Family group names

Choosing a name the whole family accepts

A family group is the one group where a seventy-year-old and a twelve-year-old read the same screen. So the name has to pass two tests: grandmother should not need it explained, and the teenagers should not be embarrassed when it flashes on their phone in front of friends. Warm words from the house itself do this best: the aangan, the roti table, the achaar jar, Sunday lunch. Everybody has a memory attached to them.

The quickest way to make a name yours is to put the surname, the native town or the grandparents' house in front: "Verma Parivaar Express", "Kanpur Wale", "Nani House Diaries". If the group holds two sides of a family, avoid using only one surname; "Ghar Ki Baatein" keeps everybody equal.

What to avoid

Do not name the group after one person's habit or nickname, however lovingly; it reads differently on a bad day. Avoid inside jokes that the in-laws or the newest daughter-in-law or son-in-law will not understand, because the name is the first thing a new member sees. And if the family runs two groups, one with elders and one without, give them clearly different names, or a message meant for the cousins will one day reach the grandparents.

Once the name is chosen, a short set of family group rules and a Sunday conversation starter will keep the group from becoming a wall of good morning pictures.

How to choose a good group name

• Say what the group is. A new member should understand it from the name.
• Keep it short. Long names are cut off in the chat list; about 25 characters show fully.
• Make it yours. Add a surname, a city, a year or a flat block: "Sharma Parivaar Express", "Block B Buzz".
• Keep it kind. A name that makes fun of one member stops being funny quickly.

More group names