How do you pick?...so seriously, I have no idea.

mkw1013

Im 33 weeks and we have no idea what to name our baby girl. Nothing stands out and i am not in love with anything. Did you just LOVE your baby name or did you just like it? I feel like im going to have to settle which i really dont want to do. I read lists of names and DH and i just think "thats nice" or "thats cute" but i have never actually said "Oh i love that one"  I am fine with waiting until we meet her and pick a name then but i at least want to go in with a list of 3 or 4 names we really really like. Im afraid that even when i see her ill be stumped as to what to name her.

Our top name is Andie but im just not in LOVE with it yet (I think i can be though). Grace, Olivia and Annie are also ones we like. I also like Lydia, Bailey, Jane and a few others like that.

Also our dog was nameless for over a week. ha! and i think his name fits him perfectly now.

How did you pick?

BananaLettuce

Is Andie a nn for Andrea or something?

526SadieSadie

Picking can be very difficult.

Before we conceived, it was decided between us that the first girl's middle name would be my mom's first name and the first boy's middle name would be FIL's first name.  DH got the final say on DD's first name since I picked her middle name.  If this baby is a boy, I get final say on his first name.

We had a list of five girl names up until a week before my due date and DH just finally said he loved Olivia more than all of the others.  It wasn't my top choice but I love it for her now.

What about Andie do you like?  Do you like Andrea (Anne-dree-uh or on-DRAY-uh)?  My best friend growing up was Andreana (Anne-dree-Onna).

You might just see your baby and know her name, or you might need more time.  Ask the nurses for help, they named my friend's son when she was completely clueless lol

mkw1013

I dont really know what i like about Andie. I think my husband likes it more than i do. Im not a big fan of Andrea though so i wouldnt use it as a full name and Andie as a nick name.

My husband is a red head and im a brunette so i think that is holding me back a little too. Its hard to picture a little girl with red hair or brown.

DaisyZH

My DH had loved my DS 's name since he was a kid and always knew he wanted to use that name.  For our DD we loved so many names but every time we would officially "decide" we would change our mind a week later.

Ultimately we thought of her name the day before she was born.  It was a name neither of us had considered.  It was stressful at the time, but ultimately you will decide on a name for your baby.

Grace, Olivia, Lydia and Jane are beautiful.  Lydia Jane is my favorite combination.  Good luck!

catahoulatte

mkw1013 said:

I dont really know what i like about Andie. I think my husband likes it more than i do. Im not a big fan of Andrea though so i wouldnt use it as a full name and Andie as a nick name.

My husband is a red head and im a brunette so i think that is holding me back a little too. Its hard to picture a little girl with red hair or brown.

Helpful tip from someone with a short NN a lot like this- I'd suggest you give her a formal name that is more adult sounding than Andie. Andie is cute and spunky, but not all that great for an office environment. I am very thankful I don't go by my cutesy NN in a male-dominated work environment. Just a thought.

DaisyZH

526SadieSadie said:

Picking can be very difficult.

Before we conceived, it was decided between us that the first girl's middle name would be my mom's first name and the first boy's middle name would be FIL's first name.  DH got the final say on DD's first name since I picked her middle name.  If this baby is a boy, I get final say on his first name.

We had a list of five girl names up until a week before my due date and DH just finally said he loved Olivia more than all of the others.  It wasn't my top choice but I love it for her now.

What about Andie do you like?  Do you like Andrea (Anne-dree-uh or on-DRAY-uh)?  My best friend growing up was Andreana (Anne-dree-Onna).

You might just see your baby and know her name, or you might need more time.  Ask the nurses for help, they named my friend's son when she was completely clueless lol

Just out of curiosity, what name did the nurses pick?  They must see so many different names.

mkw1013

CatahoulaMom said:

mkw1013 said:

I dont really know what i like about Andie. I think my husband likes it more than i do. Im not a big fan of Andrea though so i wouldnt use it as a full name and Andie as a nick name.

My husband is a red head and im a brunette so i think that is holding me back a little too. Its hard to picture a little girl with red hair or brown.

Helpful tip from someone with a short NN a lot like this- I'd suggest you give her a formal name that is more adult sounding than Andie. Andie is cute and spunky, but not all that great for an office environment. I am very thankful I don't go by my cutesy NN in a male-dominated work environment. Just a thought.

I think this is what is holding me back about the name too! Im not a big fan of giving NN as first names. But i just dont really like the full name of it. I need a full name to yell at her when she is being naughty

koalaberry

Andie is great for a nickname (Only). Please give this girl a professional name as well in case she wants to go into a serious career field. Nothing wrong with flexibility. 

I think that is sometime, not always, that a name has to grow on you.  As long as it's not something that sticks in your mouth or doesn't roll off the tongue. 

I have read blogs where people say don't sweat the name.  Just relax.  Don't let it become the source of anxiety.  There are plenty of people that insist that the universe will drop a perfectly good name into your lap...sometimes just before or just after the birth.

mkw1013

vixxylu said:

I have read blogs where people say don't sweat the name.  Just relax.  Don't let it become the source of anxiety.  There are plenty of people that insist that the universe will drop a perfectly good name into your lap...sometimes just before or just after the birth.

