Choosing the Perfect Name for Baby

Choosing your baby’s name is one of the most important decisions you will have to make sometime during your nine month journey to parenthood. The name that you choose will be the first gift you bestow upon your little bundle of joy, and new parents want to make sure that they have chosen just the right one. Here is a small list of considerations to make when choosing that perfect name:

Comparing Criteria

Sitting down and creating individual favorite name lists is a good way for partners to start thinking about and narrowing down the list of names that they like. It’s important to figure out the types of names, or naming style, preferred by each partner. Maybe you both like fairly “classic” names or maybe one partner prefers Biblical names while the other likes names with a more modern, creative feel. It is often during preliminary discussions that disputes arise, but each partner should remember to be open-minded and willing to compromise. And, who knows? In comparing lists, you may find that you have similar naming styles or share a cluster of favorite names!

Namesakes and Associations

Some families have long traditions of naming Baby after the father, mother or some other family member. More and more parents are also naming their children after actors, writers and other people who figure prominently in pop culture. If you are thinking about naming your baby after another person, consider first the implications and associations that such a choice will mean. Ask yourself whether or not the individual you hope to honor will retain the same significance and relevance that they now hold for you. Consider, too, the associations and expectations that your child will have to live with if named after that great poet or singer or, even, Uncle Bill, and then choose wisely whether or not such a namesake would be appropriate.

Embarrassing acronyms, rhymes, nicknames, etc.

PCP, FAG, FAT, LSD, TAR, APE, DUH, UFO, RAT. All words or acronyms that most people would NOT want their initials to spell out. If you wouldn’t want your name to spell it, you probably won’t want your baby’s to, either. A mistake that too many parents are still making, this is something that can be easily avoided by writing out your baby’s intended name in all its possible variations. This is also probably the time to consider the possible drawbacks of the name you’ve chosen for Baby. Does it rhyme with anything or does it have any obvious or traumatizing nicknames. Leander is a great name, but it can easily be turned into Leanderthal. Colby is precious, but eventually his classmates will make the cheese connection and the jokes will never stop. Brainstorm these possibilities with friends, family or on one of the many websites dedicated to helping parents choose that perfect name. Oxygen's Babynamer is a helpful site to look at to consider drawbacks to a name while Behindthename is a great resource for looking up the etymology of a name and gathering opinions on one of the many message boards and interactive polls located within the site.

Siblings

If you have other children, it is advisable to consider how the new name you choose will “fit” with the names you have chosen for your other children. They might all be of the same style, might all end or start with the same letters, be the same number of syllables, etc. Recognize patterns and determine whether or not you want to continue or discontinue them. Maybe you really don’t want all your kids to have “M” names, or maybe you do. The issue of how closely sibling names resemble each other should also be taken into account when dealing with mixed or blended families where it is often easy for children from previous marriages to feel left out or different. Both Family Resource and Parenting.org have a plethora of articles that will help parents understand the psychology and dynamics of blended families and how to make them work, especially with the arrival of a new addition to the family!

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