Do you have any 'rules' that you use/used to choose a name ?

[picklemum]

If so what were/are they ?

We had couple, like didn't want to use same intial as me or DH and, second time not same as DD1. Also ruled out 'noun' names eg Ocean even though I liked a lot of these, I thought in long term might not be appealing for the person who has it as a grown-up ( no offence to others who disagree)

Also one rule was nothing very very unusual or really weird that no-one had heard of, so to avoid the poor kid having to spell their name out all the time....

.......BUT in the end me and DH fell in love with one name when DD2 was born and gave her a v unusual name. We simply liked nothing else better.

SO did you have 'rules' ? Did you follow them ?? ?

DP and I spent aaaaaaaages discussing DC names the other day (we do not have any, nor are planning on having any in the near future) but I think basically the rules were:

• has to work in French, English and Hebrew
• we both have to like it

So, despite discussing for an hour, we possibly came up with two names we both like, so the rules seem to work

Our rule was the name had to sound ok when my dad (a scouser) said it down the pub to his mates. Ie, not too poncy.

Preferably Welsh. Liked by us both. Not in the family already.

Didn't leave many names!

This thread was made for me-weird pregnancy hormones meant I had to have names with five letters and three syllables. That was my only criteria but I was not for budging. I was very very firm on this which was OK for girls but when I came to have my son it is very tricky. Found three though and whittled it down to one, however once had given birth I bottled it so he now has it as his middle name.

Nothing in top 50
5 letters
Welsh
All had to have different initials to each other (have 3 girls)

And yes I stuck to them.

DH also had this weird obsession that our child might have a speech impediment which was his reason for vetoing Aurora, in case she could only say 'Aworwa'

nothing stupid, especially no mispelens!
def no naming after celebs
name mustn't hold the child back in life e.g. so classless and neither too adult or childish

Something that would work whatever career path she chose.
Something that didn't imply a certain personality.

Different initial from mine and husband's.
Something international enough to work and be pronounceable in both English and husband's language.
Nothing in top 100.
Easy to spell, instantly recognisable and not more than two syllables (long, complicated foreign surname that she will have to repeat slowly and spell ad infinitum).

Something that we both liked
You can easily change your name (and many do) so I don't think it is worth worrying too much about how posh it is, for example

something that would suit baby/child/teenager/adult

traditional spellings (nothing creative)

We also seem to veer towards 'classic' names and popular names which a lotof people avoid- not a problem for us

DS1 and 2 arenamed after great grandparents. DS3 has a family connection in his middle name - so a family link I guess-although we would not have chosen them had we not liked the name

Long name on birth certificates -ds1 and 3 are generally known by shortened versions. However, ds2's name has been mentioned below as a shortened versionm but I dont think it is

Obviouslydid the checking of silly acronyms and rhyming

and yes to names having to'fit' for subsequent children

My rules vary for a boy and girls name! I'm currently pregnant.

Our chosen boy's name is fairly common, traditional and a family name and that's fine but I want a more unusual girl's name.

So for a girl:

English
Not in the top 100
Old-fashioned

I guess we have followed that for a boy's name too except it is in the top 100.

Ideally not same initials as other family members.

No ex girlfriend's or boyfriend's names.

Something that had enough gravitas should they choose to do something sensible, but with friendly sounding abbreviations for everyday use.

Initials not to spell something daft.

Traditional and solid rather than made up or too modern. Would rather err on the side of boring than pick a name that didn't suit their personality.

Nothing too cutesy.

allbie "Had to be 6 letters long and have 2 syllables! And yes, we applied it to all 4 kids!"

You even applied that to your user name!

Like sedgie, has to be taken seriously (think "Let me introduce you barrister - Daisy" That's a no, much as I love the name.

And would I feel like a donkey shouting it out in the car park at Asda, should the need arise?

I want to know what accent the poster who said no names starting with 'uh' eg Olivia has! I'm quite sure it starts with an 'o' sound?!?

My main name rule, having spent my life having my name spelt wrong, was to have names which were easy to spell.

I stuck with it 2 out of 3 times, hope DD1 forgives me!

no same initials as me or ex-DH
names that couldnt be shortened (we've both always been known as our nicknames)
traditional names, with British links (one name obviously Scottish, the other a Patron Saints)
No quirky spellings
No names already used by close friends or family
Names that suit a baby/toddler/child/teen and adult
Names that could be an actor, a barrister or a rock star

Stuck to all the rules too

lol, I automatically spell my first name when introduced, out of habit, so I suppose giving LO's a name that would be easily spelt was low-priority. I think I've met possibly two or three people who have heard my first name before, and had one colleague whose first name was the same and surname was almost identical (Johnson vs Johannson). My name was used once in a movie and that was a little unsettling to watch since I wasn't used to hearing it for other people.

I am named after my mother. Am never doing that due to getting each other's mail/wreaking havoc with the post when forwarding mail etc.

Our rules were:
1- no crude/lewd initials or shortened names
2- names that could easily be shortened to a decent nickname
3- no biblical/scriptural names
4- no family names within reason
5- no abnormal spellings of names (hi Aimee!)
6- nothing in the top 100-500

Yes, we kept to them. We still ended up with a middle name that is apparently having a massive resurgence, and DD's first and middle names together sound like a line from a famous song when spoken with a Texan accent, which we had no way of knowing, since we aren't from Texas. Oh well, best laid plans...

Has to sound like an English Polo captain, I got a Charlotte and a Rufus and a Chloe

Agreeing on a name could be contraception and/or in the future will feature on Match.com dating sites or whatever as THE accurate compatibility predictor.

My rules for DS and DD:

1. No alliteration first name or surname
2. No S ending names as no good with surname
3. Not too popular - out of top 50
4. Offers number of variations
5. Not frilly or princessy
6. Easily said and spelt

DH rules:
1.Nothing related to religion (so Dominic out for example
2.Not named after anyone (or even a name people might think is after someone we know so seemingly rules out everyone we've ever met more than twice.

1. Most importantly nothing related to feckin' ridiculous family tradition of being known by middle name.

And what for? Great to hear all these well intentioned rules but events beyond your control, and your DC will, I think you'll find do exactly what you don't want. DS's name now becoming very popular. DD may just as well have been called Princess Frilly. People still can't spell her name, and she cannot say it. Ok, she can't say it yet

Future DC:
All of the above plus now DH is a teacher, anything that is/could be/reminds him/tenuously connected to any child he taught etc etc. Arrhhhhggghhh. Future DCs may be known as BabyStripey NI numberxxxxxx' to save the bother.

As I say, enough for contraception.

Had to be a names that would sit just as comfortably on the fields of Eton as around the dinner tables in the East End.

stripeybumpsmum my DH is that way as well. "oh no, we can't use that name - I knew someone 25 years ago with that name who was horrid!"

As though having a baby and giving it that name won't automatically change the association for him

• Nothing biblical
• Name that has some history, i.e. not a new name or a derivative
• Ruled out some initials, e.g. O, as our last name begins with a K, and G, because every male in DH's family has a name beginning with G
• No middle name starting with a vowel for a girl, just in case she chooses to marry and take husband's name and it ends up spelling something dodgy
• Not Olivia, Isabella, Ella or Rose for a girl, because they seem to be everywhere round here.

We stuck to it.

All 3 DC's middle names are places in France which have meaning to us.

DC1 & 2's shortened names are of people we knew as students (the nicest people we have ever known including ourselves). These people dont know they have our first two children named after them.

DD's names are Shakepearian DS's name is old English.

It's a minfield!