re: How to choose a baby name

Personally, I've always appreciated different/unique names. My husband, maybe not so much. With our first daughter, I picked out the first name and he picked the middle, so her name is Nadia Angelina. Our second daughter is due on April 11 and this time he picked out the first name (I of course got final approval) and Nadia and I picked out the middle name, so we're going to name this baby Chloe Sophia. I think it's a very pretty name, I love the name Sophia, so does Nadia.

well i disagree with Ash

as there are a lot of people with unisex names that have been successful

kids will tease other kids over anything, whether it is because of a name or not. u cud have a name that no one cud tease ur kid about. but then ur kid could be (i dont have any problems with anything mentioned next, but we are talking about kids!) ....ginger, have glasses, not be as attractive as others....or other matters, of just being plain annoying. Names are names, fair enuf some names i wud never ever call my boy or girl with. But if someone wants to name their kid that, then so be it. Only the kid will decide whether they like their name or not, kids av nicknames now to what they like, so most of the time they are not called by their actual birth names, unless my someone of authority.

When i did my Sociology A-level course, we studies how peoples names can affect their lives, and found that unique, exotic names on application forms and on exam papers, were more likely to be noticed more, or graded higher as it sounds appealing to examiners/employers.....wrong i know, but thats life.

Everyday names, like Jack and Emily are less likely to catch someones attention.

Common look at celebrities....could u imagine Angelina Jolie being called Emily, Denzel Washington being called James, Quentin Tarintino (sp)

we planned our future baby's name by combining our name .. isn't it cute  

My name is Porsche. My dad named me after his car. I hated it until after I graduated high school. I love it now. I've only ever heard of one other person with my name. Portia De Rossi(the actress) My hubby's name is Leif.(pronounced Life) He was named after his uncle. We have 3 kids already, Quinnlyn, Zoe and Elias. We're expecting our 4th on September 4th. We like different names but we're trying to keep it somewhat reasonable. It's true, no matter what your childs name is, people will always find a way to make fun of it. We've got a few we really like but I'd like to know what other people think about them (we refuse to tell family until AFTER we've named the baby)

girls:

Eva
Presley
Liberty

Boys:

Jude
Luca
Malakai
Presley

Do you know what makes me laugh, my name is Ashlie, however on my birth certificate its spelt Ashley. I am from england and i have only ever met 1 other girl named ashlie in my life!! In America its like one of the most common names, and nearlly every other post on the teen pregnancy page is from an Ashlie! Its like the most uncommon name in where i am from!! lol!
I am naming my baby girl Ruby Grace Redhead, and my name for a boy is Lewis David Redhead. Lewis i have always liked and David my bf's middle name and also his dads name. I also lik Honey Mae for a girl and Jaiden Samuel for a boy. xxx

I have to agree that no matter what your name is that kids are cruel and they will tease you for some reason no matter what. My name is Desiree which is a very feminine name and even in high school my friends would call me desi lezi even though im straight. They only did it because it rhymed and they thought it was funny. So in the end it doesnt matter what kind of name you have. Everyone is different and everyone should just except that not everyone likes names like Jane or Jennifer. Get over it and name you child what ever you want. You shouldnt be so disrespectful as to make judgements on other ethnic names. Boy, wouldnt our world be boring if everyone chose the same names all the time. Not only that but you would have alot of people with the same name. Im naming my baby girl Avery Nichole which is after my sister in law. Her middle name is also Nichole. Her sister unfortunately is mad because we arent naming her after her. Her middle name is Crystal and personally I hate Avery Crystal , to me it just doesnt go well together. Point being, Name your child what you like. There's always going to be someone that doesnt like it but you cant make everyone happy at the same time.

Specs06 wrote: I agree with all those they're right on! One thing I'd like to add:

* giving your little girl a boy's name is a horrible thing to do.

I went to middle school with a girl named Jordann. And at the age of 13 she was flat as can be. Most girls developed something sometime in grade six or seven. But she was flat until sometime in high school, and was modestly endowed, which goes without saying. Anyway for at least two years everyone used to make fun of her and say "Gee, what's HE doing in here." When she came into the gym locker room. Not to mention other forms of teasing to do with her name and her body.
And also if they're larger boned too. A girl named Kendra, Ken for short, who was tall, muscular, and heavy. Used to get called "Ken my Man" needless to say she didn't really like it.

