A Quick Guide to Choosing the Perfect Name for Your Baby!
For me, the best part of nine months of pregnancy was the delightful dilemma of choosing a name for our baby! And I feel especially fortunate that I got to enjoy this process three times! While there are many books and websites that offer baby names suggestions, it’s not as easy to find some practical considerations to keep in mind when making the big decision!
And so, while I am not a “baby naming” expert, I have gathered a few thoughts on the subject matter, from my own experience and from the families who are along for the ride on my parenting journey!
Use the Most Traditional Spelling for Your Baby’s Name
Whatever name you choose, spell it in its most traditional spelling! I went to grammar school with a girl named Suzan, who ended up always introducing herself by saying, “Hi, I’m Suzan with a Z.” Think of all the time she would have saved over the course of her lifetime if her parents had just named her Susan! Not to mention all of the cute pre-personalized items that she had to miss out on!
Consider a Family Name
When choosing a name for your baby, turn to your family names before turning to any of those internet lists! I think that as young and inexperienced parents, we don’t realize how much the idea of a namesake means to those we love most! Look to first, middle and last names for inspiration! One of my very favorite ways to create a namesake is to use a family last name that can work as a first name! For example, a friend’s maiden name is Kelsey and her little girl is now the adorable Kelsey! Another friend with the maiden name of Wade, used this as her handsome son’s first name!
Get Creative With Initials
If you’d really like to name your baby after a special family member, but just can’t abide by their actual name, consider replicating their initials! For example, if your dear aunt’s name is Agatha Eleanor Jones, try Abigail Elizabeth Jones for your daughter! And just maybe, Aunt Agatha will appear at your doorstep with her own heirloom monogrammed brooch for your little Abigail!
And speaking of monograms, keep in mind that if you give your baby a name where any of the first letters are repeated (like Jennifer Samantha Smith) you may not be happy with the appearance of his or her monogram!
Name Your Second Baby with a Different First Initial than the First’s
Are you getting ready to name a second baby? If so, I urge you not to name the second with a name that starts with the same letter as the first child! While signing cards “With Love From Mary, Marvin and Mike” might seem cute, this will create a calendar nightmare when those children grow to have busy schedules of their own! If you jot a calendar note that “M” has a doctor’s appointment a month from now, when the appointment comes around, will you remember which “M” you are referring to?
Keep Your Children’s Names in the Same Ballpark
Also in the category of naming children beyond your first, I think it’s preferable to keep the names in the same ball park. In other words, if you christened your first child Elizabeth, the second Catherine, naming the third Brianna just doesn’t sound right! Two traditional names followed by a trendy or strongly ethnic one, or vice versa, make the parents appear to have had some sort of break down!
Unisex Names for Baby Names
So many names are unisex in today’s culture – names like Morgan, Tyler, Ryan, Sydney and more. If you decide to choose a name like this, make sure that the middle name is very clearly male or female.
Choose At Least One Name For Your Baby Before You Go to the Hospital!
This is my own personal gripe, but do not go to the hospital without at least one name each for a baby boy and a baby girl! You’ve had 40 weeks, so decide already! Even a list with 2 or 3 choices ready for a last minute decision, will prevent you from looking like you didn’t want to take the time to figure out names before the big event!
Whatever you end up deciding upon, make sure that you love what you’ve selected! You’ll be saying it, writing it and hearing it for many wonderful years ahead! Do you have a tip for choosing baby names? I’d love to hear!
You may also enjoy:
- Clever Baby Shower Gifts
- Clever Baby Shower Gifts II
- Baby’s First Birthday
- Birthday Gifts for 1 and 2 Year Olds
Tags: how to choose a name for your baby, how to choose baby names, naming your baby, tips, a guide to baby names, baby naming, name, boy, girl, family names, unisex names, traditional names, naming a second child, naming your baby, perfect, top, trendy, popular, middle, initial, initials, baby’s
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Kirtsy
When naming my daughter I wanted to find something that meant “a lot of grace”…or “3x the grace”. Something where her name would cover her like a blessing for her future. So Grace obviously was her middle name but what for the first name. So I thought of any and ever name that started with a tri for triple. I didnt like some of them and most of them I thought it was just ok…but we loved Trinity…so we have a trinity grace – 3x the grace. Now we are expecting out 2nd. We dont know what it is but for a boy my husband wants Samuel because of his status in the bible and I like the meaning…heard by God. The middle name we are thinking Comstock after his great grandfather who was adopted thus changing his last name…If its a girl…well, we havent gotten that far but for a middle name we were thinking Floralynn. My mom’s middle name is Flor and my mother-in-law’s and step mothers name is Lynn…so we combined it…Just a few little ideas…