We had some serious family pressure to name our child George if the little bean turned out to be a boy. It’s a family tradition on my husband’s side, and uh, reality check for me, the pregnant newlywed– I’m part of that family.
Our response was to be so secretive about the potential names for our baby that nobody was allowed to know. I had heard from other parents that no matter how well-meaning, people just can’t keep it in with regards to names.
Plus, I figured if we wanted to name our son Floyd Feffernuss Finkelstein, his grandparents would get on board once they met him, so we kept all real options in the vault.
It is stressful to think of choosing the wrong name for your new child. Nobody wants the burden of dooming a new baby to a life of horrid nicknames, misspellings, and missed promotions. I am a methodical and scientific person, so the idea of a rules-based baby name selection process really appealed to me.
I found two books that lead you through identifying the ideal candidates for your baby name.
The Baby Name Wizard: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby offers a wide array of name-choices based on current and emerging trends. Do you fancy your child a Moe, Morgan, or Moses? Do you want to honor someone in your family with a name that’s close but not exact? Understand the styles you like and dislike. The author also helps with suggested sibling names based on the kids already in your family. (Use the companion Name Voyager online to see a graph of name’s popularity over time. Super fun!)
The Perfect Baby Name is an awesome resource to help you choose a name that rolls right off the tongue. The premise is that good superstar-type names are phonetic and rhythmic matches in the way you pronounce your first and last name together.
Find your very own Elvis Presley or Marylin Monroe or at least what sounds good with your particular last name challenges.
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I can vouch for the Baby Name Wizard book, which I bought. Although the title might make you think the perfect name for your baby will magically turn up if you take a quiz or plug in a formula, there’s no such thing in the book. However, the book is different from a lot of name books because it shows you a graph of the popularity of each name listed over time, and it puts names into categories or styles, which is helpful.
And I say keep the baby name a secret! Just tell people you don’t have any names picked out. That way, no one can make any comments on your choice.
I suppose even Marilyn Monroe’s parents could have used this, especially since they named her Norma-Jean Baker.
I just read on Babycenter.com that “One of the best tests for a baby name is to yell it out loud, preferably at a playground. If you feel uncomfortable saying the name in that setting, it might not be the best choice.”
Heather, there is a George at our day care!
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