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The 7 Biggest Mistakes Newbie Baby Namers Make
Filed under: Baby Names
There are few things more thrilling in life than having your first baby. But newbie baby namers are prone to making some mistakes that more experienced name choosers are able to avoid.
If you're choosing a baby name for the first time, don't make one of these seven common mistakes:
1. Believing that the names that were popular -- and creative -- when you were a kid still have the same status.
Name tastes have changed radically over the last decade or two. Goodbye, Jessica and Josh, hello Layla and Serenity, Landon and Tristan -- all top 100 names.
2. Thinking that the playground rules are the same as they were back in the day.
Kids no longer get teased for having names that are unique, androgynous, exotic or hard to pronounce or spell. Rather, name diversity is celebrated.
3. Letting your parents have too much say in the baby's name.
Baby names can undoubtedly be a fun topic of family conversation. But the person who changes the diapers at 3 a.m. gets to name the baby.
4. Clinging too tightly to the name you always swore you'd give your first child.
A lot of people -- let's face it: girls -- spend their childhoods coming up with fanciful names they want to give their children. But if that name you always loved has suddenly become uber-popular or clashes with your new last name, let it go.
5. Caring too much about how cool the name choice makes you look.
Sure, pregnancy is cooler than it used to be, with cuter clothes and celebrity role models. But putting a name's cool factor above all else won't make little Bronx's life very easy.
6. Not considering subsequent children's names.
First-time namers are likely to think about, well, their first child's name, but if you name Baby No. 1 Tallulah, then you pretty much rule out Lula, Lila, Delilah, Sula, Tally and maybe even Louis for subsequent children.
7. Not realizing that there's going to be a real live baby ... and child ... and, eventually, grownup on the other end of the naming decision.
We get it that it can seem like your pregnancy is all about you. Sometimes, it can almost come as a shock when an actual baby emerges in the delivery room, instantly asserting her own needs and personality. Try to keep that little (and eventually big) person in mind when you choose the name she'll live with forever.
Want to get the latest ParentDish news and advice? Sign up for our newsletter!
The Name Babes are Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz, founders of Nameberry.com, innovators of baby-name content on the Web. Got a name craving? Learn more about baby names at Nameberry.com.
If you're choosing a baby name for the first time, don't make one of these seven common mistakes:
1. Believing that the names that were popular -- and creative -- when you were a kid still have the same status.
Name tastes have changed radically over the last decade or two. Goodbye, Jessica and Josh, hello Layla and Serenity, Landon and Tristan -- all top 100 names.
2. Thinking that the playground rules are the same as they were back in the day.
Kids no longer get teased for having names that are unique, androgynous, exotic or hard to pronounce or spell. Rather, name diversity is celebrated.
3. Letting your parents have too much say in the baby's name.
Baby names can undoubtedly be a fun topic of family conversation. But the person who changes the diapers at 3 a.m. gets to name the baby.
4. Clinging too tightly to the name you always swore you'd give your first child.
A lot of people -- let's face it: girls -- spend their childhoods coming up with fanciful names they want to give their children. But if that name you always loved has suddenly become uber-popular or clashes with your new last name, let it go.
5. Caring too much about how cool the name choice makes you look.
Sure, pregnancy is cooler than it used to be, with cuter clothes and celebrity role models. But putting a name's cool factor above all else won't make little Bronx's life very easy.
6. Not considering subsequent children's names.
First-time namers are likely to think about, well, their first child's name, but if you name Baby No. 1 Tallulah, then you pretty much rule out Lula, Lila, Delilah, Sula, Tally and maybe even Louis for subsequent children.
7. Not realizing that there's going to be a real live baby ... and child ... and, eventually, grownup on the other end of the naming decision.
We get it that it can seem like your pregnancy is all about you. Sometimes, it can almost come as a shock when an actual baby emerges in the delivery room, instantly asserting her own needs and personality. Try to keep that little (and eventually big) person in mind when you choose the name she'll live with forever.
Want to get the latest ParentDish news and advice? Sign up for our newsletter!
The Name Babes are Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz, founders of Nameberry.com, innovators of baby-name content on the Web. Got a name craving? Learn more about baby names at Nameberry.com.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 14)
4-11-2011 @ 6:04AM
Alana said...After my first child was born I really didn't want to go back to work and have my baby spend a good part of her day in day care. The problem was that we needed my income to pay the bills. I kept looking for a way out until a friend of mine told me that she found a way a to make a nice income from home . She told me that she found out about it at this website ( HttP://bit.LY/MomsHomeIncome ) I was very skeptical but I figured that I had nothing to lose by checking it out. I ended up getting a great work-at-home situation and I not only make good money now but I get to spend most of my day doing what I love… being a mommy!
Reply
4-11-2011 @ 6:10AM
Pamela said...Top 100 Baby Names for the 2000s
Rank Boy Names Girl Names
1 Jacob Emily
2 Michael Madison
3 Joshua Emma
4 Matthew Hannah
5 Andrew Abigail
6 Christopher Olivia
7 Daniel Ashley
8 Joseph Samantha
9 Ethan Alexis
10 Nicholas Sarah
11 William Elizabeth
12 Anthony Isabella
13 David Alyssa
14 Ryan Grace
15 Tyler Lauren
16 Alexander Taylor
17 John Jessica
18 James Brianna
19 Brandon Kayla
20 Zachary Sophia
21 Jonathan Anna
22 Dylan Natalie
23 Christian Victoria
24 Samuel Chloe
25 Benjamin Sydney
26 Nathan Jasmine
27 Justin Hailey
28 Noah Megan
29 Logan Rachel
30 Austin Morgan
4-11-2011 @ 1:35PM
hyerbeing said...@ Pamela
Ha, I have two little cousins that were born in 2009 and Their names are number four on your list!
