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How To Choose Your Baby's Name

by Audrey Cowan    

As you browse through website after website of baby names, it can do one of two things for you. Either it can introduce a name you haven't thought of OR it can just cause utter confusion and make the task even harder.

The list below outlines various ways that parents-to-be either decide on a name or kick one off of the list. You decide what works for you.

1. Someone you know has the same name.

Meaning: either you love the name because of that person or you hate the name because that person. Ex: the name Melony. Your husband's highschool sweetheart was named Melony. Well, that's a no-brainer - you hate it!

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2. Tradition.

If your husband is "Joseph Smith IV", and you are expecting a baby boy, then you may want to continue that tradition by naming him "Joseph Smith V". Also, you may feel pressure to name him after the long list of "Joe's" in the family, but if that doesn't interest you, then continue on to the next name on your list. Don't give in to family pressure on this one. But, if you do, then you could always call him "Quint" (get it? - the fifth). Anyway, on to the next.....

3. Popularity of the name.

We've all seen baby name popularity polls on websites and in magazines. You will find that people differ on this one. Some, like myself, would prefer that my child have a fairly "with the times" name since I grew up the only "Audrey" in my entire hometown for the entire time I lived there. So, my next child would probably be "Ashley".

However, the many "Jenny's" and "Christy's" of my generation would probably disagree with having a popular name. When the teacher would call on "Jenny", six girls would turn their head, so they were always a referred to by their last initial. There was "Jenny S.", "Jenny C.", "Jenny M." and so on. (And, yes, I am thrilled that the name "Audrey" has made it to the top 50).

4. Meaning of the name

Some people choose their baby's name based on what it means. This makes sense if the chosen name means "beautiful sunset" or "happy child". So, what do you do if you like a name and the meaning is not-so-nice? Such as "an unsuccessful future" or "muddy waters". I chose to skip over this one myself.

5. Does the name flow?

Meaning, how does the first name sound with the middle and last name? A name like "Rocky Road" or "Taylor Taylor" are a little iffy, so definitely write the entire name out and see if it flows.

6. Wait to see the baby's appearance.

OK - I never really understood why some people need to see their baby before naming him/her. Do you really think that a wrinkly newborn baby is going to help you decide between "Jessica" or "Britanny"? I can understand if you want to wait until the birth for sentimental "timing" reasons. I think this reason is given from people who really have no idea what to name their baby and they are just buying a little more time. But, if you think it will help you in your decision, then by all means, wait until you've labored for 21 hours (yes I did), had an epidural stuck in your back, pushed for an hour and a half, and been starved of anything edible the entire time - are you really going to feel like naming your child at that time? Just think about it.

Whether you use these options in your baby-naming quest or if you use others, keep in mind just how important your decision is for your baby. He/she will carry that name for the rest of his/her life. Now that I've pointed out just how large of a responsibility you have, go out there and find the best possible name for your baby. Let me suggest "Audrey".


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