Great tips for choosing baby names
What should we name the new born baby?
Religious or spiritual names Mix and match names Pop-culture and/or local and national societies as names Base words with meaning Before choosing a name, keep in mind your present and your baby's future.
When choosing a name remember that other children can be cruel, especially for children with less common names or names that can easily rhyme with other less-desirable words.
Whether it's your first child or one of a dozen children you and your spouse are planning, this is one of the most common questions asked by expectant parents when they found out they were going to have a baby. The purpose of this article is to help soon-to-be parents choose an appropriate name for their precious new born baby.
Through persistence, both parents can find a name that will represent their child's uniqueness and the legacy that parents pass on to their younger generation.
So how do you find a name that suits both parent and child in a world where information abounds? The most common way to choose a baby name is from virtually any baby name book that can be picked up at your local bookstore or online from various websites like Barnes & Noble or Amazon.
There are other options available to help you decide on a name for your new born. Some ways to choose a name, discussed later, include:
Current Family Name (Genealogy)
Religious or spiritual names
Pop-culture and/or local and national societies as names
Base words with meaning
Before choosing a name, keep in mind your present and your baby's future. When choosing a name remember that other children can be cruel, especially for children with less common names or names that can easily rhyme with other less-desirable words. Every child deserves the best; Try to remember what it was like growing up to hear how cruel kids could be to each other.
Mix and match names
family name
Often when you first find out about your pregnancy, the first thing you tell your family and close friends. Family names are often considered when it comes to your baby's new name. Naming a baby after family or close friends is a respectful way to choose a name. Sometimes, however, you want to keep a family name but don't want to use a name you're more familiar with. What then? You can go to your genealogy to find a special name for a baby girl or boy.
Looking at your family tree can be a useful tool for identifying correct names. If you're not sure how to search for names, there are many online sources to help, including Familysearch.org, or other genealogy research websites. Familysearch.org is a free online repository of family: first, middle and last names. It doesn't necessarily provide exact correlations to the names you research, but it's free. Two other sources provide branches and parts of your lineage that can be helpful in determining which name to use.
Religious or spiritual names
It doesn't matter if you are a member of a religious or spiritual belief. Religion and spiritual beliefs can provide many names to help you decide on a name for your baby. Some names are more unique than others. There are a few things to be aware of when you choose a name from a religious or spiritual text or belief system.
Make sure the name is not portrayed negatively in religious stories. After all, you probably don't want to name your child Jezebel or Delilah after a biblical atrocity. Similarly, there are other girl and boy names that you may want to avoid if your child is raised in a spiritual background that recognizes the inauthenticity of some names.
Make sure the name you choose fits the culture of your society. For example, a staunch Catholic name can be offensive if used in certain areas of the world where Christianity is degraded or even persecuted.
Mix and match names
This is a personal favourite way to name babies. It uses parts of two or more names to get the same name. Name-parts may or may not have meaning to you or other people. Common ways to use this unusual naming convention include the following two situations:
Previously, a father wanted a "junior", but the mother did not want two people with the same name from the same family. As a result, he named his son 'Kelson'. Kelly was the father's name, and "son" comes from Kelly being a son. Other similar names are Jason and Kason.
The second method is often used for girls. In the United States and many other countries, when a woman and a man marry, the wife takes the husband's surname. Some parents want their child to be able to keep his surname and take the husband's surname without dropping another name (i.e. middle name). This can be accomplished by combining first and middle names into a single name and leaving out a middle name. An example of this is Marian. Two names are added to one. When she gets married, she can take her husband's surname as her new surname and keep her maiden name as her middle name.
Pop-culture name
Hollywood and pop-culture names seem to be invading everyday homes. These names are often more public, yet also often unique. If names like Apple or Pineapple speak to you, use them. There is an abundance of pop-culture based names around the world.
Base words with meaning
Another great way to help find a name for your new born is to use native language words as names. These names, though very simple, may have the best and truest meanings. Some examples of these names being used include names such as: happiness, precious, happiness, peace, charity, hope, confidence and passion.
These names are often either first or middle names. They are often combined with family names or other names derived from spiritual belief systems.
