5 minute read
NAMING YOUR BABY
Naming Your Baby
Somewhere during your pregnancy or while awaiting your little bundle through other . means, you are bound to stumble into the name game. For some it’s an easier road than others.
By Elena Diedrick - Lynch
What’s in a name? Some opt for Juniors or name their little one’s after their favorite aunt, grandpa or exboyfriend and others go with the significance and meaning of the name.
But how do you choose the right name? How do you know if that name will be a reflection on your child’s potential and success? How do you make sure they’re not going to be the kid on the playground who’ll be picked on or worse, beat up because of their name. The truth is, it’s a hard decision to make and it deserves good consideration and thought. I was named after a soap opera character and my husband and I argued over a name for our daughter for the majority of my pregnancy. People find inspiration in different places.
I’ve been caught going through credits of movies and T.V. shows to see if I can find something that’s unique and
“flowy”. More often than not parents-to-be opt to buying one of the million and one baby name books available at their local book store, others search online or comb high school year books. Regardless of where you find it, you’ll be flooded with choices when it comes to finding the perfect name.
The more traditional names of Robert's, David's, Todd’s and Phillip’s are what seems to be light years away for the more popular Aidan, Elijah, Miles, Caleb and Noah of 2011 which were all chart toppers. For the girls the Vanessa’s, Sarah’s, Stephanie’s and Tiffany’s are now being replaced with the more popular choices such as Isabella, Sydney, Madison, Sophia and Ava, which are also in the top 25 for 2011.
In my opinion, the key to finding a good name is to find a name that flows – your last name really steers the course of your ship. For instance if your last name ends abruptly then choosing a first name like Tom or Addison isn't going to necessarily flow off the tip of the tongue as easily as maybe Hannah or Mikayla. By the same token, if your last name is flowy and ends in a "Y" or an "A", then you could go for something shorter like Kai or Chloe.
You need to find a name that suits your family, personal taste and style. It’s hard on a little one growing up with a name that would be perfect on an eighty year old man, but not so much on a five year old. Take something like Ezekiel, while it has great biblical significance and gives something for a child to grow into is a bit heavy for an 8 year old to walk around with.
When in doubt, make it up. Some decide that the name thing is too hard or that they want their little one to truly be a product of Mummy and Daddy
and as such decide to combine their names to make something unique. I have some friends named Joey and Natasha and they had Jonah (Jo+nah) as one of their options for their son.
“The perfect baby name will speak to your heart, give your child a great start in life- and maybe satisfy your relatives” , says Laura Wattenberg, writer of The Baby Name Wizard, which was, yes I’ll admit it, the only baby name book I bought. She devised a science to choosing the ultimate baby name. She’s broken every name you can think of into a wide array of categories such as ethnicity, style, regional derivatives, religious background, nick name proof, timeless and name sakes, just to name a few.
Wattenberg even provides you with potential sister and brother names so that you can keep all of your children’s names within the same style or theme. I found this tool very helpful to guide me as to choosing names that
would all work together. I have friends who have named their three children Kai, Lucca and Pax – now while they’re all very modern and zen names – they also all work together. If Pax had a sister named Phiona and a brother named Rudolf, heads would definitely turn. And while no one names their children with the "they’s" in mind, you do want to know that you’re not setting your children up for a situation that they succeed in spite of their names – you want their names to compliment and increase their opportunities in life.
That being said – on January 20, 2009 the United States o cially swore in a gentlemen by the name of Barak Obama as their next president and the name game changed quite a bit. Having someone with such a unique name holding such a powerful position, gave a burst of hope to those who tend to be on the unique end of the scale.
Your baby’s name needs to make you smile and help to create a picture in your mind as to who they’ll turn out to be, what kind of life they’ll live and the kind of accomplishments they’ll achieve. Don’t worry about whether or not your mother-inlaw will like it, the only thing that matters is that it resonates in your heart and that of your partner. And don’t worry, no one seems to like their name anyway and yes, your children will forgive you if you have a lapse of judgment and opt for something like James and your last name happens to be Jameson.
Happy Naming!
Elena Diedrick-Lynch is the mother of 2 year old Isabella and owner of Blissful Mummy. com, a blog, advice and local resource site. Offering everything from pregnancy tips and baby must haves to how to cope with your baby’s night waking’s, eating issues and tantrums. She also offers a welcome home service for new parents, within Jamaica and the Caribbean. www.blissfulmummy.com Write to her at blissfulmummy.com@gmail. com
