Baby Names

Choosing a name for your child can be an agonizing decision. First and foremost, you and your partner have to come to complete agreement and secondly, you have to be confident that your choice won’t eventually humiliate your son or daughter. Everyone has certain preferences when it comes to names and finding one that you both agree on may take you longer than you thought. Bring both sides of the family into the picture with their own likes and dislikes and you can be certain that some heated discussions will follow. Like all aspects of parenting, you need to be true to yourself while at the same time coming to a compromise with your partner.

Essentially, your choice of name is a reflection of your hopes for your newborn. Those of a conservative bent might find themselves drawn to classic names from the past while more liberal parents may chose a name from their favorite book or movie. The important thing is to try to avoid being too outlandish. One piece of advice is to always imagine your child’s full name on the top of a resume. What impression would it give to an employer? If you were hiring, would you rather interview a ‘Harper’ or a ‘Vader’? Make up a list of names that you are interested in and sit down with your partner to review them. Trust your immediate associations and don’t forget the importance of rhythm, especially when choosing a middle name. Often it’s the rhythm of the name that has the greatest effect and if the last name has two syllables, you’ll probably want to echo that in your child’s first name. As a final suggestion, try to avoid common names. There’s nothing worse for your child’s self esteem than being lost in a sea of Madisons and Dakotas.