Choosing A Name For Baby

Did you pick your child’s name before they were born? How did you choose the name, does it have a special meaning for you?

When my first child was due I had no idea if he was going to be a boy or girl and although I was quite set on a girl’s name I hadn’t really made up my mind about a boy’s name. However, a soon as I saw him I knew what his name would be. 

With my second child I gave the honour of choosing to her daddy. As soon as he said her name, a few minutes after the birth, I loved it, even though I’d never heard it before.

With the three younger children we used names from loved ones who have passed on for either their first or second names. 

Emily Davies Writes – What’s in A Name? Where she looks at the meaning behind the names she has chosen for her new baby girl. And Over40andMumtoOne tells us why she chose the names she did for her little boy. Others have told me that they chose names from favourite tv/film characters and some have been careful about choosing names too popular. Some say that the name hasn’t been an option until after baby is born and they can decided what suits them. Some look closely at the meaning of names, some make up their own. You can gain insight or inspiration by looking at top baby name lists for boys and girls. 

The most unusual name in my family is my little great niece, Nevaeh (pr.Nev eya) have you heard that name before? I hadn’t. Now read it backwards. She’s a gorgeous little girl, truly heaven sent.

Celebrities sometimes start trends with names but would you name your child after a fruit like Gwyneth Paltrow who called her daughter Apple? Maybe the name Theodora will become popular after Robbie Williams gave the name to his daughter last year? I didn’t spot a trend when Victoria Beckham gave her daughter, Harper Seven, a number as a middle name back in 2011. 

Jack and Olivia have been very popular names for some years now but they have knocked off the top spots by Harry and Amelia. See chart below for more popular names for 2012. My children’s names do not make it to the top 10 but are not so uncommon that they don’t feature in the top 20 to 40. 

Choosing a name is a personal choice, and also a difficult choice because in reality it’s not only you who have to live with it. I could have called my son Arthur, which I think is a little old fashioned but still a nice name, but put it with his surname, Stone and it sounds silly. Say it out loud Arthur Stone! Again, I could have called my daughter Precious or Gem.  Someone told me of a little boy called Ben with surname beginning with D. There are two Ben’s in his class at school so he gets called Ben D. There is so much to think about when choosing names. One thing I missed when choosing my older children’s names where their initials. The are not bad, but they are the same and my son’s initials (CASS) spell out most of my daughter’s name (Cassie) It also means I have to look at any post that arrives for them very carefully. My mum had the same problem when my brother lived at home, 

she was Mrs J B. He was Mr S J B. 

The following infographic from Bounty shows the most popular names of 2012 as well as looking at some trends. It seems that the Royals have had some effect with Harry being top of the list for boys and Catherine rising 21 places. Some of the most unusual names include Tinkerbell and Nemo, seriously? I like that 80% of girls called April were born in April, but only 35% of girls called May were born in May. 

Do feel free to let me know in the comments why you chose the name you did for your child.