What factors do you consider...

[ChurchBells]

...when looking for the right name for your LO and have your favourite names changed over time – if they have what do you think has effected that change? Thanks.

My choices have changed based on being exposed to new names through cultures and reading ect. I've also changed my favourites based on real people that I know, both good and bad.
That said when I'm chosing names I think about, spelling, pronunciation, meaning, how common is it, will it age well and do I like it.
I like names that are easy to spell, not to common but no unheard of, easy to pronounce, suits a person at every stage of life and isn't some made up nonsense that no one will ever get right so lumbering my child with having to explain constantly

I’m a bit of a name geek (Modern Languages graduate and love words and language generally) so my favourites change quite regularly depending on what I’m reading, who I’ve met with that name etc.

My tastes have definitely changed over time - a decade ago I’d have favoured longer, more feminine and frilly names like Cassia, Saskia, Clementine and Ophelia. By the time we got round to naming DD though I much preferred shorter, simple, vintage style names and nature names, and we deliberately opted for something that didn’t sound too ‘girly’ (not unisex, just substantial and not frilly).

Our criteria were reasonably unusual (outside top 100), adaptable to different walks of life, simple and easy to spell, nice meaning and worked fairly well internationally.

Our criteria are (and were):

• outside of top 100
• works in 3 languages
• sounds good with our surname
• we love the name!

I wasn't that bothered about popularity but I lean towards harder, non-vowel-y names which aren't currently the vogue anyway.

My preferences have changed. As a child I liked to make up my own and remember vowing to my Mum that I'd name a future daughter "Jemeenie", and twins "George and Georgina". Thankfully grew out of that.

I found a list of names from only a few years ago. A lot I still like, but others have fallen down the list/I wonder what I was thinking. I'm not sure what effected the change. Maybe just getting older and meeting or reading about people or characters with names that make me feel positively or negatively about their names.

Husband and I had few criteria beyond both liking it. That was hard enough!

Irish / english couple here and the main criteria is that it sounds ok in both our accents 😂😂 my accent makes some names sound absolutely awful. I love Nathaniel for example but I butcher it in my accent.

• Do you like it?
• Does it sound good with surname?
• Can you imagine it suiting an adult? Lots of names are very sweet on toddlers but they're going to spend the majority of their lives as adults.

Do we like the name?
Did we like is 10 years ago and will we like it in 10 years' time?
Does it go with the surname?

Is it fairly easy to say and spell?
Are there any nicknames that we might not like?
Is it likely to date badly?
Do we know anyone with the name, and might that affect our judgement?

Not too bothered about popularity as long as we love the name (although outside the top 20 would be preferable)
My criteria:

Don’t know anyone well or personally with the name
Will age well
Like / am okay with the nicknames (if there are any)
Sounds good with surname

lol, I'm a secondary teacher so thought very long and hard about names.

I wanted something outside the top 100 - seen too many children with very popular names given unfortunate, descriptive nicknames (thick Ben was one I remember!)

It also had to be shortenable or with lots of nick name choices. I hate my given name, so I use a nickname. I have taught lots of kids who dislike their names. Was a good decision in the end as my eldest strongly dislikes her name, and so uses one of the many nick names that her name can be shortened to. I would still have this as my number one rule. Interestingly, my daughter also says this would be her number one rule too, for the same reason.

Can have cute nicknames, but also a more serious / adult version of the name too. Eg I would use Matilda shortened to Tilly, rather than just Tilly.

I also like feminine names for girls (but not too frilly / flowery) and strong names for boys.

My children are both teens now. I would still stick to these rules, but my tastes have grown more traditional. If I was renaming my children, I would still use my younger daughter's name, but would have chosen something more classic for my eldest (Charlotte, Elizabeth, Harriet or Helena I would use now)

The other consideration we had was how other people say the name.
The do we really want a Nayfun, Layo/Dorofy/Sawfeh or Varluh? (Nathan/Leo/Dorothy/Sophie/Violet)

I have some long-time favourites that have been on my shortlist even pre-dc. A lot of them have had to be taken off as friends and family have used them - I don't like them any less but personally I wouldn't want to use a name someone close to me has used! I have also gone off a couple because I've then taught a few and a name really loses its shine when you have to say/shout it what feels like a hundred times a day. Also when it came to naming our dc I also had to take into account dh's tastes (which are not dissimilar to mine but a lot more 'out there'), so there are some names I will never be able to use because he doesn't like them.

I wanted something outside the top 100 - seen too many children with very popular names given unfortunate, descriptive nicknames (thick Ben was one I remember!)

Absolutely, it makes me smile when I see posts worrying about a particular unusual name having teasing potential - in my experience as a teacher the worst name-related teasing I came across was always reserved for the more normal names - ‘Smelly Ellie’ etc. Meanwhile no one batted an eyelid at things like Destiny, Ocean-Breeze, Odin or any number of names from other cultures that didn’t ‘work’ in English!

