What are you going to name your baby? So you’re having a baby! In addition to all the congratulating and planning that’s about to start, there is a very exciting process to begin. For many people, this is the fun part! You may have had names picked out for ages, or you may be a blank slate with all your options open. Your friends and family will certainly be asking what names you’re thinking about; maybe you will choose a family name or one of the more popular ones of this year! You might choose one name and stick with it your whole pregnancy or maybe you won’t decide for sure until you meet your little one. Are you going to tell everyone when you pick a name or keep it a secret until the birth? Either way, you can be sure people will tell you their own suggestions and try to influence your decision.
Getting Started…
Not sure where to begin on your search for finding the perfect name for your baby? A good way to get you started is pretty simple- what’s the reason behind your own name? Did it hold special meaning to your parents? What has it meant to you?
The Bump and Nameberry are two sites full of names for your baby! According to their predictions, the top baby names in 2016 will be…
For Girls:
- Astrid
- Thea
- Sadie
- Riley
- Elise
- Avery
- Rowan
- Elsie
- Finley
- Jade
For Boys:
- James
- Elijah
- Jayden
- Elliot
- Logan
- Charlie
- Jude
- Elias
- Isaiah
- Arlo
However, if you don’t feel like your baby needs to have the trendiest name of their generation, check out some of the traditions of naming children that you have probably not considered!
- The Native American Hopi tribe has a tradition of laying an ear of corn, to represent Earth, next to your baby. After 20 days, they rub it on the baby and name him or her when the first rays of sunlight hit their forehead. Maybe figuring out the perfect name is all about timing!
There are several traditions that involve more than just liking the name you are going to give your baby. Some require a little knowledge of astrology!
- Indian traditions require using the star your baby was born under, their nakshatra, to choose your child’s name according to the suggested syllables that make it lucky.
- Babies in China are not named before they are born. And until then they are given a “milk” name which is usually something very unflattering, in order to ward off evil spirits. Girls are given names to have beautiful meanings and due to the huge amount of characters in the Chinese alphabet, very few people have the same first name.
(All from babble.com and babycenter.com)
Let someone else do the thinking…
Still unsure about what name to choose? Maybe your friends and family members can give you an idea! There are several baby shower games that make use of the task of naming your little one. In a race-style game, you can have your guests use the first letter of your name to come up with as many other names as they possibly can in 60 seconds. Someone’s creativity under pressure may open up your options and enlighten your decision!
Along your search for the perfect name, it might be helpful to at least keep in your mind what is important to you in a name. It could reflect your ancestry with memories of relatives or indicative of where your family began. Do you want your child to be the only one in their classroom with that name or do you want to go with something timeless? What will their nickname be? How does it sound with your last name?
The most important thing about this decision is that you love your baby’s name. Say it out loud to them and see how it feels. Can you picture calling your baby that name throughout their entire life: infancy, toddler years, teenager, young adult, etc.? We hope that this is an exciting part of the pregnancy process and that you can enjoy the research, feedback, and games that lead you to your perfect baby name.
