Topic summary
Taboo against naming the dead

Extracted from the Wikipedia article Taboo on the dead.
Taboo against naming the dead
A taboo against naming the dead is a kind of word taboo whereby the name of a recently deceased person, and any other words similar to it in sound, may not be uttered. It is observed by peoples in many parts of the world, including the indigenous peoples of northern Australia, Siberia, Southern India, the Sahara, Subsaharan Africa, and the Americas.