Back in my schooldays, if two or more had the same name they'd be something like Big Darren, Little Darren, Thick Darren and Fat Darren, or Tall Jane and Short Jane or there would be a nickname based on the initials, middle name or surname.

Our main criterion was that the name should not have particular social connotations and should fit in any situation.

I wanted something outside the top 100 - seen too many children with very popular names given unfortunate, descriptive nicknames (thick Ben was one I remember!)

Absolutely. Still happens as adults in the workplace. When there's 3 Sarahs they'll inevitably end up as small Sarah, big Sarah or Photocopy Sarah!

Unusual names are not only more memorable but there's no need to add any adjectives!

Having worked in a big law firm where everyone was referred to by their initials, I always check the initials don't spell anything rude or embarrassing.

Something I’ll love singing and saying every day.
Not too popular.
But not really off the wall.
Something likely to be only one in class.
But also something everyone knows how to say and spell.
I have a few stalwarts that have stuck with me for years. My favourite girls name was vetoed so that’s still waiting in the wings. But the orbital ones that change I’ve noticed tend to be reflexively reactionary to trends. For example I used to like all the short vowel names and sweet old lady names, but since they’ve been everywhere I’ve noticed I’m (not consciously) liking more consonant heavy, longer, ‘ugly-cool’ stuffy heritage names, with strong sounds.

Important that it doesn't mean anything obscene in any other language.

Other than that, is it a good name that won't be too much of a talking point, or likewise, too pedestrian.

Important to keep in kind that there are many, many names which will not pass the Mumsnet test but will suit your child perfectly fine. Some people on MN would have you believe that calling your child something that isn't an extremely middle-class name means they'll spend their life languishing in the prison system. This isn't true. Riley will be fine. Riley will flourish. She may even become...a high court judge.

Had to love it.
Didn’t want to know anyone with the name and therefore having existing connotations.
Worked ok with our surname.

I’m not sure what I’d describe my taste as. Several of my favourites were in the “royal names” thread here yesterday, so I guess “traditional” might be a decent description.

I think I’ve always had similar taste. Apart from my very top name, which I used for my eldest, the order might have changed, but it would be the same sorts of names in the list.

1. wanted something known but under-used. DH was one of 4 kids in his class with the same name and I wanted to avoid that.
2. No stupid spellings
3. Nothing that sounded nicknamey on the birth certificate. Eg Thomas not Tommy.
4. No stupid spellings - said it before but worth reiterating!
5. Nothing too frilly or princessy for girls. Have always hated names like Arabella etc (had a boy anyway, so proved a moot point in the end.)

DS is Owen. Which ticked all the boxes and suits him perfectly.

Our number one consideration was is the name easy to pronounce when reading it? Both our children have very unusual names however they are phonetic and no ambiguity in how they can be pronounced. For our son we really loved the name Tyr but I just imagined how it would be pronounced at the doctors or over the phone or at school and it was a no go.

We have a long and complicated surname so first names had to have one recognised spelling and we both liked classic/traditional names. Isabel was therefore a non starter because of the Isobel variant.

Also I have a very unusual first name and didn't want them to have to deal with a name that was remarked upon which I have always found tiresome.

Always names that mean something to me, names after grandparents, other family members, have a family or cultural connection or meaning. The only name that I hadn’t always wanted was my 3rd DD, I knew a name I wanted for boy or girl but was uncertain about it as a first name for girl, DH agreed. Then I said I liked a 2 certain old fashioned names which went well with the middle name and we both agreed, we went with the one that flowed better. Also I became aware some something family related during the pregnancy and heard a name I’d never heard before, I loved it and it’s meaning so did DH so we used it as a 2nd middle name.

My older DDs both have names I’ve wanted since I first though about having children. I don’t like following fashions, it’s more important to me there is a real meaning behind the name. My DDs know where they come from and why they were chosen.

Essential:

• A longstanding name, not a new one (i.e. in use a few centuries ago)
• A saint with a feast day
• Standardised spelling, or at least very minor variants that are easily described (e.g. Anne with a E!)
• Easy to see it written down and your average English person can read it out loud with no problems
• Doesn't begin with the same letter as our surname or the first name of anyone else in our immediate family (no P Fossil nametapes in this household!)
• A full name on the birth certificate, not a nickname (e.g. Robert vs Bob)
• No unfortunate initials combos!
• No strong personal connotations - I didn't want to name our children after anyone, good or bad

Desirable:

• Instantly recognisable as a name but not very common. Turns out both our children have "grandparent" names! The number of midwives/HVs with a grandparent with our son's name was astonishing (very black area, so a black old man name kinda like Winston for our blonde haired blue eyed boy!)
• We like "soft" boys names, like Nathaniel
• We like "plain" girls names like Ruth

Oh yes, and I am very pro nicknames and DH is very anti nicknames. We wanted names that weren't too much of a mouthful as the full name. I nearly didn't go for our daughter's name because I wasn't too keen on the common nickname but I'm glad we did in the end because it's a lovely name and my nicknaming skillzzz have come up with an alternative - and I've softened on the common nickname anyway now it might be applied to our lovely little girl.