Baby Names

When you think about it, baby names are pretty important. Throughout life, your child will be known – for better or for worse – for their given name. Even though your child may take up a nickname or use initials, what you name them can be a way to carry on traditions, to give your child a special titles, or to commemorate a special person. Though you might not choose from the top baby names, you may want to give baby names special thought before your child enters the world.

Baby Name Meanings

For many people, choosing baby names begins with a baby name book. These books not only offer lists of thousands of names, but they can also give the meanings of the names. These baby name meanings can be used to determine whether a certain favorite name seems appropriate, or if another meaning suits what the parents want to offer to their child. In any case, take some time to look over the baby name meanings in a baby names book. This will allow you to make a list of you and your partner’s favorite baby boy names and baby girl names. Once you’ve written up your baby names list, then you can share your lists with each other.

Traditional Baby Names

In some families, baby names are a rite of passage into a group of people. For example, some children might be born into a line of males in their family, so they will have the same name as their father or grandfather. Baby girls might take on the first name of a cherished aunt or grandmother as well. Or there might be an opportunity for you to use several names from further back in the family tree. In carrying forward these baby names, you can create a stronger connection within the family.

The Most Popular Baby Names

While there are new favorite and popular baby names each year, some of the most popular baby names include:

• Baby Boy Names – Liam, Noah, Aidan/Aiden/Aden, Jackson/Jaxon, Caleb/Kaleb, Oliver, Grayson/Greyson, Ethan, Alexander, and Owen.

• Baby Girl Names – Charlotte, Sophia/Sofia, Amelia/Emelia, Olivia, Ava, Lily/Lilly, Emma, Scarlett/Scarlet, Audrey, and Harper.

Though these baby names might not appeal to you, it’s a good starting point for those who aren’t sure where to begin in naming their baby. Some of these baby names can be made into more unique baby names with a varied spelling or these names might be appropriate for a middle name.

Choosing Unique Baby Names

At the same time, baby names that are popular might not be your goal. Instead you might want to choose baby boy or baby girl names that stand out. There are a number of ways to approach more unique baby names:

• Places – For some couples, naming a child after a place they visited together or where they conceived the child might be appropriate. These might include names like Paris, Arizona, or Washington.

• Famous people – In some families, a person who is admired for the accomplishments they’ve had in life might be the inspiration for baby names – i.e. George Washington, Barack (Obama), or Marilyn (Monroe).

• Trees and flowers – Many parents choose different trees or flowers to create unique baby names: Juniper, Aspen, Daisy, Rose, etc.

• Varied spellings – In other families, it might be worthwhile to take a ‘normal’ baby name and change the spelling of the name to make it more unique, i.e. Gennifer/Jennifer.

• Fictional characters – Parents who have a certain fictional character they admire might want to choose similar names to pay homage to this person, i.e. Holden (Caufield).

With unique baby names, you can give your child a name that no one else has, though it might not always be one they like as they are growing up. And if you have baby names selected and you don’t want to share them until the baby is born, that’s your prerogative – and a fun way to keep your baby a true surprise to the rest of the world.

The Right Baby Names

While there’s certainly no way to tell whether a baby name might cause a child to be teased in the future, it never hurts to think about possible ways that a baby name might be changed by future friends/foes. Thinking through the possible problems that a child might have with spelling their name is another consideration that can go into the selection of baby boy names and baby girl names. Though in the end you might still find out that a selected baby names cause your child to be teased or to be told their name is ‘weird,’ the more carefully you choose their name now, the better.

Baby names are often a source of many discussions for the parents before their child is born, and for good reason. Though it might take you until the day of the birth to choose the right baby name for your child, choosing the right name for who they will become is a gift you give to them. In time, you can tell the story of how you chose baby names and what their name means to you.

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