by 6 people |
A little help for you to choose the perfect baby name.
Choosing a name for a new baby is not something to be taken lightly, bearing in mind the name will be with your baby for the rest of his/her life. Later in life a name could reflect that persons character and create a first impression by which they are judged.
So where should you start?
A good way to start is to sit down with your partner, grab a pen and paper each and write down all your favorite names. These could be of family members, friends or co-workers. If you don't have a partner why not invite a few friends round and do the same, it's a great excuse to catch up on gossip too!
When you have your lists of names you should then take turns to read one to each other. This is where your list of fifty names will get reduced to ten or less.
These ten names will then give you an indication of which type of name you are both looking for, of which there are many. I've listed a few types of names below;
Celebrity Names
Family Names
Old Fashioned Names
Traditional Names
When you have found which type of name you are looking for I would then recommend buying a baby naming book.
The reason for choosing a name in this way is you will find that once you have a baby naming book there are so many names and it will take you longer to choose. If you find out in the above way which type of name you are looking for you then only need to concentrate on one section of the book. By all means look through the rest of the book as a certain name may jump out at you, but this is the easiest way to name a baby. My partner and I have named three so we know what a difficult decision this can be.
So where should you start?
A good way to start is to sit down with your partner, grab a pen and paper each and write down all your favorite names. These could be of family members, friends or co-workers. If you don't have a partner why not invite a few friends round and do the same, it's a great excuse to catch up on gossip too!
When you have your lists of names you should then take turns to read one to each other. This is where your list of fifty names will get reduced to ten or less.
These ten names will then give you an indication of which type of name you are both looking for, of which there are many. I've listed a few types of names below;
Celebrity Names
Family Names
Old Fashioned Names
Traditional Names
When you have found which type of name you are looking for I would then recommend buying a baby naming book.
The reason for choosing a name in this way is you will find that once you have a baby naming book there are so many names and it will take you longer to choose. If you find out in the above way which type of name you are looking for you then only need to concentrate on one section of the book. By all means look through the rest of the book as a certain name may jump out at you, but this is the easiest way to name a baby. My partner and I have named three so we know what a difficult decision this can be.
Celebrity Baby Names
Celebrity baby names are just that, these are names which have to capture the publics imagination.
Take David and Victoria Beckham for example, their first son was named Brooklyn as he was conceived in New York, apparently Manhattan was an option but was thought by the pair to be a bit of a mouthful. Their second son was named Romeo and the third son is called Cruz. All three names are a bit out of the ordinary but I must admit they do create the celebrity status for their future.
I wouldn't recommend the average person copying these names as they won't have the same ring to them. Brooklyn Beckham sounds a lot better than Brooklyn Evans. It is also not very imaginative to be copying these names as they have a meaning for that person. It is good to have a reason you choose a name, Brooklyn is a great example of this as it is unique. A story behind a name is an excellent talking point and helps to capture the time the child was conceived through to birth.
Take David and Victoria Beckham for example, their first son was named Brooklyn as he was conceived in New York, apparently Manhattan was an option but was thought by the pair to be a bit of a mouthful. Their second son was named Romeo and the third son is called Cruz. All three names are a bit out of the ordinary but I must admit they do create the celebrity status for their future.
I wouldn't recommend the average person copying these names as they won't have the same ring to them. Brooklyn Beckham sounds a lot better than Brooklyn Evans. It is also not very imaginative to be copying these names as they have a meaning for that person. It is good to have a reason you choose a name, Brooklyn is a great example of this as it is unique. A story behind a name is an excellent talking point and helps to capture the time the child was conceived through to birth.
Family Names
These names are great and if you have a family tree to hand you may be surprised. Most family trees will include at least one out of the ordinary name. Using an old family name is good and will get you a lot of respect from other family members as it shows you care where your family came from and are looking to the future of the family name.
Old Fashioned Names
Just as clothing styles change so do name styles. Old fashioned names are not bad names, just ones that have been forgotten as new names become more fashionable. This style of name is great if you want a name that is not going to be very common.
Traditional Names
These are traditional in the sense they will never go out of fashion. Some people don't like to be different and like these names as they tend to sound good with almost any surname. This is the route we went down with our three children, Charlotte, Harvey and Kimberley. The meanings for these are below;
Charlotte
This name comes from the old German meaning Free Woman or Small Woman.
As she grows, the meaning of the name seems to fit her personality as she is quite petite but is very independent.
Harvey
His name is from the French meaning Battleworthy and as like most young boys, shows no fear and knows his own mind.
Kimberley
Depending on which book you read, this name has several different interpretations. No matter which one you go for, they all derive from old English. Meaning Kings Wood, Cyneburgs Field or The Meadow Of The Royal Fortress. Whichever way you look at it the name seems to come from nobility, and Kimberley already looks to be able to carry herself well.
It is Kimberley who is in the photo at the top, about two hours after birth.
Charlotte
This name comes from the old German meaning Free Woman or Small Woman.
As she grows, the meaning of the name seems to fit her personality as she is quite petite but is very independent.
