The one thing that parent’s give their baby that will last forever is a name. It is often a difficult decision for many parent’s because they want the name to be absolutely perfect, one that will stand out, yet fit in. As parent’s increasingly break tradition and select more nontraditional names, fewer monikers are raising eyebrows. Having unusual names aren’t teased as much anymore, because so many children now have them.
In the 1950’s, the top ten baby names made up one fourth of all newborns nationwide. It is less likely today to find someone with the same name as your child in your child’s classroom, opposed to the 1950’s where out of twenty students, your child would have shared his her name with four other children.
With no limits and millions of names to choose from, parents are still creating new names everyday. Parents find the choice rather daunting. Here are some factors to consider as you try to come up with the perfect name.
Sounds Like…
Try saying potential first names with last names to see if they fit together. One example would be Derrick Walker or even one as unusual as Terry Perry. Your child should be comfortable introducing themselves by their first and last names without feeling a bit embarrassed by them. Try matching the babies first name and surname either phonetically or rhythmically.
Say It With Style…
Name choice can speak a lot about your family’s style. Where “Katherine” is a bit serious, “Juliette” is a bit more romantic. “John” is traditional, where “Jaden” is rather trendy. We also have the country western style “Wyatt”, and the antique charm “Charlotte” against the brisk and breezy “Summer”, or the exotic traditional “Thaddeus”. There are over 40 styles of names and each name comes with a special gem.
Unique Vs. Originality…
Many parents seeking originality often wind up with a very unique name for their baby. Most parent’s want something different. Many usually go for the classic names and then give them a little twist. One example of this is taking the name “Amanda” and changing the “m” to an “n” creating the name “Ananda”. Another name that is commonly twisted is “Emily”, often changed to “Emma”, “Emille”, and “Emmy”. “Michael” is sometimes turned into “Mikey”, or “Mickelle”, (“Michelle” in male form). Names that explode into the spotlight like “Nevaeh”, (“Heaven” spelled backwards), or “Dominique”, usually burn out fast. More classical names like “John”, or “Mary” slowly climb there way up ont the popularity chart and are more common and still widely used.
Family Keepsakes…
Many babies, especially males, are named after family members, often the result of carrying on a traditional family name. These names are a bit easier to decide on because there are not as many to choose from and most are already names from former descendants and do not need to be thought much of. However, if you want to name your baby after a family member and you do not like any of the names in your family, try searching the family tree. Looking back generations offer some very unique and classic names, and though many of the names seem too original or too old, they are resurfacing more and more in todays generation of baby names.
Pick A Name That You Love…
No matter what name you decide on, the most important thing is that you pick a name that you love because you are going to be repeating that name a hundred times a day. The first time your baby smiles at you when you speak his or her name, you will know that you have made the right choice. All names sound a little different in the beginning, but they eventually grow on you.
The Top 10 Baby Names Today…
Boys – Jacob, Michael, Joshua, Matthew, Ethan, Andrew, Daniel, William, Joseph, and Christopher.
Girls – Emily, Emma, Madison, Olivia, Hannah, Abigail, Isabella, Ashley, Samantha, and Elizabeth.
