7 Things to Consider When Naming Your Baby

Naming a baby can be stressful. The pressure of finding the perfect name can be overwhelming. I’ve gone through the process twice (so far) and it is hard each time. I just want to find the perfect name that suits my baby. During my first pregnancy, I found another expecting mother who was asking opinions on baby names. Someone mentioned to her how one of the names she liked had a negative nickname you could easily attach to it and I had never even considered potential nicknames before.

This sparked something in me to do more research and consider things not thought of often when picking a baby’s name. I have put together this list that I use to help anyone else picking a baby name to cover your bases.

1. Sound & Flow of the Name

How do the names sound together? Do the first and last names flow and sound good together? Does the first, middle, and last names all sound good together? Think about how it will be yelling the full name out when your child is in trouble. Is it a mouthful? Is it too long or too short?

2. Initials & Monograms

When you pick a name you like often you don’t think to consider initials and if they spell anything bad. Another thing to consider is monograms. They are very popular and you use the initials in the order of first, last, and middle initials. So just take a look at what the monogram would be. For example, if you named your kid Ulysses Henry Gilbert the initials “UHG” would seem fine but if you made it into a monogram then it would be “UGH”. Not that bad, but it could be worse. Just check what both the initials and monograph would be.

3. Nicknames Easily Attached to the Name

Kids can be mean and will find horrible nicknames to tease other kids. Think if there is anything negative that rhymes with the name you like or would be easy to use to turn it into a negative nickname.

4. Name Popularity

Look up how popular the name is. Is it being used often? Do you know many people who are using it? I always love looking at the name polls in my baby apps when I’m pregnant to see which names are the most common at the time I have my baby. If the name is popular does that bother you? Your child may have others with the same name in school. Name popularity is a deal-breaker for some and doesn’t matter to others.

5. Google the Name & See What Comes Up

I always make sure to do this one when picking a baby’s name. I like to see if anything comes up. You never know if there is a serial killer or adult star with the same. I always like to double-check before naming my baby.

6. Name Association

This is probably the biggest one to me when it comes to narrowing down a potential baby name. We all have positive and negative associations with names just based on the things we’ve encountered in our life. For example, if you were bullied as a kid you would probably have a negative association with the name of the person who bullied you. Or if your partner had a significant other who broke their heart you probably would want to avoid naming your baby after that person. It can be frustrating when you’re listing out possible names you like and your partner turns them down but just keep in mind it could be because of a negative association to the name.

7. Name Meaning

I personally pick names based on what I like, but I know quite a few people who like to pick names based on what they mean. When you find a name you like do a quick search to find the meaning of the name. My sister liked a name and looked up the meaning to discover it had something to do with the creature of the dark. Not a very flattering meaning and she quickly wrote it off because of that. If the meaning is important to you, make sure you know what the name you like means.

These are just some little things to consider that often get overlooked. If it wouldn’t have been for that one fellow expecting mother and a negative nickname I mentioned earlier, I wouldn’t have thought of a lot of these. I hope that these tips help you to find the perfect baby name.