THE NAME GAME

THE NAME

GAME

Rosie

As an expectant or new parent, the excitement and fun of choosing a name for your much anticipated arrival can also carry with it a huge sense of responsibility.

Given that a person’s name is so closely linked to their sense of identity throughout life, it is understandable that parents want to ensure that the ‘right’ baby name is chosen.

In my role as a midwife, I love hearing the array of names that new parents choose for their babies - something which I will never tire of. Sometimes there are very specific reasons for a certain name being chosen, other times it is simply a case of liking a particular name. When it comes to choosing baby names the decision-making process is very personal, which is unique to each family.

Commonly, parents will have whittled down their baby name choices to a ‘short-list’ by the end of pregnancy, wanting to wait and see what the baby looks like before making their final decision. Over the years I have also had the occasional couple arrive for birth ready with blankets, hats and clothing personalised with their baby’s name, while at the other end of the scale I have had couples whose babies have remained nameless for their first few days of life. Wherever you fall on the scale it is worth noting that in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, you legally have 42 days within which to register your baby’s birth, so there is no need to panic if you have not decided on a name straight away!

I know that I myself remained as ‘baby no-name’ for at least the first month of my life, as my parents took their time to settle on the right name for me. My mum had liked the name ‘Rosie’, influenced by the rosy cheeks I was born with and the red sunset on the evening following my birth. Furthermore, her best friend from childhood had been named Rosemary and the midwives in attendance during labour had variations of the name Rosamund, Rosalind and so on. My dad, however, had wanted a more unique sounding name for me and together they eventually settled on the name ‘Roswitha’ (Roz-vee-tah), meaning ‘fame’ and ‘strength’, with ‘Rosie’ being used as the shortened version. This was after a German nun of the 10th century called ‘Hrosvitha’ who is often credited with being the first known female playwright. An unusual name to say the least, I am yet to meet anyone who shares the same name as me!

There may be various things that you wish to take into consideration while choosing your baby’s name:

The meaning behind a name may be important to you.

Most baby name books will tell you the meaning behind each name.

You may have cultural, religious or family reasons for choosing a particular name.

I remember the very first birth I attended where the middle name of ‘Rose’ was chosen as a tribute to the baby’s late grandmother.

Making sure the initials don’t spell something rude or silly and the first and surname go well together!

While ‘Alexander Samuel Smith’ may, for some, have a great ring to it, I’m not sure a child would appreciate being stuck with the initials A.S.S. for life. Similarly, I am not sure that I would have continued with the name choice of Isla for my daughter had my surname been White!

You may want a traditional or popular name or conversely it might be important to you to go for a name that is a bit more unique or with a unique spelling.

My son, born in 2008, is called Jack – despite being the most popular boy’s name for that year I still chose to go with it as I’d fallen in love with the name Jack for a boy long before I was even pregnant! IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT NAMES GO THROUGH CYCLES How the name sounds OF MOVING UP alongside the names of any children you already have. AND DOWN THE The ‘sib set’ refers to the names POPULARITY LIST of a set of siblings. Some people want to choose names that are in keeping with one another, for example they may choose all biblical names or all traditional names or names all beginning with the same initial. When choosing a name for baby many things may influence your decision making process. It is important to remember that the decision is such a personal one, and something which people often have such differing and strong opinions on. Ultimately go for something that you love and feels right for you and your family!

In reality he has so far only encountered a handful of other Jacks over the years. It is important to remember that names go through cycles of moving up and down the popularity list – in recent years there has been a resurgence in popularity of more oldfashioned girls names like Elsie and Evelyn.

Avoiding associations with well known/ famous/infamous people

You may not mind your child sharing the same name as a famous person, or may intentionally do so; certainly I remember the names George, Charlotte and Louis all having a resurgence in popularity following the royal births of Prince William and Kate’s children. However, if we take the names Bonnie and Clyde, which in isolation sound fine, when put together they may have negative historical associations that you’d rather avoid – perhaps not names to choose for siblings or twins!

Top 10 names of 2020

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