The Interpol uses a guide when dealing with names from different countries, and looks at the typical components of a name - the personal, middle and family name; family relationships and how marriage affects names and how children are named; and any unique characteristics of the naming customs for a particular nationality.

Names are a valuable source of information - they indicate gender, birthplace, ethnicity, religion and a position within a family or even within a society.

Having recently joined the Grandies Club, names and baby naming practices of different cultures have been topical.

I was born Maria Estrella Roxas Sunga.

Heavens, I have just realised that those initials make MERS, in coronavirus language: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome!

Maria (female, Catholic); Estrella (meaning first star in Spanish and pronounced "Estrelia... as in Australia"); Roxas (my mother's maiden name); and Sunga (my mother's married name).

My grandchild has been given the name of Sonny (nicknamed SJ as his second initial is Jones).

For a range of reasons, SJ's names have no direct reference to his parents' respective ancestries.

With such diversity on both sides, there were overwhelming choices.

The only advice I gave was to give the child a name that he did not need to spell every time he met someone. I think and hope that SJ will be fine.

Here are some naming conventions shared by our culturally rich and diverse staff at MRC North:

China - the Chinese can use different names in different circumstances.

Names, in general, are not gender-specific. Born in the morning, our staff member is called Sun.

Her sister is Hung, meaning rainbow, born on a day there was an arch of colours visible in the sky.

South Sudan - the child is named along ancestry lines and sometimes also on the circumstances of the time. For example, babies born during famine have the names Abirya (girl) and Lubari (boy).

A child born in wartime is Lokiko, meaning born on the road or while on the run.

Eritrea - similar to South Sudan, naming reflects the circumstances under which the child is born.

For example, during liberation, a common name given to babies was Natsnet, meaning freedom.

Tigrinya-speaking Christians name their children in honour of saints and prefixed to denote they are a servant of the saint.

For example, a child born on St Michael day would be named Ghabremichael.

A common name of Eritreans of Arabic backgrounds include Anwar and Mebrahtu, meaning light or luminous.

Bosnia - family names can be an indicator of ethnicity and many family names have the surname suffix "-ic".

Some Muslim names contain Islamic or Turkish roots.

During the war, some parents chose generic names fearing that religious affiliation could create difficulties for their children.

Philippines - Spanish heritage continues to influence naming conventions, many names are Spanish translations of Catholic saints.

It is also customary for parents to combine their given names to create a name for their child (Brangelina as an example).

Heavily influenced by westernisation, naming conventions are fluid.

I have met people who have adoringly been named after famous movies and high profile people -

Born Free (no kidding), Winnie and Nelson, Diana and Beyonce.

On a serious note, many migrants who enter Australia have already suffered the trauma of leaving behind their extended families, friends, and institutions and personal networks such as schools and churches.

It is really important that they do not lose their name as they navigate Australian systems - sometimes names are changed deliberately by parents but sometimes, an error may be made in the order of the name or its spelling.

These mistakes can have lasting effects.

We work extremely hard to support clients to ensure their names are listed or registered correctly with services, and constantly work towards a greater understanding of different cultures.

How we do this is not by being the experts, rather by working within a human rights' framework.

Nobody is an expert in their own culture, let alone another's.

It is impossible to know every cultural practice and belief.

If you believe and treat a person as an equal fellow human being, then the rest will follow.

You will respect the person's right to autonomy, self-determination, cultural and religious beliefs and practices.

Ask the person in front of you what they consider appropriate and keep in mind Dale Carnegie's famous quote, "a person's name is to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language".