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As a soon-to-be parent, one of (many) stressful items you will be going through prior to the birth of your child is settling on a name. You’ll need to have a name ready to go for the birth, as the doctors will ask for your choice for the birth certificate. Parents who opt to not know whether they’re having a boy or a girl will have an even more difficult decision, as they will need to settle on two potential names.
Learning how to choose the right name for your child is important as a person’s name can have long-standing implications in their life. To that end, covering the best strategies and methods for choosing your child’s name can help any parent settle on a name they love.
Why is Choosing the Right Name Important?
First and foremost, many soon-to-be parents often wonder whether the choice of a name actually matters in the long run. The answer is that it actually does to a heavy degree. In fact, recent psychological and social studies have actually shown that a person’s name can influence a number of factors, including but not limited to:
- The profession a person pursues
- The person we choose to marry
- The grades a person receives in school
- Stock choices a person chooses to invest in
- Whether or not a person is actually hired for a job
- The school your child will attend
- The quality of work that a person output
While it’s not guaranteed that a name will get you rejected from your dream school, as an example, it’s important to recognize the fact that names can potentially have a significant impact on our lives.
Important Questions to Ask as You Settle on a Name
As you begin to think about what your child’s name will be, you will inevitably start to track popular name trends with ease online to see if any jump out at you. While doing this, ask yourself some of the following guiding questions:
- Can a name you like the sound of be shortened to a common nickname, and do you like that nickname?
- Is the name you’re choosing easy to pronounce, or will your child constantly be spelling out their name for people?
- Do you want your child to have a name with an alternative meaning?
- Would you like to honor a family member by using their name, or a variation of it, for your child?
The above questions are an excellent starting point as you begin to consider names, but the following tips will help you narrow down your decision even further.
Tips for Naming a Child
Consider whether you’d like to settle on a traditional or non-traditional name
For those who are considering using a name that has a religious or cultural background, you will need to choose whether to go with a traditional or non-traditional option. While non-traditional options are great ways to honor culture, they may not work well in certain settings that your child finds themselves in. In this case, going with a traditional name and then assigning the non-traditional name as a middle name can be an excellent strategy.
Don’t go with a name just because it’s been popularized by social media
Nowadays, social media has popularized a number of unique names that incorporate letters, numbers, and even symbols. As a general rule of thumb, avoid choosing a name because you see a celebrity hyping it up for views on social media. Choosing a name that resonates with you specifically will help to ensure that it’s a name you love.
Keep in mind that just because a name is out of style doesn’t mean it’s not a good name
Just because you don’t hear a name given to children as often in the current day doesn’t mean it’s a bad name. Oftentimes, people choose names based on what’s popular at a given time, but popularity can ebb and flow. Most of the time, a name that isn’t common one year will be more common a decade from now. Choose a name that you like, rather than one that is popular at the time.
Names can have multiple meanings, so be sure you understand each meaning
Be aware that many names have multiple meanings, which means that they translate to different things in other languages. If this matters to you, it’s best to look up what your chosen name means in other languages so that you can be prepared.
Think about how the name will flow together with the middle or last name
Most parents only think about what a first name will sound like when they are trying to choose a name for their child. Be sure not to neglect considering how that name will sound in conjunction with your child’s middle and last name as well. More often than not, we give both the first and last name when introducing ourselves, so it’s best to ensure your child’s name rolls off the tongue.
Go to a coffee shop and give your chosen name to see what it looks like written down and spoken aloud
One unique and beneficial strategy for choosing a name for your child is to head to a coffee shop. While this may sound outlandish at first, you need to give your name at these shops for your order. This gives you an opportunity to see how it sounds when you say it, when someone says it, and to see what it looks like as it’s written down.
Settle on a renowned name today
At the end of the day, choosing a name you and your significant other love is all that matters. By treating your child with love and teaching them the importance of their name, they will understand why their name matters. Even if they do choose to alter their name in the future, take it as a sign of their independence, rather than as a slight towards you and your significant other.
Image Credit: Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash