Filipino web designer names newborn son HTML to pay tribute to his profession

KUALA LUMPUR — A baby in the Philippines named Hypertext Mark-up Language Rayo Pascual, or HTML for short, became an overnight celebrity thanks to his unique name.

And it wasn’t a system error, in case you’re wondering.

The child was given the one-of-a-kind moniker by his father Mac Pascual, a web developer who wanted to name his son after his profession.

The baby’s dad told Filipino news site Inquirer.net that uncommon names are part of family tradition. His own name Mac, for example, is short for Macaroni 85.

Mr Pascual also has a sister named Spaghetti 88, who continued the food theme with her two children by naming them Cheese Pimiento and Parmesan Cheese. They are affectionately called Chippy and Peewee respectively.

The now-famous baby was born at the Bulacan Medical Mission Group Cooperative, about an hour’s drive north from the capital Manila.

HTML’s mum Salie Rayo Pascual said she was delighted to welcome her newborn baby, who weighed 2.25kg, and that relatives couldn’t be happier with his distinctive name.

Baby HTML’s arrival sent social media into overdrive after his aunt, whose full name is Sincerely Yours Pascual, shared the infant’s name on Facebook last Thursday (June 10).

Aunty Sincerely’s post has since garnered 12,000 impressions, 9,000 shares and more than 2,000 comments.

Facebook users had a field day with the baby’s name, with one user jokingly saying he would name his future son or daughter after computer-based phrases such as ESXi or Border Gateway Protocol.

Another user asked parents-to-be to stop “normalising giving babies stupid names”, while others expressed concern that HTML could be bullied and ridiculed when he grows up.

If there’s any consolation, little HTML joins the ranks of some of the most unusual baby names in history.

Actress Shannyn Sossamon named her baby Audio Science, the late rock star Frank Zappa chose the name Moon Unit for his eldest daughter and most recently, Elon Musk and his partner Grimes welcomed a son named X AE A-Xii last year.

In 2008, a New Zealand couple lost custody of their nine-year-old daughter for naming her Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii. MALAY MAIL