4-10-2011 @ 8:02PM
Alana said...After my first child was born I really didn't want to go back to work and have my baby spend a good part of her day in day care. The problem was that we needed my income to pay the bills. I kept looking for a way out until a friend of mine told me that she found a way a to make a nice income from home . She told me that she found out about it at this website ( HttP://bit.LY/MomsHomeIncome ) I was very skeptical but I figured that I had nothing to lose by checking it out. I ended up getting a great work-at-home situation and I not only make good money now but I get to spend most of my day doing what I love… being a mommy!
Reply
4-10-2011 @ 11:30PM
jackson said...why do i always have to skip the first page of comments to avoid these jerks trying to get free advertising? does anyone ever read a comment with an imbedded email adress? shame on you, aol. you can delete all the comments that negatively refer to pres obama and his pack of commie pals, but you can't remove this blight? shame on you and your total incompetence. you're just like your political bedfellows.
4-11-2011 @ 12:33AM
Underpaid Guard said...Comments not commercials
4-11-2011 @ 11:10AM
Sue said...@ Jackson. The reason is that AOL is run by the anti-American Huffington Post. Protecting the leftists is what is important to AOL now.
4-11-2011 @ 2:04PM
my4salebox said...Sue, you are so completely FOS. Most AOL comment boards are infested with right-wing anger and bile. And it never seems to get removed. People like you will never be happy if you don't dominate 100% of everything for 100% of the time.
"Ohhh! Batten down the hatches! AOL brought HP here! The world is going to end! More for us to crow about!"
You are FOS in your comments that are way off base and fly in the face of obvious contradictions.
4-11-2011 @ 3:02PM
James W. England said...TO: jackson and sue... the only thing worse than the annoying advertising comments would be the trash talk comments like yours.
4-07-2011 @ 2:19PM
Lauren said...One mistake that I don't see mentioned is letting the spouse have a say. So many girls I know have a long list of names they fully intend to use. And they just assume that since they are carrying the baby, they should have full say in the name. Not so. You wouldn't have gotten pregnant without the spouse, that gives him a pretty big say too. He'll be saying that name just as much as you will be, he has to like it too. I had a name I really really liked, but I had to let it go for fairness. And I haven't regretted it. ;)
Reply
4-11-2011 @ 9:15PM
J V L said...I named my children. Spouse came up with AWFUL names. My body, my ten months of tender loving care prenatall, my name choice. If he wanted to name the baby, he could take on the burden of the pregnancy.
4-11-2011 @ 8:58AM
Carla Peele said...You're right, but there is compromise. In my mind, from the time I was little, I was named after my grandfather, so, I was going to name my firstborn son after him. Well, my husband wanted to name our firstborn son after HIS grandfather. So... we hyphenated, and it made a GORGEOUS name.
4-11-2011 @ 9:19AM
Lynne said...When I had my two children I came up with a list of 5 names that I really liked and I let their father choose from the list. I wanted him to be interactive in the name choosing process. If he had came to me with names then we would have discussed it.
4-11-2011 @ 10:40AM
JessHenchey said...You are so right, Lauren. My husband let me name our first child after my late sister with absolutely no argument. This time around I'm letting him pick the name (as long as I like it too)! After all, fathers are way more hands on than they used to be. He'll be changing diapers and feeding at 3 a.m. just like I will be.
4-11-2011 @ 11:20AM
janny said...true the spouse should have a say; but with my last child we disagreed.Finally I just pulled rank. I do all the 'heavy lifting' and this is one privledge I deserve.
4-11-2011 @ 2:19PM
belfegore said...My husband and I made a deal. He didn't like the name I chose for our daughter so I told him to make a list of names that were better and I would compromise. Finally he said, you chose the first name, I'll chose the middle name. Then, when our son was born, he chose the first name and I chose the middle name. Ciara Alyse and Matthew Hunter... We didn't do too bad!
4-07-2011 @ 6:35PM
Erin said...Disagree completely with #2. Kids ARE just as cruel as they were years ago and kids absolutely do get made fun of because of their name.
Reply
4-10-2011 @ 9:34PM
Julie said...I agree, although other kids can find something about just about any name - unusual or conventional. My nephew Adam, who is in 4th grade but reads at a 10th grade level, gets called Ad-dumb sometimes. Kids!
4-11-2011 @ 1:26AM
baja7475 said...It's not just kids who make fun of names. I got co-workers all the way up to there 60's who still make fun or not know how to pronounce my name.
4-11-2011 @ 2:21AM
bellered said...Absolutely. That was one of the stupidest things I've seen in print in quite some time, and made me doubt the wisdom of anything else the author might claim.
What a naiive, sheltered idiot. Yeah, it's 2011, so for some reason, kids have magically become sweet little bastions of warmth, understanding and acceptance.
Someone clearly needs to re-read Lord of the Flies so they can remember what childhood is *really* like.