Advice for picking names?

[MMurphy1]

Hi there. I'm 22 weeks with my first baby and we aren't finding out the sex. What should I take into consideration when picking names? Any advice appreciated because I'm clueless

[CourtJester]

Find a few name you love and then look for others similar. Maybe you will find ones that you like more, maybe you will find something that flows nicely for a middle name.

I'm sure you must have some idea of names you love and names you hate, and possibly a few iffy names - work those out first, it will give you a starting point.

eg...for girls i know i love Brianna and Edie, i like things like Autumn, Keira, Jana but i'm not sure if i love them enough for first names, i hate things like Sian and Lois, and unisex names

[BoboBunnyH0p]

Please make sure that chosen name sounds OK with your surname, otherwise you may end up like a poor girl in my DS class who is called Missy Pitts! So write the name down and say it out loud a few times.

[1horatio]

Don't chose a unique spelling. A good friend of mine is called Raychelle. One of her sisters' name is RaeLynne.

Anyhow, Ray says she loves their parents but would have preferred to be named Rachel.

[1horatio]

*choose. Oh well, it's not my first language
But a bit ironic, considering my comment about unique names :D

[NapQueen]

Go with your gut. Don't let others around you sway what you and the baby's dad like. It's a big decision and you want to know deep down you genuinely love the name, rather than feeling like you picked it out of duty.

Bear in mind that if you use a family connection (first or middle name), it can set a precedent for future babies - and could possibly offend the other family whose names weren't included.

Initials. No good picking names that spell out COC or TIT or similar!

Sometimes your favourite name of one sex clashes terribly with your favourite of the opposite sex so if you choose one, you do so knowing the other is permanently off the table (eg loving Louisa for a girl and Louis for a boy)

Nobody ever uses the full name, aside from I'm birth announcements so don't worry too much about the "flow" of the first and second names.

[MidnightVelvetthe5th]

Look at what the initials spell, particularly if one of them is a vowel! You don't want a little George Ignatius Thompson or Fleur Unique Claire Kerr.....

Speak them out loud as pp suggested, see what they sound like.

A good rule of thumb when starting is to use a 3 syllable name with a 1 syllable name, like Genevieve Rose or Sue Elizabeth. If you have more than 3 syllable names particularly with a long surname it can get a bit unwieldy, think Jennifer Penelope Winterflood or something :)

[1horatio]

Penelope Jennifer Winterflood sounds lovely. I personally think a strong/long first name drowns out a short middle name. Plus middle names like Anne/Sue/Rose etc often seem like filler names... So, I guess this shpws how different opinions/tastes are.
So, chose what you and the Dad like :)

[Ilovenannyplum]

Don't listen to other people or be swayed by their opinions. It's your baby, call him or her whatever you want too.
Congratulations

[notagiraffe]

Jennifer Penelope Winterflood? Are you a novelist Midnight ?

Think about whether you like shortened names. If you do, choose the long version and then you/your child can use a shorter version as a nick name every day. Also do you like all the shortened versions, as other people might adopt one you don't like. E.g. Alexander/Alexandra can be shortened to Alex, Al, Allie Lexie, Sandy and also Sacha. Elizabeth can be Liz, Lizzie, Elsie, Eliza, Liza, Elle, Ellie, Beth, Betsy, Betty etc.

Is it a name that seems underused but is due to come back into fashion? When DC were tiny in our street and the next street alone there were five Bens and five Matildas.

[MidnightVelvetthe5th]