
Did anyone else catch the amazing Malala Yousafzai on the Daily Show? (If you haven't, check it out below.) I was so inspired by her poise and her courage to speak out for women's rights to education—even after she was shot in the head and neck by the Taliban for speaking out. Her name was on the short list of potential Nobel Peace Prize winners, and became the battle cry for a current campaign to give all children access to education worldwide. Her book, I Am Malala, details her life story so far—and her fight to improve education for women (and for all) in Pakistan. And did I mention that this amazing young woman is only 16?
And so, I'm choosing the Pashtun name Malala as my cool name of the week. Malala means sadness, but I think this young woman may help to give that name a whole new meaning–and a new set of children named after in her honor.
Malala can't have a plain middle name—no Jane or Leigh or Anne for this one. Try Veda, a Sanskrit name that means knowledge, Luz, a Spanish name that means light, or the cool new virtue name, Truth.
What do you think of Malala? Still too exotic for a Western audience, or a cool new name with a heroic backstory?