Choosing your baby’s name is undoubtedly one of the most important decisions you’ll make as parents. It’s an enjoyable thing as well as a bit intimidating since your child will live his/ her entire life with the name.
Table of Contents
1. How to choose the first name for your baby
Alright. Let’s give your baby a name! But before that let’s find out why the first name is so important. You already know that a person’s name is the biggest connection to his/her individuality and their own unique identity.
So don’t forget your baby’s first name is the main way to grab someone’s attention.
People identify someone by their first names most of the time. It is the one used in normal day to day activities and among family and friends while last names are used in the official context, formal dealings, and documentations.
We’ve already discussed “tips to select the perfect baby name” and the “things to consider when choosing a baby name”.
In terms of naming a baby, the first name matters more than the surname since you just don’t create a surname usually.
Many parents tend to believe that the first letter of your name matters! Astrology and numerology have their own perspectives towards the first letter of a name. So now we know that selecting the first letter of your baby’s name is also matters!
Sometimes the most perfect name may come from the most unexpected places. You never know!
So, let’s move on to the popular name categories. There are hundreds of categories if you ask me. It might seem pretty overwhelming, but there are ways to make it simple. Below lists will surely help you in narrowing down your baby name ideas.
2. Popular categories
Many couples who are parents-to-be start off with a specific idea in mind in terms of the category. Of course, there are a lot of categories to consider! And we’ve tried our best to list down the categories in a structured manner.
Cultural or ethnic names
- English names
- French names
- Japanese names
- Celtic names
- Irish names
- Italian names
- Greek names
- African names
- Native American names
- Russian names
- Jewish names
- Hawaiian names
- Spanish names
Place names
- Countries
- Cities
- Regions
- States
Pop culture names
- Movie characters
- Book characters
- Comic book characters
- Television characters
- Cartoon characters
- Disney
- Video game characters
- Celebrities
- Actors
- Singers
- Artists
- Politicians
- Athletes
- Musicians
Religious name categories
- Christian names
- Catholic names
- Jewish names
- Muslim names
- Spiritual Names
- Virtue Names
Family names
- Grandparents’ names
- Great grandparents’ names
- Mother’s maiden name
- Juniors or III, IV
- Family traditions
Other categories
- Seasons
- Nature
- Colors
- History
- Astrology
- Mythology
3. How to choose a middle name for your baby
It’s not a must to give a middle name to our kid. But the majority of American families wish to give one to their baby. According to BBC, there is so much power in one’s middle name.
People don’t feel much stressed over the middle name unlike in the first name.
Middle names have practical advantages too. There are two people named William Stafford in my workplace. But each of them has a different middle name. One is William George Stafford, while the other is William Joseph Stafford. Since they have different middle names, we can easily identify them by their unique middle names.
Very rarely two people can have the same first, middle, and last names. So this is important to have a unique name.
Some families prefer to give the child a family name, that others in the same family already have. In such cases, a middle name plays an important role in giving the kid a separate identity. For example, baby John Christopher has cousins, John Robert and John Joseph. They are all named after their beloved grandpa. But they all have their own unique name.
if your child doesn’t like his last name or first name, he can use his middle name just to hide that part which he dislikes. Middle name is a safe fallback name for your kid since he can choose to use his middle name instead of the first name if he’s not satisfied with his first name.
If you’re selected a unique and unusual name as the baby’s first name, you can go for a rather common and popular name as the middle name, and vice versa. If the first name is much traditional, just be creative and have a unique name as the middle name.
4. How to choose the last name for your baby
When talking about last names, you may not need to find one because the baby is already given a last name. There are two major options for the last name of a baby. Either it could be the baby’s father’s last name or his mother’s last name. It differs according to your country, state, or region. In some countries and states, the baby should be given the mother’s last name while in some countries and states, the baby should be given the father’s last name. in some countries, more options can be seen, usually if the parents are not married or separated.
Some have different last names which are hyphenated to indicate the combination of the two families. For example, Jennifer Smith-Stafford is one such name. Some families have a tradition of combining both parents’ last names and making a new last name. It can be seen in Andervis where the parents’ last names are Anderson and Davis.
Some families don’t use their parents’ last names. They give their baby, a totally different last name instead.
5. Family traditions
Family cultures play a major role when naming a baby. A family may possess a history of using the identical unique naming tradition. These family naming traditions often passed down among the males of the family.
Let’s look at several family traditions around the world.
- In some families, the first baby boy is given the middle name of the fatherly grandfather while the second baby boy is given the middle name of the motherly grandfather.
- In some families, there are long lines of males with the same name. Starting with Senior (Sr.) and Junior (Jr.), this continues in Roman numerals.
- Some families maintain a brand of initials where they use the same initials throughout the generations.
- Some parents give a tribute to their deceased relatives by giving their name to the newly born baby. Also, some consider honoring their ancestry and heritage when naming their baby.
- In some families they come up with a unique and creative name by combining the family’s first or last names.
6. Religious considerations
Religious considerations and beliefs can also be a contributing factor when it comes to naming a baby. Here are some of the instances as such. If you’re from a family with a strong religious background, you can discuss with your priest, pastor, imam, rabbi, or your respective religious leader about the customs and traditions related to naming your baby.
- Some parents name their baby after a figure within the religion they believe.
- Some parents prefer giving a name with a spiritual meaning.
Many religions hold a baby naming ceremony. This can be seen among Catholics, Christians, Jews, and Hindus mostly. According to these religious beliefs, it’s a time to welcome the newly born baby into their religious community. So, they offer blessings and good wishes upon the baby.
These ceremonies are taken place in a church, a house of worship, or at home. A religious leader, parents, relatives, and other close friends may attend the event. Sometimes the name given at such ceremony is exactly the same as the name on the birth certificate, and sometimes the name could be a spiritual name that doesn’t display on the birth certificate.
7. Legal issues
In the United States, a birth certificate is issued for every childbirth. Usually, all the paperwork is filled out and submitted by the child’s parents, doctor or midwife, and the hospital or birthing center.
In some countries, there are several laws about names, literally what you’re allowed and not to name your baby. The United States doesn’t have too many regulations on baby names. But there are some restrictions that you’ll run into a problem such as using a picture or a symbol. American rules are there for some practical reasons.
Conclusion
Naming your most precious living being is exciting and sometimes stressful too. The excitement is you get the chance to go through all the baby name books, baby names websites searching for the perfect name idea. And the stress is that there are a lot of ideas out there and you’re not sure which name would be the perfect one; the one that your kid one day would be proud of!
You’re excited to see a beautiful name with a beautiful meaning and then again you see another name that is more beautiful than the previous one. And you’re not sure which one will be the best to be the name that your kid will have in their entire life. There’s so much pressure if you take this seriously. Otherwise, you can have some fun with names being a little creative and attentive.
As we discussed already there are so many baby name inspirations in the world. You just need to find one beautiful name for your baby that will fit him/ her through infancy, childhood, and adulthood. Whatever name you go for, if it is loved by both your partner and you, chances are high your kid will love it too.
So, make the time memorable as well as enjoyable.
