Today I thought I'd share with you some tips that I have come up with for choosing a baby name. It's obviously not rocket science - choose a name you like! Anyone can do that. But if you are struggling to choose, then perhaps some of the following may help a little.
1. Style. Think about the baby name style that you and your partner want to go for. As I've said in a previous post, you will probably want any future children's names to 'go' with a first child's name. It's good to think about the type of name you are choosing and whether other names you like would go well with it. For example, you may love the name Sybil (Downton Abbey fan, perhaps?!), but not be keen on other old-fashioned names. I have a similar problem, as I love granny-chic names but we went for quite a modern sounding name for our first daughter which ruled them out.
2. How popular? What are your feelings on popular names? Would it bother you if your child's name was in the top 1000? Top 100? Top 10? Or do you love a name so much that it doesn't matter to you that there may be other children with the same name in their class? Look up the Office of National Statistics baby name documents for current popularity lists (in the UK).
3. Meaning. Does the meaning of a name matter to you? It's always worth checking the meaning; some fairly common names have awful meanings! It probably won't matter in the long run if you really love a name but it's still good to know! A couple of my favourite examples are:
Claudia - lame
Cameron - crooked nose
Gideon - club foot
Lola - sorrowful woman
Some people find meanings really important and this could even be their number one consideration so make sure you are both on the same page!
4. Surname and initials. Think about how the name sounds with your surname . Try to avoid rhyming combinations eg - Noah Taylor, which sound a bit awkward. Also some sounds can sound awkward together; for example our surname begins with a Ph- and this stopped us considering Th- names like Theo. They ended up sounding like tongue-twisters! Make sure you consider what the initials will spell out (Thomas Ian Taylor probably won't thank you when he is older!).
5. Friends and family. Some people won't be concerned about anyone else's thoughts on their name, as long as both of the couple like the name. But for lots of baby-namers, they will consider their nearest and dearest. Do any of your friends and family have a name that is special to them that you probably shouldn't use? Do you want to honour someone important by using their name as a first or as a middle? Will your grandparents be able to pronounce an unusual name?! It may be worth thinking if any of these questions apply to you.
I don't think any of these tips are ground-breaking or anything new but hopefully they give you a place to start. As a mum who *may* be finished with having babies, I am very envious of anyone in that deciding on names stage! If you need any help... 😉