Naming Your Baby

by Pregnancy.org Staff

It's never too soon to begin choosing a name for your baby. And what an enjoyable and thought provoking challenge it is! Stuck for ideas? Check out our Naming Tool!

At first, the possibilities may seem endless. There are popular names, old family names, names of great and famous people, literary names, and names with religious significance. You may have had a particular name in mind for years, or you may just be beginning to consider the options. Wherever you are in the process, take a few moments to think about the purpose and importance of a name before making your choice.

The first purpose of choosing a name is to help you begin thinking of your baby as a "someone", an individual with an identity all his/her own. You don't have to have your final choice picked out before your baby arrives, but thinking about names now will help you and your partner explore what you like and dislike, and discover where your preferences match or differ.

In addition, choosing a name will help define how your child will fit into your family, your culture, and your community. You may want your child's name to reflect the continuity and closeness of your family and, therefore, choose to name your daughter after your great grandmother or your son after his father. Perhaps you have high hopes for your child's future and want to name your child after a respected public figure or you may choose a name filled with cultural or religious tradition to remind your child of his/her heritage.

These are all wonderful reasons for selecting a name. As you explore names that fulfill your dreams for your child, however, remember to evaluate each name on it`s own merits, separate from the wonderful associations it has for you. If it`s a family name or historic name, does it sound old fashioned or silly? If the name is foreign, how will it sound pronounced by the average American? If the name belongs to a celebrity or personal role model, is it so completely identified with that person that your child will be overshadowed by it?

Of course, you don't need a carefully thought out rationale for choosing a particular name. It's perfectly acceptable to name your child Brittany or Fredrick just because you like the way it sounds, or the way it looks. In fact, it's wise to consider how a name will sound, and look when it is written out. Is the name overly long or startlingly short? Does it flow? Is it easy to pronounce? Is it easy to spell? Check to see how the name looks when reduced to initials. And it might be wise to imagine possible nicknames and how they will combine with your child`s last name.

Here are some other checkpoints

• Watch for rhyming names (Jane Blaine), joke or picturesque names (Ripple Waters), or odd names.

• Resist cute names (Buffy, Stevie) and avoid using a nickname as a permanent name (Sugar).

• Pause before giving your child a name beginning with the same letter (Richard, Robert, and Rachel Miller - R.M.) or using similar names (Donald and Ronald), especially for twins.

• Children need their own identity, and parents need to keep confusion to a minimum.

• Consider carefully before giving a child a name that carriers a lot of positive or negative baggage or that relates to character, looks, or temperament. The name may be too much to live up to, or to live down.

• If you're having trouble coming up with ideas, check a library, bookstore, or the Internet. There are numerous sources for names available, many of which include the meaning and origin of each.

• Finally, give each name you're considering "the test of time." Imagine your child answering to his or her name on the first day of school, then as a self-conscious adolescent meeting new friends, then being introduced to the boss on his or her first job, and as a well respected elderly man or woman. The name should be flexible enough to fit each age your child will become.

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