Galina talks about the ritual of the first haircut and name giving conventions among the Kalmyks. Babies have their first haircut at the age of 1. It is a maternal uncle who cuts the baby’s first hair. Galina’s children received their names from her grandfather. One of Galina’s sons was named Sandzhi-Garya in memory of his great grandfather, although Kalmyks try not to name their children after deceased relatives. But since the grandfather said that the name of Sandzhi-Garya suited the boy, the family decided to stick to his advice. Galina’s paternal aunt named Galina’s other son Ilya. Galina says that all Kalmyk girls with Russian names have a Kalmyk name by which they are addressed at home.