The XX Factor: What women really think.

The Brilliance of Ickitt

Willa, I checked my favorite desi blog, Sepia Mutiny, and they, too, are trying to figure out if Ickitt is a South Asian name. (I called my dad, but he'd never heard of it. "Maybe it's Tamil?" he suggested. A Google search came up empty.)

I love bonkers celebrity baby names as much as the next person, but M.I.A.'s holds a special place in my heart. I'm biracial, like lil' Icky, and naming me was a bit of a chore for my parents—they ended up going with "Nina" because it's nonspecifically ethnic and, perhaps more important, can be pronounced by all parts of the extended clan (no Rs or Ls to trip up the Chinese, no Ws and Vs to frustrate the Indians). I've often wondered how I'll extend this multiculti balancing act to the next generation, but maybe M.I.A. has the right idea—just put together a few syllables that sound ethnic, and call it a day.