Tips for choosing a name!

[LoveSunshine01]

Hi guys,

Just wondering if anyone has any tips or ideas of fun/easy ways to choose baby names with their partner? Long rambling 'what about...X' conversations are getting dull and don't seem to be getting us anywhere!

Find out what sort of names you both like. Eg: Traditional or Modern, Long or Short, Popular or Unique. That way, you can start to have a clearer idea of names to look for x

We found this website really useful...

www.namedtogether.com/

You each go down a list ticking all the names you like, then hide your answers so your partner can’t see them, and then it tells you what names you have picked that match

We used the top 500 for England and Wales but it has a variety of lists you can choose from.

Look for where your tastes are similar.
Make a note of what one of you dislikes.

Think long and hard about whether you will like the name in 5, 10, 15...50 yrs time. Names that seem fresh now might be very dull in 30 years' time.
Names that seem unusual often aren't by the time DC is at school.

What about the surname? Ideally, children have their mother's surname. Most people go through life as Firstname Surname.

Ask on here for opinions, not your own family and friends. Think of the possible pitfalls of the name. When you ask on here, don't get upset about blunt comments.

Thanks guys, that is helpful, I particularly like the website checklist idea @Anni3getyourgun - love a tool!

@sleepismysuperpower1 Yes, you're right, I think we're kind of there with that side of things which is a good start!

@MikeUniformMike thanks - we'll use some of those techniques if and when we get any decent candidates!!

I think I really need like practical ideas to make it easier - I heard about pinning a list up in the bathroom and adding/removing while you clean your teeth, not sure if that would quite work for us though!

I tried a couple of apps but they were terrible!!

I forget what it’s called but there’s a baby name app you can each download where you swipe yes or no for the ones you like. It then shows you which names you have mutually selected.

We made a big long list of ones we liked and then matched each one with various criteria, like how well it went with the surname, the name meaning/origin, potential nicknames, where it was at in popularity charts etc. Was a clear way of seeing what ticked all the boxes, and made us realise what ones we just loved regardless and didn’t want to let go of!

Also - film/TV credits is great name inspiration!

And the website British Baby Names has loads of lists and is fab.

@Blursula if you remember what the app was called let me know! As I said, I tried a couple but didn't get on with them..

Like the criteria idea, I could make a nice spreadsheet on it, DH would hate that 😂

The app I have seen is called Kinder (i.e. Tinder but for kids names!) it hasn't helped us much, but I think I'm just fussy!

I would put potential names into Facebook and see who cones up. I’ve found that people look very similar types. My name shows lots of party girls. Husbands name is blokes of a similar age all look quite affluent.

Watch movie credits hundreds of names in those