Baby Names - Choosing Well

Choosing a name for your baby is a very important task.  Your child will have to live with that name for the rest of their lives, and they're not going to thank you if it's totally out there or they have to spend countless hours spelling it for people.  So it's important to choose well.

You probably need to start by working out if you want to give your child a common name or an unusual name.  This can be influenced by your surname.  If you have a very common surname, you may want to go with a name that's not so common.  That doesn't mean you have to make one up yourself; there are plenty of really nice names that people know, but don't appear on the Top 100 Baby Names lists every year.

You also need to decide who you want to share your potential baby names with.  It's likely that all your friends and family will have opinions about the name you choose, and you may prefer to avoid listening to those opinions.  Once the baby is born and named, hopefully they'll be too busy gooing and clucking over the baby to fuss about the name!

The spelling of a name is important.  Pick a name that is easy to spell, so that your child isn't doomed to repeating it over and over again throughout their life.  There was a fad a while ago to take common names and spell them in unusual ways.  All I can say is - DON'T.  Your child will never thank you for it.  Also, think seriously about choosing a name that is usually reserved for the opposite sex.  It may sound innovative to call your daughter Brandon, for example, but she will very rapidly get fed up with being addressed as Mr. when she grows up.

Remember, too, that your child has two parents, and it's important that you're both involved in choosing a name.  Some couples find it works well for the father to brainstorm for a boy's name, and the mother a girl's name, and then they share ideas.  If one parent doesn't like a name, it's off the list.  That's final.  Keep swapping ideas until you end up with a shortlist of names, then get serious about which ones you prefer.

Once you have a shortlist, it might be worth checking out the meanings of those names.  Sometimes you like a name only to find out it has a really awful meaning.  I always liked the name Darcy, for example, until I found out it meant dark and brooding.  It just didn't feel right after that. 

Choosing baby names doesn't have to be a huge drama, as long as you remember to respect your partner's feelings.  And the funny part is that quite often you'll think you've made a decision, and then you'll gaze down on your newborn's face and discover that you're calling him or her by a totally different name.  It might just be the right one for your baby, too!