Shark Tank's Anupam Mittal Rejects Patriarchal Naming Norms, Chooses Different Middle Name For Daughter

Anupam Mittal shares a thoughtful post about rejecting traditional naming norms and choosing the empowering name "Alyssa Anantara" for his daughter.

(Image: @anupammittal/Instagram)

New Delhi: Indian entrepreneur Anupam Mittal, founder and CEO of People Group and Shaadi.com, recently shared a thoughtful LinkedIn post about his daughter, Alyssa, which has been widely praised by users for its meaningful message.

In the post, Anupam recalled how, when his daughter was born, the family had to decide on her middle name.

He went on to explain a "quiet tradition" often followed in Indian families—where a daughter carries her father's first name at birth, only for it to be replaced later by her husband's name after marriage.

Questioning this norm, Anupam shared that he and his family chose not to follow it. Instead of naming her Alyssa Anupam, they decided on Alyssa Anantara.

“Anantara… which means limitless. Rooted in Ananta, another name for Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom,” he wrote.

Anupam emphasised that while names may seem like a small detail, they carry deep meaning.

“In a world where women are still introduced as someone’s daughter, someone’s wife, someone’s mother... we just wanted her to start as herself. This wasn’t a grand gesture. It won’t change the world,” he concluded.

Take a Look at the Post Here:

The post resonated with many users. One person commented, “This really resonated with me. We recently welcomed our baby girl too and named her Thakur Aira Sing. ‘Aira’ means noble, pure, and brave—qualities we hope she embraces on her own terms. Like you, we wanted her name to be her own, not a reflection of someone else’s legacy, but the beginning of her own story. A small choice, but a meaningful one—for her and for us.”

Another user wrote, “As a woman and a mother of a daughter, this moved me deeply. You are not defined by the men in your life.”