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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

So, um, how DO you choose a baby name?

13 replies

phdlife · 01/04/2009 14:09

Dh and I had v clear ideas of what we wanted. We spent DAYS trawling the web and coming up with lists; finally we made a shortlist (11), then a short short (5), then tonight we tried each ranking them in order of preference.

Only now it turns out, we're not convinced about any of them. Well I am about one, but it was dh's second-last.

And daft as it sounds I feel sure this is the #1 issue stopping this baby coming (39+4 gaaaahhhh)

Help help help!

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lovelymama · 01/04/2009 14:12

number one piece of advice from me...chill out! once DS is here, it can't remain nameless forever so you'll come to some sort of compromise. lots of people say that their DC just 'looked' like a name once it arrived.....

perhaps that will happen in your case. for now i'd just concentrate on getting that little baby out!

shivermekinders · 01/04/2009 14:12

i heard dds name on a song and decided there and then it was right.

cory · 01/04/2009 14:16

We made an enormous list of all the names we could think of and then went through it separately putting little emoticons over it to indicate our opinion (smile, neutral expression, back turned, over my dead body). Looking over the list 12 years later, it seems nothing would have been good enough for dh's precious little boy. Just as well we had a girl really. But one of the names he had turned his back on when dd was due, then ended up as ds's name.

mrsgboring · 01/04/2009 14:21

I agonised over DS's name long after we'd registered and announced it - after a while it became perfect.

Would DH not consider using his "second last" name? After all, it's his fourth best name and many people have to discard 3 or more lovely names as being unsuitable/bagged by close relatives etc. etc. before alighting on "the one"

A friend and her DH argued over her DD's name right up until birth. In the delivery room with a ten minute old baby, he said "you've been through labour, you can call her whatever you like."

Have your name.

iwontbite · 01/04/2009 14:23

with ds1 there was one name that we both really, really loved and that's what he turned out to be.
for a girl I made a list and then he picked the ones he liked as well and we just kind of settled on the one we liked best.

with ds2 we had a shortlist of about 3. one I loved, 2 i liked. he didn't like my fave, so we used one of the others.
I still wish I had used my fave, but then dp would have had a name that he didn't like all that much, which isn't fair either.

this time round we're stuck. have 2 huge lists and no faves as yet1

WowOoo · 01/04/2009 14:25

We had absolutely no idea about names until ds was born. We had a shortlist, but I wasn't massively keen on any of them.

Poor baby was unnamed for a few days and then it jsut came to us and seemed to suit him perfectly.

Am worried about how long baby no.2 will be called baby for now.

Don't think that not having a name will stop your baby coming either....

Good luck with birth and naming!

TheFallenMadonna · 01/04/2009 14:34

With ds I suggested a name that I loved for a boy to DH. He sad "done". I agonised over girls' names. DH said "but it's a boy, it doesn't matter" (we didn't know). DS was born and his name is still my absolute favourite. But then that might be because it is his name.

With dd, we asked ds (aged 2). He suggested a girl's name. I said, "ooh, I like that", DH said "I didn't think you would", I said "I do" and he said "done". And it is of course my absolute favourite

So, no. No soul-searching or agonising here . DH couldn't bear it...

screamingabdab · 01/04/2009 16:21

I had loads of names for DS1. DH shot them all down in flames. Then we bought a baby names book, DH browsed through, found THE NAME, and I immediately agreed.

DS2 was harder, because it felt like we had considered and discarded every boys name. So we waited until he was born, and chose it then from a longish list. It suits him very well.

screamingabdab · 01/04/2009 16:24

Forgot to say, I would relax about it. It feels like there's a lot riding on the first one's name, but you can afford to wait and see what he/she looks like. Something may well jump out at you when you see him/her

How exciting! Good Luck

Let us know what you choose

webby12345 · 01/04/2009 17:36

i looked on name meaning websites where you can type the name in and it will come up with the meaning so your shortlist that you have give it a try and when the name meanin comes up im sure 1 will jump out at you try www.name-meanings.com my daughter is called caitlin and her meaning is virginal beauty that is what attracted me to the name

Original poster

phdlife · 02/04/2009 00:10

ah, see, we had the 'eureka' moment about ds's name - we'd looked for a while, then dh found it and we both went, "YEP!"

Have been waiting to have a similar moment for a second boy's name, and it's just not coming. But then neither does dc2 seem to be...

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Original poster

phdlife · 02/04/2009 00:32

uh-oh, dh has gone back to drawing board and is producing great lists.

and I have woken feeling mulish about my choice. should be a fun morning in the phd house....

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oysterpots · 05/04/2009 17:01

Don't rush it... it'll happen. Don't feel under pressure to announce a name straight away. My DS was un-named for a week or so, his name was on our long list and I had thought we'd decided before he was born.

But he came out and for days DH and I kept saying "... I think he's a X". And eventually it stuck.

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