How important was the naming process for you?

[achooachoo]

What I mean is, did you see choosing a name for your DC a purely practical thing rather than something to be debated/ agonised over for weeks and months.

Was anyone not too bothered about what name their DC ended up with - not because you didn't care but you saw it as just an incidental thing that has to be done -your DC is the most important thing.

DP and I see it in totally different ways - me, stressed and him, could pick the first name in the baby names book - am trying to understand his perspective. Thanks!

I just wanted names we both liked, don't feel that I really agonised over them

DH had a boys name that he really liked, and I was happy enough with (I didn't have a favourite alternative boys name) I did have several girls names I loved, I chose DDs name and DH was happy with it too. So we named one each but it was not on purpose, IYKWIM.

I read the entire 100,000 baby names book, searched about a dozen baby naming websites, searched the family tree for possibilities, started 3 threads on Mumsnet, made a note of any good names I heard on telly, in the street, the obituaries list.......

Still didn't manage to come up with a boys name I loved. Luckily we had a DD.

I don't understand why it isn't important to some people. The child will use it several times a day for (hopefully) nearly 100 years. It's important - you want to get it right.

I don't think I was as bothered as some people are. DP had suggested a girl's name he liked years before we were even trying to get pregnant, and I agreed it was nice. Then when I did get pregnant it was just assumed that this would be her name - we had a brief think about other names but DP didn't like any as much as the original name, and I liked the original name enough not to push any of the others.

I think it depends on what sort of name you are after, i.e. traditional, unique, meaningful, related to the family etc. Me, I wanted a name that I felt was relatively classic but which was longer and would give DD a choice herself when she was older (whether she used the full name or nickname).

If your DP isn't too bothered, doesn't that mean you get free reign?!

We didn't agonise. We both came up with various suggestions over the weeks which the other felt wasn't quite right. Neither of us argued for a name as we both had to really want it. After a while the right name cropped up, was agreed upon and that was that. It was made easier by us having similar tastes in names.

No agonising here. We had a short list for boys and girls. When we first saw DS, he didn't look like any of our shortlisted names so has what he "looked like".

No agonising here. We had a short list for boys and girls. When we first saw DS, he didn't look like any of our shortlisted names so has what he "looked like".

We both had veto powers on names we hated. Both liked Welsh names and I have that heritage and knew that despite being mostly Irish and living in Ireland we didn't want an Irish name so we actively looked for Welsh names. Wasn't particularly agonizing and when we found our DDs name it just clicked for both of us.