Harvey
His name is from the French meaning Battleworthy and as like most young boys, shows no fear and knows his own mind.
Kimberley
Depending on which book you read, this name has several different interpretations. No matter which one you go for, they all derive from old English. Meaning Kings Wood, Cyneburgs Field or The Meadow Of The Royal Fortress. Whichever way you look at it the name seems to come from nobility, and Kimberley already looks to be able to carry herself well.
It is Kimberley who is in the photo at the top, about two hours after birth.
Amazon Spotlight
Baby Name Encyclopedia: The Perfect Baby Name Adviser
Amazon Price: $15.95 (as of 12/29/2009)
Now you have your baby name.
What about a middle name?
Middle names aren't an important name but they do give you the chance to make your new babies name stand out.
These are the ones we chose for our three children;
Charlotte Efrona Evans
Harvey Leyton Evans
Kimberley-May Evans
As you can see the first names are traditional, but to make their names unique we gave them middle names which have some meaning to us and them.
Efrona came about when we were watching a program on television. It was the the name of one of the characters and was stated in the program the name meant, sweet sounding little bird. We knew we were having a girl and decided to give this to Charlotte as a middle name.
Leyton comes from the name of an artist who lived locally, we changed the spelling to give Harvey a middle name he can trace back to his home town.
May is quite simply the month that Kimberley was born in, but instead of it just being a middle name we attached it to the first name to give her Kimberley-May.
Middle names give you the perfect opportunity to be creative, think about where you were when baby was conceived or who your favorite actor is. If you want to be really creative you could merge two names together to create something truly unique.
Choosing the perfect baby name can be extremely difficult for all parents and we know some parents who had trouble even after baby was born. Give yourself as much time as possible as it does take a while to get right. Once you have a name keep saying it aloud to yourself or even talk to baby while pregnant. Talking to baby while still in the womb is an excellent bonding tool, and be sure to get your partner involved too.
Good Luck!
These are the ones we chose for our three children;
Charlotte Efrona Evans
Harvey Leyton Evans
Kimberley-May Evans
As you can see the first names are traditional, but to make their names unique we gave them middle names which have some meaning to us and them.
Efrona came about when we were watching a program on television. It was the the name of one of the characters and was stated in the program the name meant, sweet sounding little bird. We knew we were having a girl and decided to give this to Charlotte as a middle name.
Leyton comes from the name of an artist who lived locally, we changed the spelling to give Harvey a middle name he can trace back to his home town.
May is quite simply the month that Kimberley was born in, but instead of it just being a middle name we attached it to the first name to give her Kimberley-May.
Middle names give you the perfect opportunity to be creative, think about where you were when baby was conceived or who your favorite actor is. If you want to be really creative you could merge two names together to create something truly unique.
Choosing the perfect baby name can be extremely difficult for all parents and we know some parents who had trouble even after baby was born. Give yourself as much time as possible as it does take a while to get right. Once you have a name keep saying it aloud to yourself or even talk to baby while pregnant. Talking to baby while still in the womb is an excellent bonding tool, and be sure to get your partner involved too.
Good Luck!
More baby naming books.
Hello, My Name is... A Guide to Naming Your Baby
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 12/29/2009)
Naming Your Baby: The definitive dictionary of first names
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/29/2009)
Beyond Shannon and Sean: An Enlightened Guide to Irish Baby Naming
Amazon Price: (as of 12/29/2009)
Beyond Charles and Diana: An Anglophile's Guide to Baby Naming
Amazon Price: (as of 12/29/2009)
Cool Boys Names.
Add your favorite boys names.
1
Harvey
1 point
2
Jacob
1 point
3
David
Boring I know, but it's always been my favourite.0 points
Cool Girls Names.
Add your favorite girls names.
1
Charlotte
1 point
2
Kimberley
1 point
3
Emma
I would have loved to have called one of my daughters this name, but my husband hates it.0 points
Do you like this lens?
You may like these too!
If you would like to know more about me ( the writer of this lens ) please visit my personal lens.
Carl Evans
I have another great lens relating to parenting.
Practical parenting tips and more.
And if you are thinking about getting married, or know somebody that is, then this lens is a great guide.
How to plan a wedding
Carl Evans
I have another great lens relating to parenting.
Practical parenting tips and more.
And if you are thinking about getting married, or know somebody that is, then this lens is a great guide.
How to plan a wedding
Hey, please share your thoughts on this lens.
submit
-
Reply
- seegreen seegreen Feb 21, 2009 @ 10:25 am
- Very nice. We gave our girls traditional names, and the middle names were family names. Thanks for visitng my baby name page too!
-
Reply
- Lou1842 Lou1842 Jan 15, 2009 @ 3:54 pm
- Nice lens. It's always good to get help with ideas for baby names. We really struggled for our son, especially with his middle name.
-
Reply
- Ramkitten Ramkitten Jan 15, 2009 @ 12:52 am
- Good idea for a lens ... though I'm not a mom (unless you count my dog). Got here from the Lensmaster Lounge. 5* for actually getting me to read a baby-related lens! :) Hey, there's a first time for everything, right?