So think about it all you parents to be who think Addison (means Son of Adam) or Jackson (Son of Jack) are just the cutest names for your girls... You're wrong.
And icky made up names like Davilyn are just as bad UCK! Those types of names tell me the parents were so sure the baby was going to be a boy they started to write David on the birth certificate and then realised OMG no penis! Davi- ... ummm .... ummm what do we do now...? -lyn

Also not trying to make anyone too upset but a lot of those "African American" names are really out there. A rule of thumb is if you don't have to explain the spelling when you type it to an educated, litterate member of your family over the age of thirty-five you're good. But, there has been a study that these types of names make it harder for them to get a job latter in life. I guess I'm reinforcing the aformentioned "Is it a flexible name with possibilities in any line of work?" DeLaTonka Raya-Rae (huge exageration meant to be comical) might be a great model but most people probably wouldn't trust her alone in/cleaning their house or while they're on the operating table.

Spellings.... UGH spell it right!!! If later in elementary or middle school your child wants to spell their name different, let THEM. Don't do it for them from birth. It might not be their style. Not to mention it's a poor model for the English language and could cause some confusion. Ethnic spellings are okay if you're of THAT ethnicity. Say people of Eastern European decent could call their daughter Viktoria. Or Japanese may call their daughter Kimi,(really a Japanese name) instead of Kimberly. There's nothing worse than a misleading name. Or one that makes them sound like a moron ei: JezziKah for Jessica.

Pleasant, thoughtful, naming,

---------- Ash

Her ticker says her child's name is Rowan Alasdair.....I'm sure there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY anyone could ever make fun of this name...!?!!

Ahoy matey;s!! We're Rowan through the ocean....Alasdair is an island ahead!

Lol sorry.  

I think the main message is for parents to really consider what they are naming their children. I have seen some really odd-ball names before and you just feel bad for that little baby.

I have a firm appreciation for unique, individual names. But if you child has to constantly correct people on the pronounciation or spelling of their name it is tedious. Trust me, my name is Aundrea...not Andrea, not Audrey, not Aubrey, not Audrea, not Drea....Aundrea, pronounced....On-Dre-Ah. As I child, I HATED my name, I was chronically picked on. Was tall and gangly as a child and was called Andre the Giant. Not fun, I am 32 years old and still remeber the taunts. As I have grown older I have more of an appreciation for my name, but it was tough as a child.

But naming your child is a very personal, private choice. If you love the name, keep it. Don't worry about what other people think, afterall....it's isn't their child, it's yours.

Best of luck!

Yeah.. it is very difficult to choose the name.. we are planning to get a puppy, and also very confuse which name we have to give to the puppy..  

My name is unique, but not completely off the wall -- "Farrah Lynn" ...yes, after the actress.

Needless to say, I get hit on by a lot of older men. I got called "Leaky Fauwcett" b/c I spit a lot when I played softball. I've been called Ferris Wheel, Ferret, etc.

I HATED it when I was younger, but now that I'm an adult I really appreciate having a unique name.   I love it!

For a girl, we're having Hayley Lynn and for a boy Alec Everett.

Well, My name is Larkin. Growing up I hated my name. It wasn't "normal" like Ashley, Sara, or Jessica. (It didn't help that my last name is Bond) I hated kids. They were mean. But now I love my name. Everyone I meet remembers me weather or not they remember my name. They just know it was different or they loved my name. My mom is a sub teacher in Alaska and one of the teachers she's friends with ask if she could use my name for her daughter because she love my name and all the stories about me. So I have a little girl named after me. Little "Larkin Victoria" Anyway that's my story about names. Oh and by the way...My parents are WHITE and I'm ADOPTED and KOREAN. My name is an IRISH BOY'S name. I couldn't be happier with any other name. If you have a problem with that, then go suck your toe!

nick wrote: There's no obvious method for choosing the perfect name for your child, so we've reserved this space so that everyone can submit their own list of the most essential pointers to help in the fun-yet-frustrating process of deciding just what name is right for your little bundle(s) of wonderful.

