What were your naming rules?

Not a rule but an overriding principle - when you have the baby the name feels right. We had chosen DD's name but it didn't seen right so we went away and slept on it to get something that suited her better - so be flexible. Her name was more cutesy but she was such a little fighter we wanted something smaller, yet stronger.

1. Suit an adult and a child
2. That both DH and DD like it
3. Easy to spell and spell it properly
4. Won't make you sound like a ponce if you have to call your child at soft play in north London sometimes I nearly choke when I hear some of the trying too hard names you get round here.

Personally I think avoiding popularity can backfire. We did that for DC1 and it was the fastest riser and now very popular. As most people seem to do it now it often means the same happens where names do big leaps. Far more important that it suits them and that you love it.

Even though DD's name is now popular she is still the only one in her class. She is none the wiser.

1. Pronounced the same in Danish and English
2. Not biblical (Dh)
3. Classic/solid name (dh)
4. unusual name (me) (aka not in top 100)

dd1's name promptly went into the top 100 list as highest riser.. the other 3 have not got names that are near the top 100

Our no. one rule was No Tolkien. DP is a massive Old English / Old Norse fan so jokingly tried to sneak in Earendil, on the grounds that it's old English rather than Tolkien originally...

Not to be named after friends or family, not too popular, not to sound made-up or something that will mean a kicking in the playground, good vibes (ie not bringing to mind a mass murderer or whatever, and preferably much more positive than that, like reminding of a scientist or writer who had achieved something noble).

Needs to work in English and in European languages like French and Portuguese.

So, a few rules then!

Oh, and not anything obviously funny about it or that will get the rip taken out of the kid, so had to go with surname nicely and not make any weird sentences, acronyms or words from initials either.

Hard job ths naming game

Mr rules were

1. I like it
2. Easy to spell
3. Would suit an adult
4. Not weird
5. Not too popular ie not in the top 10.

i did fancy a Scottish name, DS2 got one but DS1 didn't. our middle names are family names too.

a proper name with no made up spelling.

not used too often so there wouldn't be lots in the class, but not too unusual.

sounds ok with surname and when said with Scottish accent.

seems to have worked as I've not met any more with my boys names yet... :)

First name:
Unusual, probably Celtic, lovely sounding, not too Christian (the name we picked in the end is pre-Christian), great meaning (not religious), goes well with surname

Midddle name:
Honouring a member of our family. "Normal" name to give an option if DS doesn't like his unusual name.

We're looking for a name for DC2 along the same lines. Haven't found it yet!

My main rule!?
Mustn't remind me of any of the naughty little shits more spirited teenagers that I teach!

A name we loved.

Sounded good with surname (couldn't use quite a few as didn't flow with our surname).

No dodgy initials.

A name that sounded good as a child and adult.

A name that looks good on a CV - full name on BC, with nice nick name

LoonyRationalist better than an ex-student of mine who was called Kevin Costner de Jesus, I bullshit you not

Vamos, ha ha ha at #2. My FIL is Jesús, known as Peter in the UK!!

Gender specific - I am a teacher and have had classes where i dont know half the class. it's guess the gender from the name - Jamie, Jordan, Paris, etc

More than one syllable.

Doesnt make me think of a snotty, naughty kid!

Family names or names with a strong link to family. Large family and many generations' names known so no problems picking out several to consider each time. The family tends to keep the same large rotation of names and none were ever faddy.

No family names - DH is called after his uncle, I am the latest in a long line of first borns with a given name. Dad, grandad, G grandad, GG grandad........
No religious names.
DD is called Ruby. I was watching upstairs downstairs at the time. I had no idea that lists of baby names and their popularity were available.

We didn't really have any rules as such, except not to pick a name with the same initial as dh and I (we already get muddled enough with post!).

We shared preferences/objections

Not as unusual as mine or as common as dh's name
Family names OK but not in the last two generations
Names with a few potential nn options, and no shortenings

Most of all a name that we both loved. Which proved easy for ds, but much much more difficult when we thought we were having ds2.

For DD1 we just went with a name we liked that no close friend or family member had. DD2 was a bit more complex

• Able to be pronounced in Ireland, NZ & French-speaking countries
• not too commonly used
• not the name of any close friend or family member
• the name of a strong female historical figure.

Worked quite well in the end, although we fudged the historical bit a little & used the historical figure's middle name

Middle name had to have a family connection.

No repeat vowel sounds. (Martha Clarke, James Tait etc.) My name has a repet between first name and surname and DH is always very disparaging about it.
DH's surname ends in ey so no cutesy names ending in an ie or y.
Traditional, obvious spelling.
Not too popular.
We both had to really like it.
Very happy with what we came up with for DS and DD.

1. no wrong sounding initials like VD
2. could be shortened.
3. traditional, not popular
4. sound good as child and adult
5. nothing to attract bullying at school/ unusual or cute.
6. we both liked it

1: easy to spell/pronounce/remember in Spanish and English

2: just because it passes rule #1, it couldn't be 'Jesus'

3: nothing that could be shortened, I hate that makes me want to throw up when people shorten my name

4: had to sounds pretty decent with our surnames (we had a great name for a DD but sounded like a Rolling Stones song when paired with DH's surname; fortunately baby was a DS!)

5: would suit all ages and professions

6: timeless, ie it doesn't shout out '2011' !

7: wouldn't sound absolutely daft being shouted up the road: "vamosbebejunior, dinner's ready!"

My rules were:

1. Outside top 50 at least (and preferably outside top 75 too).
2. Must have at least one other nickname variation in case they didn't like their name.
3. Nothing too modern, but equally wanted something with a bit of imagination behind it.
4. Nothing too twee / cutsey / girlie. Ruled out all names that ended in -ie/ee for example. These names are lovely on a little child, bit naff on a grown up imo.
5. No bad connections with any previous students I had taught.
6. Nothing that was faddy; where you could look back and be able to guess the decade the child was born in, just by the name (70s Claire for example)
7. Despite all this, I did want feminine names for my daughters (but not cutsey names).
8. Mostly importantly, had to go with our surname, which was quite tough as my husband gave me a really crap surname .

Not a flower or plant, It would sound like a place when combined with out surname

We both liked it!

Classic rather than modern/faddy
Easy to spell
Not ending in 'a'
Would sound ok for a lawyer or doctor
Not used recently by a celebrity

We chose traditional names that we both really liked. Simples!

not too popular, so they would be the only one in their class
recognisable name so people don't go 'what?' when they hear it, no odd spellings either

must work in English Dutch and Russian - that means no th no g no j

we both like it. Would work as child and adut (dd1 name has a short version that is little girly, she uses that all the time, but I am hoping will resort to whole name should she become a judge

we like idea of using family names so considered those.