Top Tips All Moms Should Follow When Naming a Child

Children are wonderful gifts, and when you’re expecting one there is so much excitement. The next step is to choose a name for your baby. That’s an important decision because it’s the first thing everyone will call out when they meet them, so choosing wisely is really important. There are some key tips that every mom should follow when naming a child.

Reflect Your Ancestry

Your child is part of your family history. It’s important, therefore, to reflect your ancestry in the name you choose for your child. Whether your family is originally from the Emerald Isle and you want to look up some beautiful Irish names you. You can see some common Irish baby names here to help you decide.  If you’re Italian and want to celebrate the traditions of your homeland, it’s important to remember where you came from when deciding what to call the new addition to your family. It can be a great way to pay homage to the generations before you. If your partner and you are from different cultures, you can even combine two names, or choose one from each culture as a first and middle name. You’ll often find that looking back across the years will give you some name ideas that just jump out as perfect for your child.

Think Of Possible Nicknames

When deciding on a name, it’s important to think about which nicknames can easily be derived from it. It’s no secret that children can be cruel at times, so you want to avoid names that could potentially make your child the brunt of teasing or even bullying, at least to a reasonable extent. Practically every name can be shortened to a nick, but some are more easily or commonly used than others. Apart from that, you also want to consider what nickname you’d like to give to your child if you choose to use one. If you and your partner are at a stalemate currently between your two top pics, this can help you make the decision – the name that has the better nickname wins!

Know The Meaning Behind The Name

When you’re choosing a name for your child, you want to consider the meaning behind it. There are a lot of pretty names that don’t have a terribly flattering meaning, and there are beautiful ones as well that have a profound or powerful meaning. It’s important to get just the right balance between what you like and what your child will be called once it grows up, so knowing the meaning behind a name can help you make just that all-important decision. It’s like a little message you’ll be sending your child every time they use their name, so you want to make sure it’s a positive and inspiring one. For example, Marc means dedicated to Mars, the Roman god of War, while Andrea means ‘manly’ or ‘virile’.

Compromise With Your Partner

Because the name you give your child will be something they carry for their entire lives, it’s only natural for moms to get a bit protective over the naming process. However, you need to remember to include your partner in the decision as well. You could even set up a few rules in advance so that you have something to fall back on in the heat of the moment. For starters, you could agree that if one of you doesn’t like a certain name – it’s off the table, no further discussion needed. If another name has sentimental value to one of you, the other person needs to give it some thought even if they’re not in love with it at the get-go. The two of you could also create a list of names you definitely don’t want for your child, as well as a list of the things you want the name to be like. Easy to spell and pronounce, a longer or a shorter name, a gender-specific or a gender-neutral name, etc.

Avoid Passing Trends

Do your research. Choose something that is popular, but not one you’ve heard everywhere before. Make sure the name isn’t too weird or unique that people will have trouble pronouncing it or won’t be able to remember it, but also make sure it’s an authentic name that won’t be out of style in a few years. Chances are you’ll find something that meets all of your requirements. However, you always want to avoid naming your child after a character from a popular show, book, or movie. This is especially true if the thing that’s currently popular hasn’t ended yet, so you don’t know how the character is going to develop further. The last thing you want is for it to turn out you’ve named your child after a villain, or that they’ll have at least 6 classmates with the same name as them once they get older.

Your baby’s name will be a part of its identity forever. Choosing a name is difficult, but it’s an important part of welcoming your baby into the world. There are a few key factors to take into consideration when choosing a name for your children, such as your heritage, nicknames, and the meaning behind it. Avoiding passing trends and overly common names are important things to keep in mind as well. If you follow these tips, you’ll definitely find the perfect name for your little one.