Wondering how to chose a name for your baby is one task new parents or parents with a new baby will face. However, it doesn’t have to be a time-consuming task as you can pick a fitting one in no time.
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How to Choose a Name for Your Baby That’s Just Perfect
For a lot of parents, picking a name for their new addition is never a problem as they decide on one even before the baby gets born. However, for a few others, this task, while being a fun one, can also be overwhelming as they struggle to agree on one that’s fitting and significant.
If you ever find yourself at this point, here are tips experts have put forward to help the process:
1) Take Your Time
Deciding on a name doesn’t have to feel like you’re taking an exam. If you can’t decide on one at the moment, you should put off doing so until later, especially if your precious bundle is yet to arrive.
Keep giving it a go until you finally decided on the one you like.
2) Look to Friends or Relatives for Suggestions
Many people would balk at the idea of getting others involved naming their baby, believing it is a private affair and should be treated as one.
However, while you might be getting a few people involved, they aren’t quite taking this special occasion from you. All they’d be doing is offering suggestions at a time of confusion. Besides, you might end up not using the exact names they provided, as it might trigger other ideas.
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3) Look to the Family Tree for a Suitable Name
Naming my first daughter wasn’t hard for my husband and me, as we’d already decided to give her both grandmothers’ names for her first and middle name.
Looking to the family tree for a suitable name is one method of naming a child that doesn’t just simplify the whole baby naming process, but also honors the one the baby is named after.
4) Consider a Combination of Names
If you are undecided on a name, you should consider playing around with name combinations until you get one that is fitting and also has a nice ring to it.
This practice, known as name blending or meshing, is a fun way to come up with names that are as unique as they are nice-sounding.
Some great names that have been formed this way are Annalise, from the combination of Anna and Lise; MarieClaire, got from Marie and Claire and Avarine, got from Ava and Katherine.
5) Look Around Your Cycle of Friends for Tips
Your group of friends might also have great-sounding names you could borrow or tweak. You could also play around with these names, rearranging the words until you get some nice sounding ones.
6) Check Online
If all else fails, you can always turn to the good ol’ internet for ideas and suggestions.
There are more than a few sites listing names and their meanings, and you can make your choice from any of these.
Some good sites to look into include babynamewizard.com and nameberry.com.
Pitfalls to Avoid When Choosing a Baby Name
In your excitement to give a pleasant name to your precious bundle, you don’t want to make the mistake some parents make and end up with a name that sounded appealing at the time but ended up being not-so-attractive much later.
Some very common baby-naming mistakes you should know to avoid when choosing a baby name include:
1) Avoid Names that Have a Bad Meaning
You always want to look up the meaning of a name before finally settling for it. While some names sound really nice, their meanings are…well, not so much.
Some of such names you want to avoid include:
- Azazel – which means ‘evil demon’ or ‘evil spirit.’
- Akuji – an African name that means ‘dead and awake.’
- Brennan – which means ‘sadness”.
- Deirdre – a beautiful-sounding name, which means ‘sorrowful.’
- Dolores – which means ‘Lady of Sorrow.’
- Portia – which means ‘pig.’
Loralei – another nice-sounding name which sadly means ‘She whose singing lures men to destruction.’
2) Avoid Names that Will be Too Difficult to Pronounce
You also should be careful when settling for a name as one might sound nice to you, but be slightly tricky for others to pronounce or spell.
Names that are coined easily fall into this category. You want to think of how easy it will be for it to be spelled or pronounced, without you having to correct people every time they say it wrong.
3) Consider How It Will Play Out in Initials
Some names have no issues with them, however, write them out as initials, and you could be setting your child up for a lifetime of teasing and even mocking.
Names like Mellisa Ashley Dalman sound great, but you don’t want your child answering to MAD as initials.
4) Gender Bending Names are Great But Not All the Time
Gender bending names – names the other gender can bear – are excellent. However, they could create the wrong impression, especially before people get to meet the bearer.
While a girl bearing the name Zachary might be empowering, you should consider how this would impact her much later, especially with people concluding she’s of the male gender before they meet her.
5) Avoid Names that Will Cause Your Child Embarrassment
Some names also might sound cute today, however, if there’s the slightest possibility they will cause an embarrassment to your child, later on, you should consider skipping them.
Names like P. Ennis or Dick Long definitely would make your child the butt of one too many jokes.
6) You and Your Partner Should Agree on It
Name selection should also be a collective effort, one that bonds you and your partner a lot more.
You don’t want to insist on your choice of a name while your partner grudgingly goes along.
If you’re yet to decide on one and your baby is already here, you might want to consider a compromise; one of the names is used for the first name while the other, the middle name.
You should also consider drawing out an acronym from both names, or a meaningful name from the combination of both.
7) The Baby’s Name Shouldn’t be One that Makes You Cringe
Some names might be popular with friends and family, however, if you don’t like them, you should never feel pressured to use it.
Some names that are widely known as being cringe-worthy include Bertha, Beulah, Ernest, Gertrude, Gladys, Mildred, Myrtle, and Silas.
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