Naming Advice
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| Mon, 06-04-2007 - 5:51pm |
A previous thread made me want to create some sort of list with naming advice for expecting parents. I'd like to have lots of you share your best baby name advice, so when someone needs it, we can have a list in the archives to share.
So what is the best advice you have or were given that you want to share with future parents?
Thanks in advance, Jina
Here's my contribution...
1. Think about how the name will sound at each stage in the child's life. They are only a baby for a very short while. Find something you would like to hear on a teenager, a college student, and an adult, not just something that sounds good for a baby.
2. If popularity is at all a concern for you, research naming trends, so you won't be surprised when you hear your child's name all the time after they are born. A good place to start is the Social Security website at...
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
and the Baby Name Wizard at...
http://www.babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html

My advice...
Choose a name that you love in its full form and don't choose a nickname in advance, but let any nicknames develop on their own. However, DO consider the possible nicknames that might develop from each name and consider whether or not you can live with them.
AJ, enjoying life with C.
This is a good idea for a thread!
My advice (and I'm sure I speak for many people here) is the following:
- Stay away from kre8iv spellings.
- Do not conglomerate two names in order to create a completely new one.
- Do not add unnecessary extra letters.
- Stay away from random punctuation, and random intra-name capitalization.
- Don't choose some random word, just because it "sounds pretty."
If you want your child to have a "unique" name, don't try to force the individuality. There are plenty of very lovely, very uncommon names already in existence. Research, research, research!
Kuddos to the pp's!! I whole-heartedly agree.
I would also say think about how the name sounds when you say it first middle and last, but also think about just first and last. (When was the last time someone said your full name?)
Think about the initials. Alison Simone Smith is a lovely name, but she probably won't get anything monogrammed.
Besides those already mentioned (especially that kre8iv misspellings do NOT make a name more unique or interesting LOL), I'd also encourage parents to go with the name they'd most regret not using.
So what if your sister-in-law constantly mispronounces it, or your MIL makes a point of telling you how terrible it is. Who cares if it's not the most familiar name out there -- after all, not every name has to come from the top ten -- people WILL get used to it. Likewise, if the name you adore does happen to be popular, don't automatically assume you shouldn't use it. There are ways of making even the most common name your own (not by spelling it hideously, per the above comment LOL, but more along the lines of double names, alternative nns or even simply wearing Emily or whatever with pride). ;) Don't worry about what names you might one day use for other children you might have, and second-guess the name you know is right for this child, right now. It's great to be prepared and try not to box yourself in, but you can't plan for everything, and if you try to, it's likely you'll let that perfect name pass you by.
So if there's one name on your list that seems to stand out above the rest -- one you keep coming back to despite any doubts -- and you know you'll one day regret not having
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Great Idea
1. Like all previous posters...creative spellings bad.
2. Always add Doctor to your potential names to see how well the name will really grow-up and it is the only way for me to visualize your bundle as an adult with their own bundle.
3. Use a name you love, Go with your Gut, ignore trends.
Amber :)
What a good idea. :)
In addition to the excellent advice already posted, I'll add:
1. Google it. There's a wealth of information on your favorite names available for free on the internet. You can find out where the name has appeared in news, entertainment, history, or literature all with a simple search. If your #1 name is shared by a popular porn star, it's better to know this before you fill out the birth certificate. There's nothing that says you shouldn't still use the name, but it's better be informed about the name's associations in advance rather than learning about it for the first time when your daughter is two.
2. When naming future children, remember that you're naming individual people, not putting together a place setting. Avoid anything too matchy, such as all flower or virtue names, all the same initial or ending, all 3 letters long, all named after presidents, etc. Since we can's see the future, these cutesy patterns aren't always easy to maintain. For example, if you use up your three favorite flower names on your first 3 daughters, you might find yourself scrambling for names that "fit" when the surprise quintuplets come along. :) Go for names that are harmonious and compliment each other without sounding like matched bookends.
3. A name is one of the first gifts you give your child, and naming another human being a huge responsibility. It's not the place to play games or make dumb jokes.
4. Remember that you can't please all the people all the time. No matter what name you choose, some people won't like it--maybe a lot of people. Just accept it. If you can feel it in your gut that you've found the right name, and you've done your research, and weighed the pros and cons, then you can be confident that you've made the right choice.
Allie's suggestions were great! And the Google comment made me think of another that might not have been mentioned (at least not exactly). I know purposeful misspellings have been touched on (repeatedly LOL), but even if you *think* you're spelling your future child's name correctly, it doesn't hurt to look it up before making "Lauraligh" official.
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