What’s in a {Baby} Name?

For most women my age, it seems like there are a handful of questions that we are constantly answering. When you are in a serious relationship you’re asked, “When are you going to get married?” Once you are married, people want to know, “When are you going to have kids?” When you finally announce you are pregnant, people inquire, “What’s your baby’s name going to be?”

These are all life changing questions that I have answered many times, but “What are you naming your baby?” is the one I am getting constantly these days.

Some women have their future baby’s name picked out even before finding a husband, and those names may or may not change. But one thing that stays consistent is the importance of the name you give your child. The name you choose stays with your child and family tree forever, will help develop your child into the person they become, and will always be a representation of you. As I am getting ready to welcome my first child into this world, I am starting to realize the enormous amount of responsibly that comes with parenthood, starting with finding the perfect name for my son.

While my husband and I were feeling the pressure to find the perfect name for our baby, we took a few things into consideration that helped us land the best fit for us and I hope they help you too!

1. The rules of the name

Laying out the hard rules of dos and don’ts helped lead us in the right direction from the beginning. Name rules can be anything that you prefer from only two syllable names, or names with the same initial as their siblings, to names from only an Irish origin, or no names ending in –y or –ie. Figuring out what you and your spouse like and dislike in names will help narrow down your options and eliminate unnecessary time spent discussing those names that do not follow your rules.

We had three main rules: Our child will go by their first name or a nickname of their first name – not their middle name or a name that is not even close to the name on their birth certificate (ex: John Jacob aka “Boomer,” Hilary “Jordan”), no double names (ex: Grace Ellen), and it must be a classic name that works well for a baby and an adult.

2. A popular kid

The popularity of a name may or may not matter to you, but to some, it is extremely important not to give their child a popular name. Like most mothers, I do not want my child with the same name as four other kids in his class, however, when it comes down to it, I am ok with that if the name is meaningful to me. While we spent time worrying about popularity, we realized that if we ruled out all names that we had heard before, we would have to result in a ridiculous name of a food item or something made up.

If you fall in love with a name that is on a “top 20 list” or more popular than you would have liked, this is a good time to make it your own by changing the spelling (within reason), adding to the name, or just owning it as is (ex: Perry to Perri or Mary to Marielle).

3. A meaningful name

When I think of a parent searching for a strong and meaningful name, I can’t help but think of Natalie Portman naming her Walmart baby Americus Nation in the movie Where the Heart Is. Although that name was a little bit too strong for some characters, she took the advice of “Get your baby a name that means something” to heart and it fit for her and her daughter.

A lot of people choose their baby’s name by the meaning and origin of the name. The meaning of the name was not a deciding factor for our baby’s name, but it was interesting to see what the meaning was for the name we settled on. If you have a specific meaning that is important to you, try searching for that meaning to see what names are affiliated. Or search the meaning of your final names to help you narrow your choices down to the final perfect name.

4. Keeping it in the family 

I love family names! Even when you think there are not any family names you like, if you go back far enough in your genealogy, you will find some unique names. Some family names we found when digging around were Duffy, Leo, Daisy, Hubert, and Ruby. It is important to know if you are set on a family name because of the significance of the name or just because you like the name. Are you a III and want to pass along your name to a IV? Is there a special family member who has passed away that you would like to honor? Even if you aren’t set on using a family name, use your family tree for inspiration and don’t be afraid to look into variations of names to make it your own (ex: use mother’s maiden name for the first name).

Don’t feel pressured to stick to family traditions when it comes to naming your child, but definitely look into the traditions and understand why they are important to see if you want to keep the traditions going. Our families do not have specific naming traditions, but we have many loved ones that do. Some traditions we are familiar with include using the father’s first name as the firstborn’s middle name (ex: Dad-Chadwick James, Firstborn son-Noah Chadwick), keeping the same initial for first, middle, and last for all boy names in the family (ex: Benjamin Brian Burton), or having the same middle name for all daughters (ex: Sharon Lynn, Kathy Lynn).

5. Babies grow up

When deciding on our baby’s name, we wanted the best of both worlds. A name that suits a fun loving little boy, but is masculine enough to be serious as an adult. While many “cutesy” names are so fitting to babies, always remember that your baby will grow up to be an adult. Be sure to consider a name that works for your child in all stages of life.

Studies show that the name on the top of a resume can and does make a difference during the hiring process. Make sure the name your child puts on his/her resume, college application, or work email has a positive impact on their future.

6. Nice ring to it 

When picking a name, I recommend saying it out loud many times, checking the layout of the initials, and making sure all names, including nicknames, flow well with each other. Saying the name out loud will give you a chance to hear the name and not just see it. Saying and writing the name will also help determine if there will be any common mispronunciations or misspellings and can help save your child from a lifetime of correcting others. Also, be sure that the name you choose for your child compliments your last name. Some choose to have a short name to complement a longer last name and vice versa. While making sure your first and last name flow well together, also think about actual name and meaning to avoid puns, rhymes, products, or anything that could be taken as a joke (ex: April Showers, Rocky Road), and don’t forget about the initials. Sometimes initials are looked over and result in unfortunate words (ex: Isaac Christian Keller “ICK”).

Making sure our baby’s name flowed well together was very important to us. To test out our names, we said them in different voice tones – normal speaking, shouting up the stairs, and in our “we mean business” voice. We wanted to make sure it was easy for us and him to say even at a young age and it rolled off the tongue beautifully. Once we settled on a name, we double-checked the initials to make sure all monogram layouts worked well together and we were all set. (I will be a monogram mom, for sure!)

When choosing the name for your child, always remember to do what you think is best for you and your child. If others have suggestions, feel free to listen, but always go with what you want. It is your child — you have to say the name every day and that is all that matters. There will always be someone who will have a negative opinion and that is ok. Just pick your child’s name, embrace it, and start getting ready for that baby!