Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Lisa Belkin: The Tornado In Oklahoma Is This Parent's Living Nightmare
Jenn Horton: Every Mom Deserves Your Nod
Sibling Names Require Individual Thought
Filed under: Baby Names, Expert Advice: Babies
Dear Name Lady,
I love interesting combinations of sibling names. It's so sweet to meet families with multiple children who have intriguing names that go well together. For instance, Sarah Palin caught my interest with her children's names Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig.
However, when it comes to naming my own children, I have long cherished a group of sibling names, but I don't really care for some of the names when they stand alone. It seems foolish, but I can't give up the sounds of the names together, nor can I find equally suitable alternatives. Help!
- Naming in Bunches
I'm a big believer in thinking about siblings when you pick a name. The names don't have to match like a set of china, but they should be equal in the ways that count. For instance, if one child has a middle name, they all should have middle names. It's the same story with wildly creative names, family namesakes and so on. But it's possible to go too far, and you, my dear, are about to cross that line. How do I know? It's simple. You're breaking the Golden Rule of Baby Naming:
It's not your name. It's the baby's name.
Naming babies should be creative fun for parents. Never forget, though, that this isn't really about you. We parents only get to choose the names because babies are, well, babies. A newborn isn't in any position to weigh the benefits of Ella vs. Chloe. So you make choices on her behalf, trying your best to prepare her for a healthy, happy, successful life.
When you start talking about choosing names because of how they sound as a set, you're thinking too much about yourself. I understand the impulse -- believe me. When you love names as I do, naming fantasy families can be irresistible. But this is your child's one and only name and she deserves the best you can give her, siblings or no siblings.
Remember that life is unpredictable. You may start out with a dream of three sons and three daughters, but end up with six sons ... or you may have a single, cherished child. So when your baby is born, celebrate that singular miracle with a name you can love for a lifetime.
Do you keep a list of dream names? Share your experiences! And if you have your own question to ask The Name Lady, click here to drop her a line!
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Lesser-Known Celebrity Siblings
The less famous star siblings also making their name in the entertainment biz. Stepping out of the shadows: Doug Pitt, Charlie Murphy and Mia Tyler.
-
Pigs on the Loose
There once was a piggy named Wiggy. Well, several of them actually. Wiggy and his siblings, also named Wiggy, belong to this family in Darwin, Australia. But they're naughty little pigs, and often wandered into traffic. They caused so much chaos local authorities got involved... tracking the porkers on a wild... ah.... pig chase. Sadly, two of the Wiggies met their fate at the end of a shotgun. For now the family is keeping a close eye on the remaining Wiggy.
-
Michael Lohan: Lindsay's Team Wanted Intervention
In an exclusive interview with ET, Michael Lohan claims that his staged intervention for Lindsay Lohan (called 'unsanctioned' in an earlier press release from Lindsay's siblings) was done with the approval of the actress' team. "Everyone was on board from [Lindsay's criminal defense lawyer] Shawn Chapman Holley to [Lindsay's mangaer] Evan Hainey," said Michael, who also named Liz & Dick producer Larry A. Thompson as one of those in agreement with the intervention. "They were all standing, waitin
-
Top 10 Fun Facts About Rosalind Russell
Learn 10 fun facts about Rosalind Russell. She was named after S.S. Rosalind, a ship on which her parents traveled. Rosalind was one of seven siblings. She was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. She received a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her charity work. Rosalind was married to Frederick Brisson until her death.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
9-07-2009 @ 7:57PM
Geri said...I think that not just sibling names, but any child's name is important. A name should have some sort of significance. A name is a badge we all wear forever, and if it doesn't fit, or has a negative connotation, the wearer may suffer. As a public school teacher, I have seen many names, some of them almost impossible to pronounce. The child can spend her entire life explaining a name or telling others how to pronounce her name.
Then there's the spelling issue. Parent shave become more and more creative at spelling common names. For example, what used to be "Ashley" may be spelled Ashlee, Ashly, Ashli, Ashlei, Ashlie, or some other creative spelling. Some of the spellings even defy phonics. Don't even let me get started on the names with accents either in the beginning, middle, or end. I currently have twins in my class, one named "Donte", with the accent on the "Don" and one named "Donte", with the accent on the "te".
My students with such names seem to be weary from explaining either the spelling or pronunciation of their names. Some even have a bit of a chip on their shoulders and get offended when I don't know the correct way to say a name that has no basis in phonics.
I am now accustomed to asking for the spelling of even the simplest of names. In my most humble opinion, give your child a well thought out name, that goes with the child's personality and style (I didn't name my daughter until she was three days old and I had had a chance to meet her.), but use a traditional spelling. Your child (and her teacher) will thank you for it.
Get more of my humble opinions at www.thepublicschooldaily.com .
Reply
9-07-2009 @ 10:18PM
Erika said...I always liked the way my mother named my brother and I: she wanted two kids, so she picked out two names that could easily be male of female. She had one of each, so Erika and Daniel. But if she had two girls: Erika and Danielle. And two boys: Erik and Daniel.
But my pet peeve is mothers who just make up "cool" sounding words as names. There's such a wide variety of names out there, full of meaning and heritage, why make something up?
Reply
9-10-2009 @ 12:21PM
summer said...I agree that sibling names should sound good together. For example, I named my first baby Haven Norah. Now that I'm expecting again, I have to think of a name that sounds good with that... like, Eden Lillian. And even though I love the name Roxanne -that will never work!
Reply
10-04-2009 @ 6:20AM
afwife813 said...My family has 4 children. My parents just named us how they wanted. But, when you hear our first names in succession, it works...
Angel, Shonda, Curtis, Kelly...
Reply
12-01-2009 @ 9:21PM
Karen said...Remember, you can always name your cats and/or dogs, etc. with the set of names you love. Siblings will only be a set for a few years, but they will carry their individual names for their lifetimes. It's the parents' job to be sure their kids have decent, useable names that will help them as adults, not be something they are forever apologizing for.
Reply
12-01-2009 @ 9:34PM
PAULA POCIUS said...FUNNY STORY ABOUT NAMES & INITIALS
I NAMED MY SECOND DAUGHTER JESSICA, WITH NO MIDDLE NAME
WHEN MY HUSBAND'S MOTHER PASSED, WE ADDED THE MIDDLE NAME ESTELLE
OUR LAST NAME THEN BEGAN WITH A "K", LEAVING HER INITIALS AS J-E-K
WHEN SHE WAS CONFIRMED, SHE PICKED THE CONFIRMATION MIDDLE NAME OF RACHEL
THAT DIDN'T WORK, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF SHE EVER USED THE WHOLE NAME (WHICH SHE PROBABLY WOULDN'T) HER INITIALS WOULD BE J-E-R-K
THIS THEREBY SHOWS YOU NOT ONLY HAVE TO THINK OF NAMES, BUT ALSO WHAT THE INITIALS WILL BE
Reply
12-01-2009 @ 10:34PM
Betty said...As far as siblings go, we named our first daughter Samantha. Five years later we had our second daughter and named her Ella. We didn't really think how the 2 names would sound together until we sent out a picture of the girls together and called the image Sam and Ella. Say that out loud and you will know that we should have given that a little more thought.
Reply