My personal list of baby naming tips, of which seem to be common sense to me but apparently are not to others!
1. Please do not spell your child’s name “you-neekly”…it drives me crazy if I have to stare at a name for more than half a second to figure out what the heck it is and how the heck to say it…so if you want to name your child Khaytelynn, Ahnnahbell, or Shaqueeshah, let’s try for a spelling that’s a little more “user friendly”….Katelyn, Kaitlin, Caitlin are all much easier to read.
2. I personally hate when people have Juniors, Seniors, “the third”… give your child his own personality and use the family name for a middle name. For example, if Grandpa is John Henry Smith Sr, and the Father is John Henry Smith, Jr., and you have a son named John Henry Smith III… How do you keep them all apart? Why not give your son three names, like Ethan John Henry Smith, then he still has his family names but he is his own person and won’t feel like he has to grow up in the shadow of his dad and/or grandpa.
3. Made up names plain old suck. At the top of my “Most Hated Baby Names of All Time” is the name Nevaeh. What in the world is that, besides “heaven” backwards…it’s just ridiculous! And it doesn’t even sound pretty to me…uffda.
4. Have a list of a few names you love, and don’t decide until you have had your child - what if you absolutely love the name Sara, but then you meet her and she doesn’t look like a Sara to you at all? Then, you have a second baby girl and she looks like a Sara, but you can’t use the name because your baby, who should have been Jane, already has the name?
5. Use a first name only, first and middle, or first and two middle names, but no more than that.
6. When coming up with a name, say the first middle and last out loud multiple times - if it doesn’t flow, go back to the drawing board… but how do you get them to flow? If you have a long first name and a long last name, try a short middle. If you have a short first name and a short last name, try a longer middle name. This rule doesn’t always work though…basically, just consider how kindergarten will be for your child learning to spell his or her name…if there are more than 20 letters to their first and last name, your kid is going to have trouble! Also, think about the initials…you don’t want your kid’s initials spelling “KKK” or “ASS”
7. Do not listen to family and friends when coming up with a name - it’s up to the parents of the child to choose a name they both love and can live with. Now, if you like the name “Porkie Stu Smith”, and your family steps in? Listen to them! But if you have generally normal taste, don’t listen to them. And do not feel pressured to name your child after a Aunt Bertha who insists you use her name for your baby. You’ll regret it. And besides, it should be considered an honor if someone names their baby after you, how could you sleep at night telling someone they should do that?
8. Read books, search the internet and do your research - look up the meaning of the name, how popular it is and other information about the name. If you choose a name and 10 years later find out it means “he who is evil and spoiled”, would it bother you? If not, don’t worry about this tip…
9. Need inspiration? Think about places you have been, where you and your significant other met, where you conceived “Baby”, songs you both love, or people who have inspired you. Just don’t be too obvious or weird… i.e. don’t name your baby after the song “My Humps” or “Baby Got Back” - think “Mandy” or “Sweet Adeline”
10. Don’t choose a name that is “cutesy”. It may be “cute” when they’re 5, but what about when they are 30 and have a professional career? Will the name sound mature and sophisticated or will it still sound “cutesy”?
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