Preserving traditional personal names

Among some Gypsy ethnic groups, the first name given to a child remains forever a secret. Tradition has it that this name is whispered by the mother, the only person who knows it, at the time of birth, and that it is never used again. The purpose of this secret name is to confuse the supernatural spirits by keeping the real identity of the child from them. The second name is a Roma name, the one used among the Roma themselves. The third name is given at a second baptism that takes place according to the dominant religion of the country in which the child is born.