Don’t be afraid to consider significant names from many different sources. Beloved book or movie characters, songs, childhood pets, or even the street you grew up on can be turned into a special and meaningful baby name.
If you and your partner both have an equally long list of personal name ideas, a good way to compromise might be to decide on a name with mutual significance from your shared past. Try cutting down the options until your both happy with one.
Don’t feel pressure to conform to your families’ naming norms, but it’s always a good idea to ask about them so that you keep your options open. [2] X Research source Asking your families about naming traditions or trends may also help you and your partner compromise on a meaningful name. For example, you may find out that you both had a great-grandmother named Mary or that you each had an ancestor from Ireland.
For example, you or your partner might feel the baby’s first flutters during a walk by the ocean, which might inspire an ocean-themed name, like Ariel or Kai. Leonardo DiCaprio’s mother was in a museum in Italy whilst pregnant, and was looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting when he first kicked in the womb, and that is how he was named. Vivid dreams and memories are a common symptom of pregnancy, and many expectant mothers claim that the names they choose for their babies came to them during dreams they had while pregnant.
She might surprise your family and be born with red hair, just like your great Aunt Josephine. If you have a boy with serene features, perhaps he’ll remind your partner of a poem by your favorite poet, inspiring you to choose a name like Walt or Ernest.
When looking through lists of names, try not to get overwhelmed by the number of choices. Just read and search until one jumps out at you and seems to stick. When you’re sure you’re happy with the name talk to your partner about it. It just might be the one.
Beware of name fads that quickly fizzle out in terms of popularity. For example, timeless names, like “Charlotte” and “Poppy” are becoming wildly popular again, but so are very modern names, like “Meadow” and “Story. ” Although “Meadow” and “Story” are cute names now, make sure that you and your partner will still find them attractive when their popularity dies out and newer naming trends take their place. [5] X Research source
You aren’t obligated to ultimately choose the name that gets the popular vote, but be sure not to make any promises ahead of time. You don’t want those who vote to participate with expectations and then have their feelings hurt if you make an alternative choice, so be sure to let your voters know the poll is just for fun.
For example, if “Sunny” or “AJ” are nicknames you adore, “Sonora” or “Amelia Josephine” could serve as formal, full-length names that the baby can switch to when she is older.
For example, “Portia” sounds like a beautiful and exotic name for a girl, but it’s Latin for “pig,” which is a meaning some people may find appalling and others may adore.
Candy Kane and Gamble Moore may sound cute and funny in the moment, but remember that your child will have to live with laughter and jests for a lifetime! Avoiding puns or irony for twins is also important. Twin names like “Jennifer and Angelina” or “Harry and Sally” are references to pop culture and won’t be lost on the majority of people, even if making a joke wasn’t your intention.
For example, if you like a rare name like “Meegan” but choose to spell it “Meagan” or “Megan,” people will assume the common pronunciation over the exotic one, which means you and your child will constantly be correcting new acquaintances. “Axel” is a cute, modern boy’s name, and though “Acksol,” and “Aksyl” are unique renditions of it, they are not intuitive. [8] X Research source
For example, while “King” is an adorable name for a baby boy, his colleagues may not take him seriously when he’s an adult giving a presentation in a corporate office.
For example, the name “Ashley Suzanne Seavey” and “Parker Mitchell Smith” are not ideal initial combinations![10] X Research source
