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 ?? ?

He-Man I like!
My boy was 5 months when we adopted him, though, so he?s stuck with what we gave him!

Rules:

1. Must be easy to spell and pronounce in both English and German. Some names look identical but are pronounced very differently (eg Simon is zee-mon in German, not sigh-mun)

1. Classical first names with a real cultural history. Both DDs' names go back to Biblical times or before, although they don't have particularly religious connotations.

1. Obviously sounding good with either of our surnames - kids have my surname, but we might swap to DH's name at some time in the future if we move.

1. DH is Irish so we wanted Irish middle names, but ones known to the English-speaking world.

1. Under German law we were not allowed to invent a name - there are very strict rules about having to prove that a name already exists in your culture. Just as well we didn't want something wacko and original, then.

Our last name is Brick, so we had the unenviable task of finding something that didn't sound silly with it.

Other than that, we just went with what we liked.

My only rule was that the name should not be featured in a song. (Only because DH was very keen on Jolene, and also Sylvia, so I would be 'Sylvia's Mother').

Sadly, this ruled out Ruby for DD, who has beautiful red hair. I still call her Ruby Tuesday sometimes, as this was my dream name for her.

Only one rule here. Put Dr in front of name and if it sounds stupid, then it probably is.

DH is a teacher too which ruled out EVERY boy's name we could think of by the time DD2 was born. (He was just about to start his first post when DD1 was born so that was OK.) Rule was pretty much no boy's names at all!

Opted to find out sex beforehand and fortunately didn't need a boy's name anyway.

DDs names both have links to past family - place DH grew up plus Dh's granny plus my name as middle name (family tradition).

Didn't even consider whether names were in top 25, 50, whatever.

Did make sure it didn't sound daft with surname.

I had two 'rules'.

First shouldn't be the same initial. I'm glad it isn't just me that thought of this one.

Second, I wanted to call dd what we would call her every day, ie a shortened name which is what appears on her birth certificate. My mother had me christened a longer name, and I've spent a lifetime telling people I don't use that name! DD will have the opposite problem...

We ended up with a common (top 10) boys name for dd with my grandma's name as a middle name. Made sure initials didn't spell anything first.

So poor lass is going to spend a lifetime saying no, its just xxx not the longer version, and no, I'm not a boy. Oops. MinL hates it! Can't wait for her to be a top flyer though and enjoy seeing blokes faces when they realise she is a girl :)

If we have another girl, then I'd like another 'boys' name... DH not keen.

Our rules were
they must NOT rhyme
they must not start with the same letter or end with the same letter
they must not sound even slightly like each other
they must not be a 'theme' (rose and daisy for example. can't think of any boy examples )
the first middle and surname initials must not spell a word or anything that could be corrupted into a word by mean kids
they must NOT rhyme. yes, I know I've said that before but it is such a no-no that it deserves 2 mentions
they must not be a name that sends shivers down my spine. I won't list them or say the C word in case of offence . But there is a List of Names To Avoid.
and finally, they had to go well with our very unusual and forrin surname.

I am so Intrigued what some of these names are now...everything I come up with that i think is unique or a little different appears in the top 20 let alone the top 100 or top 1000 like some here....

I chose names that would work if my children ever became titled.

My Mum's golden rule is to imagine shouting the name in Marks and Spencer!

Nothing Welsh, Scottish Irish or anything else we're not.
No surnames
No boys names with a girls ending (Thomasina? sounds like you wanted a boy really)

We have an unusual surname which we always have to spell, so we had a rule to say no first names the children would have to spell out, because you don't want to land them with spelling out their entire name every time they give it to someone. We also had a rule no names in the top 10 (obviously the first rule had a bearing on how unusual we could go!) so DD1's name was about 43. For DD2, however, it went out of the window and we picked the 2nd most popular name at the time, just because we both liked it, and we realised we didn't know anyone of that name (of course we've met lots since) - but it is easy to spell!

I have to be able to say it clearly - I have a lisp, and struggle to make a clear "th" sound. So no S's, or th's. Which is a shame becuase my own name has a th!!

No names they might not be able to say (no r's or s's) (although my DD2 does have an s in her name so didn't follow that one, I blame the drugs).
No name you couldn't imagine a prime minister/Olympic medallist/newsreader having (I like the Dr test previously mentioned).
No name that would likely be shared by 5 people in their class (although both my DDs names are becoming more common which is a wee bit irritating). But has to have been heard before.
No flowers or colours (surname has both).
No name I'd be embarrassed to call in the park (or that would make people think I was shouting for a dog).
No name they'll have to spend their life either spelling or correcting assumed spelling.
No alliteration with the surname.
Nothing misplacedly ethnic (I can't think of a way to say that without sounding racist but I mean I wouldn't give a child a very Irish name if I weren't Irish, IYSWIM).
Initials must be ok.

What is the top 10 boys name you have given your daughter tabbyh? Am racking brains! Is it Jack?

Simple test

At some point your DC will be in a pub. Their mate on the other side of the room will shout very loudly:-

"X, what you having?"

Do you want them to be embarrassed?

Sometimes stupid hormones take over though. Spent ages planning names for boy twins, and came up with William and Robin. Fine. But then they came out and older one looked more like a Robin, so changed order to Robin and William. People frequently ask me whether I'm a big Robbie Williams fan. Sigh.

People just are not embarrassed of a name they've grown up with and been called 35 times a day for 20 years

We have 3 boys we could never agree on a girls name but had loads of possibles for Boys. I was relly keen on Hector ( rejected by hubby due to hector's House) & Magnus (rejected in case he was short)
Our main test was the playground test i.e. what is this name going to sound like shouted in a broad west of Scotland accent across a school playground or other public space. It also had to be Scottish or have links to Scotlandour oldest, now a teenager is Cameron, we thought it was unusal at the time but there were 3 in his year at primary & probably a dozen in the school.

no names with same initials as someone in the immediate family - too confusing for the post - dh spoke from experience as he and his brother had same initals

no names beginning with b or o as surname begins with j and had horrdi visions of bullying occurring - esp with the o if a boy with ginger hair - as dh is

best advice we had was to imagine going into a supermarket and yelling the full name out at the top of your voice to see if it all goes together as inevitably you will have to - and we have and DD1 is only 4

i'd also worked with animals and young people so if any had caused me a particular issue - that name was discounted.

also some names put me in mind of certain animals so avoided them also!

Nothing popular.
Nothing that could be shortened/changed and used to bully or take the piss out of.
Something nice and mainstream without being boring.
Nothing ridiculous with a stupid/alternative spelling.

Nothing in the top 100... apart from that we just went with whatever names we both liked
I have an unusual name and loved being the only one in my school with that name, I always felt a bit sorry for all the Sarah's and Tom's who had to be known by their last names

I was pregnant over Christmas so my only rule was that if I heard the name mentioned on the X Factor, it was out

Initials, classic and elegant, no terrible diminutives, family names as middle Christian name(in keeping with the 'tradition' started by me and my two siblings with our nine children between us!). Nothing current in popular culture in case it results in a lot of children in a class having it! Definitely well known so not strange; but not common...