Choosing your baby’s name is one of the most important decisions you will make during your pregnancy. Your baby will carry his or her name for life, so take your time to decide on the right one. Think about your child in different stages of life and select a name that will sound good at each stage. Consider not only infancy and childhood, but also the teen age years. How will the name fit a middle aged man?
There are many resources to help you select a name. The choices can be staggering, with over 50,000 choices found in baby books. A wide variety of baby naming books and software are available to give you ideas. The internet has a lot of websites that list baby names. Some list by popularity in recent years, by the decade or the year. Other sites include the origin and meaning of names to help you decide.
Trendy names are fashionable names that are currently popular. Celebrities often choose trendy or unusual names for their babies. Using exotic or invented spellings is a popular trend. Keep in mind that very unusual spellings can be difficult to pronounce. Your child may have trouble learning to spell a long, unusual name. Some are so unusual; they can lead to teasing on the playground. Keep this in mind when choosing a name. Your child won’t want to have to correct every teacher, coach and employer throughout a lifetime.
Many couples choose names based on religious traditions. Jewish and Christian families often choose Biblical names for babies. These can come from the Old Testament or the New Testament, depending on the religion and preferences. Catholic families often choose the name of a favorite saint for a child.
Family names are another good source of ideas. Many of the old fashioned names are becoming popular again. We named our youngest after my grandmother because I loved her and her name. If you have a close relative, but aren’t crazy about his or her name, you can use it for a middle name.
Write down a list of your favorite names. Inside your pregnancy journal is a perfect place to record these names as a lasting memory. Kids enjoy hearing about the other names their parents considered. Write them on the inside cover or devote a page in your journal to the list. Once you have decided on a first name, you will be ready to choose the middle name. Say the first, middle and last names out loud to hear how they sound together. Write them on a piece of paper to see how it looks.
Consider possible nicknames when choosing a name. If you hate some of the common nicknames that go with a particular name, you may want to skip the name. Friends are likely to use the nickname you hate. Also consider the initials. In general, it’s best if they don’t spell a word. For example, Anna Sarah Smith’s initials would be a disaster and an invitation to teasing.
Once you’ve picked your favorites, you’ll need to negotiate with your partner and come to a mutual decision. For my husband and I, this can be the challenge. We each make a list of our favorites and compare. Then the negotiations begin. One compromise is for one person to get their choice for first name and the other for the middle name.