Short answer
No set ceremony. The sunnah is simply to give the baby a good name, either on the day of birth or on the seventh day with the aqiqah. In the Hanafi school the right to choose the name belongs to the father, though consulting the mother is better. A family meal on the day is allowed.
Naming is sunnah on the day of birth or on the seventh day. The father has the final say because the child is ascribed to him, but the parents should agree. Any gathering, prayer or ritual presented as a required part of naming has no basis.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ named his own son Ibrahim on the night he was born, and he also said that the child is named on the seventh day, together with the aqiqah. The scholars of the four schools agree that both are sunnah. Naming before birth, once the family has chosen, is also fine.
How it is done: there is no wording to recite. The father, or whoever he asks, simply says the name. Many families combine it with the adhan in the baby's ear, tahnik and a dua for the child. Asking a pious elder or scholar to choose the name, or to make dua, is a good custom the Companions practised when they brought babies to the Prophet ﷺ.
Who chooses:
- The child carries the father's lineage, so the Hanafi scholars give him the right to name. See bin and bint.
- The mother's wishes count: the Quran records Maryam's mother naming her daughter. Agreeing together is best.
- If parents disagree, choose a name both accept rather than turn a blessing into a quarrel.
What to avoid: treating a custom, such as a sixth-day ritual, a set feast or a particular dress, as religiously required. A simple meal is fine. See the chhatti custom and the full list of newborn sunnahs. For ideas, use the Islamic names list and see best names and names to avoid.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Aal-i-Imraan 3:36
فَلَمَّا وَضَعَتْهَا قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّى وَضَعْتُهَآ أُنثَىٰ وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ وَلَيْسَ ٱلذَّكَرُ كَٱلْأُنثَىٰ ۖ وَإِنِّى سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ وَإِنِّىٓ أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ ﴿٣٦﴾
But when she delivered her, she said, "My Lord, I have delivered a female." And Allah was most knowing of what she delivered, "And the male is not like the female. And I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah]."
Maryam's mother named her daughter at birth.
Sahih Muslim 2315
Sahih... ولد لي الليلة غلام فسميته باسم أبي إبراهيم ...
"A boy was born to me tonight, and I named him after my forefather Ibrahim."
Shows naming on the day of birth.
Sunan Abi Dawud 2838
Graded sahih... تذبح عنه يوم سابعه ويحلق ويسمى ...
"It is slaughtered for him on his seventh day, his head is shaved and he is named."
Shows naming on the seventh day with the aqiqah.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Karahiyya, chapter on names and kunyas. Hanafi rulings on naming.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Udhiyah, closing discussion on aqiqah. Naming on the seventh day with the aqiqah.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.