One of the most exciting parts about being pregnant Is figuring out a name for your little bundle of joy! I mean come on, we’ve all been there, sitting down naming our future children even when we were children ourselves. But now it’s real. Now we have the added stress of picking a name that will not only help them fit into society while also making them unique, but also fit their someday personality. And to be honest, the most stressful part of it all - it’s final, permanent. Even setting the tone for their life one day. Here’s the process I went through when choosing my children’s names.
Traditional or Non-Traditional
A study completed by a sociologist at New York University found that kids with unusual names might be better at impulse control. Because they spend their life having to help people out with pronunciation. However, another study found that people with more simplistic names seem to excel more in the work force. Because it seems society feels more comfortable with names that are easy to pronounce and also find them more professional.
My middle name is Nicol (Yes, without an e) and I hated when I would have to tell the whole story as to why mine was spelt a little different. And my husbands name is Marc, which he hated having to correct people to change the k at the end with a c. So our choice to pick out a simple and traditional name for our son was easy. As far as our daughter, we wanted to keep up with something easy to pronounce and also easy to distinguish. But we also wanted something a little unique since she was the first girl on my husband‘s side of the family. Because a special girl needs a special name.
A Dime a Dozen
Every year there’s a new name trend. And weirdly, it’s harder to get away from it than you may think. You may be thinking that you have a completely different and unique name picked out, and then BAM - you can see the name EVERYWHERE. And then your child ends up being the third kid in their class in elementary school with the same name and has to now go by a nickname or use the first initial of their last name. So if that is something that you are not interested in, try to do research. Search the internet for the most popular names within the last five years to see if the name that you have picked falls in line.
My son has the most basic name. And honestly, we didn’t care. We love his name regardless of the popularity. Plus in all reality, even when you go searching for a complete unique name somehow in the falling couple years it still seems to make its way to the top of the list.
Meaning
With both my children, one of their names have significance. My son‘s being his first name, Christopher And my daughter’s being her middle name, Rose. My son‘s name comes from my husband‘s high school friend who had passed away. While my daughter’s comes from my husband’s grandma’s name Rosa. And I love that when someone is going to ask about their names, they are going to have stories behind them.
Nickname
Along with a backstory, I love names that can be shortened into nicknames! But we were carefully in choosing so. We tried to keep in mind not only what nicknames their name will naturally invite, but also what childish name calling it would too. My name is Jordan, not really a way to get a nickname there. Until kids start adding in Micheal And Sparks into the mix. And I was not going to let my kids be subject to that. Instead we got Christopher to be shortened into Chris, and AnnaLynne to be shortened into Annie or even Anna.
The Flow of the Whole Name
I think that this one is important. Does the first, middle, and last roll off of your tongue or do you get it all twisted? Does it sound beautiful or like a funny joke? I mean could you imagine loving the name Ally but having the last name Gator. You would have a daughter who when they called out her name in class would be Ally Gator! If that isn’t a call for peer ridicule I don’t know what is.
Spelling
Now that you’ve found a name that you love, how will you spell it? Are you going to keep it traditional or add a little flare to it? You can mix up the spelling from Mark to Marc like my husband, or Analyn to AnnaLynne like my daughter. However, choose wisely because depending on your kid they may end up frustrated later on because how many times people continuously misspell their name.
Don’t Overthink It
Listen, I’m no expert. I mean, my kids have the longest names ever. Plus, whatever name you choose for you child is bound to fit them the moment you look at them. Even if you have stressed over it for the longest time. And I’ve heard very few people regret the names theyve ended up choosing for their children. So have fun, get creative, and enjoy the process!
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