It is usually a joy announcing a pregnancy as everyone already has a name for the baby. The grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, and other relatives have just the perfect name for the child. While this can be sweet and fun, the job of naming a child falls on the parents’ shoulders.
Some parents are quick to select names even while they are still expecting. In contrast, some others are usually confused even up until the time for delivery. It is okay to be confused. With millions of names available, we don’t see how this dilemma is inevitable.
But not to worry, choosing the best name for your bundle of joy can’t get more challenging when up against a mom armed with these tips. Whether it is a first name or middle name, we have here some great tips to make name selection a walk through the part for you and yours.
Let’s get right in!
- Be sure about the meaning
Find out the history, meaning, and roots of your chosen names. For instance, if you’re looking to give your daughter a name like Amira, which is not so common, you should ask questions like what do Amira mean? What culture and heritage does the name originate from? And other like questions.
Finding the meaning of the name you want to give your baby is essential as names contribute to forming an individual. In addition, most people with spiritual lifestyles believe names are spiritual. Hence, names with bad and derogatory meanings will often cause evil tidings, while good names bring good tidings.
In essence, no one wants to be called a bad name for the rest of their life, so do your in-depth research to know that you are giving your child a name.
- Pay attention to cultural and religious values
Yes, names are usually chosen from certain cultures and religions to give a child an identity, a sense of community, and belonging, especially when the parents are culturally or religiously inclined. It may be the case that parents aren’t of a certain origin, but because of their visits to a country, or simply because of their curiosity and passion for a culture that they name their child something related. The French, for example, have long been considered the epitome of chic and graceful style, so naming your boy or girl with a unique French baby name will definitely imply innate style and elegance.
For instance, Judeo-Christian parents may want to stick to the names of biblical characters. In such cases, only names of those who played notable and worthy roles may be selected without much thought about the modern meaning. For example, questions about what the name Delilah means may not come up as Delilah was known for betrayal in the bible.
In the same light, a Latina family in the West may give their baby a cultural Hispanic name instead of an English name – think Sofia, Camila for girls, or Lorenzo for boys. Also, an American family may name their child after a famous pop star.
- Think of the future
Most names end up becoming ridiculous in the future, such that your child may be bullied because of it or subjected to offensive spelling and pronunciation variations. It is easy to dump a name on your child and move on with it. While this is the easy way out, it is a shallow move and may come to bite back in the future.
Before choosing a name, figure out if your child would love to be associated with the name in the future – you can do this by asking yourself the same question. So take a rain check on trendy names with no valuable meaning or that will make for a good laugh and instead go for names with enduring relevance.
- Go back to the roots
One way to choose the best names for your kid is by looking into your family tree. Think classical names like Grandpa Paul or Grandma Rose, which may also double as a way to honor their memories. Old family names like these may fit better as middle names, so you have the choice of uniquely combining the names with others.
To Wrap Up,
Your name says the first thing about identity, and much thought should go into it. But notwithstanding the challenging aspect of name selection, you will do well giving your baby the best names with this ultimate baby names guide.