As easy as ‘Abcideff’: Malaysian man with unusual name explains its connection to family
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Mr Abcideff said his unique name has never caused him trouble when voting during elections.
PHOTO: PIXABAY
PETALING JAYA – His name reads almost like a playful string of letters from the alphabet – A, B, C, D, E, F – but for him, it has always been simply his identity.
“My name is Mohd Abcideff, but most people call me Abcideff or Cideff,” said senior mobile developer Mohd Abcideff Ahmad Bana, 33, from Subang Jaya.
Despite its unusual look, he said it has never caused him any trouble when voting during elections.
“I haven’t had any issues with the authorities. They might be a bit shocked at first. If I were them, I’d probably feel the same,” he said.
Most reactions, Mr Abcideff added, are brief double-takes when people first see his name.
To him, it is more than just a string of letters; it is a family connection.
“My name aligns with my sister’s because our names are quite similar. She is Nur Abcida and I am Abcideff. Our parents just randomly used ‘AB’ as the root of our names,” he said.
He explained that “AB” comes from the initials of his father’s name, Ahmad Bana.
Only he and his sister carry the distinctive naming pattern, while his other siblings have more conventional names.
“Cida and Cideff are the continuation of that initial, so that’s pretty much how I got my name,” he said.
Originally from Kuching, Sarawak, Mr Abcideff moved to Selangor in 2000, studied in Shah Alam, and later returned to his hometown in 2009.
He came back to Selangor in 2012 to pursue his Bachelor in Computer Forensics at Management and Science University.
On the challenges of having such a distinctive name, he said the biggest issue is disbelief.
“People think it’s a random name or a nickname from social media,” he said.
Still, Mr Abcideff said it never bothered him much, as there have not been many unusual incidents associated with his name. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK


