She is natural, she is intelligent, she is gorgeous, and she has all it takes to be a beauty queen. When the public associated the above reasons with Miss Rwanda’s winning, I stood to differ.

All her competitors had all the qualities to take the crown. The charm, the intellect ….name it.

To me, the outstanding reason for Miss Rwanda’s success was the name. "Bahati” means blessing or luck, like her name, luck smiled at Grace Bahati.

Back in Uganda, my High school tutor, Alex Bagunywa {name meaning alcoholic} was a liquor addict. Bagunywa like his name, hang around all bars on receiving his salary. He would burn his monthly income in less than a week, courtesy of drinking.

It was no surprise when Alpha Rwirangira emerged winner of Tusker Project Fame 3, his name {Alpha} means number one. As for Cynthia Akazuba, Miss East Africa, she is truly shinning like her name {Akazuba} suggests.

So do names ever matter? Can one be a failure or a big time winner courtesy of their names?

As parents look out for bizarre and fancy names to call their babies, a name is a key determinant to destiny. A "name” has more impact than we ever think, and among the facets of success, it takes a high rank.

Change your name, Change your destiny, a book by Sarva Shri, attributes all life’s luck to names. Because of this, some traditions give special value to baby naming ceremonies.

"Name is like the ornament of a person. The personality goes astray if the ornamentation is not proper,” quotes Sarva Shri.

According to Kabbalah, a Jewish religion, the name one chooses for their baby is the single best influence on their life. Choosing a balanced name is an outlet for your child to grow and develop fully.

As for Numerology {an ancient teaching}, names play a significant role in the development of our personality and success in life.

Scientific findings do seem to support that one’s name impacts their life.However; psychology relates the impact of the name to social mechanisms rather than mystical ones.

Psychological research has shown that people view some names as more desirable than others, associating some with success and others with a tendency of failure.

Perhaps names explain why some undeserving people are too way successful than others who have toiled for their entire life.

Meanwhile, most parents name their children depending on the situations they are or have gone through. In most cases these names influence these children as they grow up.

According to the holy bible, a person’s tongue creates. When parents name their children, they create the kids’ success or doom depending on the names they call them.

In Uganda, kids whose mothers die while giving birth to them are named Najjarwambi {meaning I came into the world in sorrow. Honestly, most Najjarwambis live regrettable and sad lives.

Especially that most names come with deeper meanings, they change people for the best or worst. For example, I attribute my never vanishing smile to Lillian.

A Lily is a flower that blossoms and attracts everyone, regardless of seasons; likewise my smile is bright, no matter the situation.

Meanwhile, some names are inherited from great ancestors. This way, inheritors end up living exact lives as their ancestors. It’s like a deceased’s spirit resurrecting through a living person.

"This is when much likeness between a person and a departed one occurs. In Christianity, it takes deliverance prayers to break that bondage. If needs be the name has to change,” says Eugene Karangwa, a staunch Christian.

So before you give that baby a fancy name, dig deep into its meaning. Consider names that are positive and will make your kids thrive. A successful name means more than a fancy and well pronounced name.

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