So here are some tips that Mara originally wrote:

Waiting is only a GOOD thing...
In our fast-food, high-speed, cable on demand world, you might feel pressured to answer those pushy folks asking you: "So whattya going to name your baby?" Remember this: it's is your child and this decision will affect them for the rest of their life-it will be an integral part of their identity.

So just take your sweet time-there's no rush. There's also no harm in waiting until after you've held your child in your arms and looked into their eyes. There might just be that moment where the name you've chosen suddenly doesn't make any sense at all. So keep a few "back-up" favorite names on the back burner for the off-chance you don't like the name you chose prior to the first time you hold your child in your arms.

Think about your life-philosophy a bit
Everyone already knows that every family is different. The name of your child is inevitably going to reflect an aspect of its family's philosophy. Are you deeply connected and interested in you or your partner's family history? If so start combining both of your family trees for interesting characters and names that might offer a little something to your child when you tell them about the source of their name.

On the other hand, family names offer a limited amount of creativity and won't necessarily reflect your personal views of life, which may be the things you'd rather bestow on your child. There's a plethora of beautiful and zany names being invented and re-invented every year.

Think about what your child would want to deal with

- Avoid bad acronyms when you put the name together: e.g. Cathy Olivia Wiggum or Portia Ingrid Grisham. Some are cute though, Frieda Uma Niger

- Rhyming is NOT so cute (e.g. Randal Crandal)

- New Derivations on old words aren't fun either: (e.g. Walter Mellon)

- Inventing new spellings of old standards isn't necessarily that cool for your child. (Aymee will have to explain that she isn't Amy-over and over again).

- Is it a flexible name with possibilities in any line of work? (think doctor vs artist)

- Rhythm as opposed to rhyme is good thing: long first names go well with short last names and vice versa.

Got some good tips? Then post them here!

I think this post is great!!! very helpful  

I'm trying to talk to my husband about names. He won't come up with any but shoots down everyone I give him as a suggestion. He finally gave me one name, which i've always disliked (for numerous and personal reasons which I've explained to him) and he did nothing but complained. My favorite name for a girl is either Devyn or Alexis but he still complains, Devyn is too manly and difficult and Alexis will be picked on because it's too much like a man's name Alex. I'm not very far along, so I have the time, but he's already being so stubborn with this... Does anybody have any input or easier names to maybe please him. As long as my baby is healthy, I'm happy. I have decided to name my son Ian Michael.

Oh, and I was always picked on all my life because of my name... I know how it feels but I would still like my child to be proud of his or her name.

Well, I thought I was going to read all sorts of name ideas when I logged on. This has been a surprise. I'm glad to read the majority on here are not narrow minded like "specs06". I think all has been said about that opinion so...

Name examples:

Caryl not Carol
Nicholai not Nikoli
Mary nicknamed Monkey which she loves
Marlow (a girl I remember from grade school)
Bunny Easter (actually really fit her-she was so cute)
Colleen pronounced Coleen
K. -just her first initial

These names all fit the people and as the last one shows when you grow up modify it if you like. K was Karen...not unique enough for her so she just uses the initial.  

NavyWife41305 wrote: i have a lot of possibilities for names picked out...i have no idea what we will use...but i am a HUGE fan of taking a 'normal' name and spelling it different to give my child his/her individuality....i even did that with my name, though never legally..my name is Erin...and i HATE it...i changed it to Arryn for about 5 years but got tired of explaining why i changed it..lol plus i have ALOT of deaf friends and it was harder for them to figure out how to pronounce it ARRYN...i still LOVE the spelling...just kind of grew out of wanting to be SO different...but i plan on giving my kids unique spellings...

------
i like the name Eran for a girl and my husband's name is aaron so I thought it would be nice even if we have a girl to name her after him so i came up with Ayren. I dont think theres anything wrong with unisex names. BUT i have one girls name ahead of that one so it probably wont get used anyways.