Monday 9 May 2016

The Name Game

When it comes to picking a name for your newest addition, you'd be forgiven for becoming overwhelmed, but with time ticking away, you'll have to reach a decision soon enough.
There are so many names to choose from, so why is it that when we flick through lists of names we find it easier to say 'no' than 'yes'?
Now, I'm no expert (the hubs came up with the names for our two!), but I think there are a few ways to help you narrow down your choices and process the suggestions that will come in from friends and family trying to help.


Wanting to avoid repetition, we began by writing down the names of all our family and close friends' children, organising them according to gender. The list of these names is still on my phone from when I was pregnant with Charlie and we have simply added to it each time there is a new arrival. That way, we could dismiss names before becoming too set on them.
Next up we discussed any sentimental possibilities; names of grandparents, our parents etc and added them to the list. Charlie's middle name is my maiden name. My sister did the same with my teenage nephew and we really loved the sentiment too.
Next up we browsed my pregnancy app and the internet for suggestions. Did you know that there is a 100 year rule when it comes to names? It means that we are more likely to be drawn to the names of our grandparents' generation than those of our parents' as the latter aren't distant enough. They call it 'grandad and granny chic' and there are so many gorgeous names to choose from. Equally, lists of top 100 might help you avoid names that are increasingly common and, having a primary school teacher for a sister, we took some pointers from her on that.


Once we had our shortlist we tried to think about the nicknames that might derive from each, how they would sound in the different stages of their lives and fit with whatever path they might choose. It was a great way of dismissing names which we loved, but weren't sure had longevity.
Having decided with our first that we wanted middle names too, we wrote each possible combination down with our surname and dismissed those which we didn't think worked or gave daft initials. With Holly we also knew we wanted a name that would go with her brother's and had a bit of personality to it, so we tried saying the possible options with his.


Finally, and this one is entirely down to preference but, we decided not to discuss our choices with anyone as we didn't want to be influenced until we had met our little bundle and decided what suited them. The alternative argument is that, by sharing your favourites, you can gauge opinion.
Whatever name you go for, I think it's really important to remember how you felt about your own name at the various stages of your life and consider any objections you may have had to your parents' choices or, equally, why you've always liked the name they gave you.
Good luck!
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1 comment

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