Nursery Blog

Advice and Resources for Baby Names

After I found out I was pregnant with my first, my husband and I bought a Baby Names book. Probably one of the worst decisions we could have made. You see, this book had 50,001+ names. Half of which we couldn't even pronounce. However, we still spent many nights staying up way too late reading through the book. I wish I could say it helped us pick a name, but it didn't. I did like that I could look up the meaning of names I thought of quickly. With baby number two, I have found a better way. The internet!!

If you are concerned about your child being one of ten "Jennifer's" in her class, check out the Social Security's website: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/babynames/. You can track how popular the name you like has been over the years. See how many babies were named that in your state. Or, get ideas of names that are common... but, not too common by looking below the top 50 names.

Here are a few other websites I have found very useful in creating a name list.

http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/ allows me to search by syllables, so if I come up with a first name and think only a one syllable name sounds good with it; I can find all the names that might work. I can also save the names I like to a list, which is much easier than thumbing through a book over and over again.

http://www.babynamewizard.com/ has great search options. I can enter my son's name and get ideas of sibling names. I can enter any name and find its popularity in my state. I can run a search by popularity, style (traditional/contemporary), syllables. This is a site that is really helpful when you want a somewhat popular, traditional name, which starts with "M".

Just a few tips in deciding a name:

• Be aware of your child's initials

Genevieve Abigail Smith will not want an LLBean backpack (or anything else monogrammed) with her initials "GAS"

• Consider the names meaning

While your child probably won't be teased for the meaning, when Damian looks up the meaning and discovers it means "Demon", he might not be too pleased with your choice.

• Nicknames

Not necessary, but it is nice to look at possible nicknames. Not only for childhood teasing (Richard=Dick) but to give your child options. If you like a popular name, choose one with a couple nicknames so your child can go by something else in case there are a few other "Isabella's" in her class.

• Say the name out loud... a lot.

Does it flow? Do you have a hard time even getting it out? Try not only the first and last name, but all three together. The middle name isn't used often, but will be used on special occasions: like when your child graduates from a school. Will a stranger be able to pronounce the whole name?

To Share, or Not to Share? 

Once you have found the name, the next question is: "To share, or not to share?" With my first son, I shared his name with our family. The more that people used the name, the less I liked it. I think this had something to do with the fact that there wasn't a face to put with the name yet. Also, I don't call my bump by the name we decide on until the baby is born. We use a nickname, like peanut, until the baby arrives. Now, not everyone is like me. There are many people who have no problem sharing the name, using the name, etc. But, before you share the name, think about which person you are. It might save you from changing the name two weeks before your child is born, like I did.

How long does it take? 

Thankfully, most parents have at least six months to search for a name. For some, it comes down to the wire; others knew the name they wanted when they were 16. Good luck finding a name; it's a daunting and overwhelming task. If you really get stuck, I'm sure your family and friends won't mind offering their ideas.

The Top 10 Baby Names in America for 2008:

 

	Boy	Girl
1	Jacob	Emma
2	Michael	Isabella
3	Ethan	Emily
4	Joshua	Madison
5	Daniel	Ava
6	Alexander	Olivia
7	Anthony	Sophia
8	William	Abigail
9	Christopher	Elizabeth
10	Matthew	Chloe