manga and anime series, with exactly 500 episodes that spanned a decade from 2007 to 2017. 

When his first child was born in June 2020, Maribojo decided to name him Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze after the series’ most powerful characters: Naruto Uzumaki and his father Minato Namikaze. 

“Noong una, walang naniniwala na full name talaga niya iyon kasi tinatawag ko siyang Naruto. Maraming nagtatanong kung totoo,” Maribojo tells Esquire Philippines. 

But it was not just out of his obsession with the anime series that motivated him to name his son after the protagonist. 

“Mahilig ako manood ng anime, mula noon hanggang ngayon. Kung alam niyo ang Naruto: Shippuden, ang kuwento niya ay wala siyang pamilya na kinalakihan. Bilang single parent, 24/7 akong nag-aalaga sa anak ko. Bago kami naghiwalay ng nanay niya, nagpasya kami na ipangalan siya kay Naruto,” Maribojo says.

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“Pero ako di ako nakontento sa ‘Naruto’ lang. Isinama ko rin ang apelyido ng nanay ni Naruto na si Kushina Uzumaki at apelyido ng tatay niya na si Minato Namikaze. Ang naging name ng anak ko, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze P. Maribojo.”

But what was his family’s reaction to the bizarre name?

“Ayaw. Nagalit. Mahihirapan daw magsulat ng pangalan niya at mabu-bully daw. Pero wala silang nagawa.”

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So what will Maribojo name his next child if ever one follows Naruto?

“Siguro Sasuke Uchiha.” (Probably Sasuke Uchiha.).

Sasuke Uchiha is a descendant from a very powerful ninja clan and is one of the show's most formidable characters alongside Naruto. 

Do bizarre names have an impact on a child's development?

According to a 2014 study by Eryn J. Newman, she found that people with easier to pronounce names appeared to be more believable than those with difficult names.

"Easy names were evaluated as more familiar, less risky, and less dangerous."

The research concludes that people with easier to pronounce names are evaluated more positively. These easy names give more benefits on the people who bear them.

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Meanwhile, Dalton Conley, a sociologist at New York University said to BBC, parents shouldn't fear that their children may be bullied for their names. "They actually benefit from that experience by learning to control their emotions or their impulses, which is of course a great skill for success."

Ultimately, Conley said, the effect of a name on its bearer rarely amounts to more than the effect of being raised by parents who would choose such a name.

This story originally appeared on Esquiremag.ph. Minor edits have been made by the SmartParenting.com.ph editors.

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