I certainly dont feel stressed about not having a name yet. I know we will pick a name that fits her perfectly. I think others feel more stress for me.

mkw1013

TheEmpireNeedsYou said:

I haven't ever had an "omg I LOVE that name!!!" moment.

With DD, I made a list that was all names that I really liked. DH crossed a bunch off. We looked at the list and I asked which one he liked best. He asked me. I told him and he went "oh, well, that's the one I like the best too". And that was it. Her name meets all of the criteria for what I wanted out of a name, but it wasn't like I had my heart set on that specific name and angels started singing when it was the top choice for both of us.

This time around we did something similar, but haven't been able to make a decision. We have four solid contenders that we like and would be happy with, but no one name jumps out and screams "I am the best name ever!". And that's okay. We'll just see what happens in the hospital.

If people act anxious for me I just make a joke about it and tell them we'll either draw Scrabble tiles or throw a dart at the list to pick. 

Thanks so much! This is what i was looking for. I feel like everyone has the "I LOVE THAT NAME" moment so its nice to know that isnt the case. And i always joke with everyone that we will name her at some point within the first month of her life.

Dr.Loretta

My mom had a name set for 2 of her 3 kids. My brother, on the other hand, was named after a week. She defaulted to the name of a neighbor for a FN and a shared MN for all the men in our family.

We picked a name about a month before DD was born, and the MN just came to me on a car ride a week or so later.

I didn't find it that hard, and kind of enjoyed the process. I'm also not someone who can look at a wrinkled nb and say a name does or doesn't fit them. Maybe I'm weird *shrug*

allthecheese

Dr.Loretta said:

I didn't find it that hard, and kind of enjoyed the process. I'm also not someone who can look at a wrinkled nb and say a name does or doesn't fit them. Maybe I'm weird *shrug*

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whatever! screw the quote box - I can't straighten this out...

I've been trying to figure this out. I can't imagine ever going to the hospital with several names and deciding then! or seeing the LO and thinking that the name we'd picked didn't fit. I like to have everything in order so maybe it's just my ocd lol. But can someone who has done this explain??

MissyCee

We didn't officially chose DD's name until she was a day old. We went in with a few favorites and wanted to see what she looked like before picking.

I always really liked the name we chose, but it wasn't my absolute favorite of our top three until I saw her and thought it was perfect.

Think of potential nicknames, what it will look like on a resume, all that type of stuff and see if that helps anything stand out. Don't stress, you have time, you don't have to choose before you have your baby.

Amanda&EricB

With our son, we went into it with a list of names we loved. Two years later, we were having our daughter, and I didn't love any names. I went through the whole pregnancy thinking I was going to have to settle. But as soon as she was born, I knew she was Tessa.

this decaf life

I kept looking for the perfect name until I realized it just wasn't going to happen. Then I found a name we both really liked & a nickname for it we both liked and then it grew on me.

Love her name now, do I think it's perfect? Maybe, I just don't think about a name being perfect anymore.

JunkieBrewster

I just LIKE our name. My husband, however, LOVES it. It was the only one we could come close on, but Jacob is a bit too popular for me. 

However, I am the pregnant one, I get to make all the choices right now, and when the baby is born, I still make most the choices since I am a SAHM. Since I don't HATE the name, I am willing to compromise on a name he loves..

Mei&Mei

Here are some others I think can be nicknamed to Andie (which is a cute nickname): 

Alexandra 

Cassandra 

 Anastasia

Alessandra 

 Annabel 

 Anna 

 Annette, etc. Anything starting with An- 

 Arianna 

 Adela / Adele / Adelaide/ Adeline 

I don't think there are perfect names. Don't stress, keep looking and do some research about some names you like. Look up their meanings, look for songs or literature that feature those names. Is it mythological, or used in a poem? The name of a famous scientist? Is it the name of your great grandma? Having some kind of personal meaning or association can make a name go from "I like it" to "WOW".

Good luck! 

emmy236

DH hates thinking in general much less thinking about baby names. Before we even started trying I said I wanted to use family names. He agreed. I think he liked my girls name more than my boys name. When we found out we were having a boy I made sure to tell DH if he wasn't in love with the name please tell me and we could come up with something else. DH didn't think of anything and any other option I brought up he didn't like. He randomly said a few months after Reed was born, I can't imagine him being anything else.

Now when we get around to #2 I told DH it was important to me that he picks out a name he really loves if it's a boy. He has a name picked out and it wasn't my top choice but when we talk about future baby I use the name and now it feels right. So basically try out a few names and you'll see what fits, you may be surprised what feels the best.

HSTeacherHeidi

Personally-I love the name Andie (but I prefer the spelling Andi). I think it's cute, spunky, and could be professional. I am named Heidi, and liked that I didn't go by something else for short. Andi seems like a "happy" name to me.

Curious if you ended up naming her Andie or not?

4N6s

What about Alexandra or Miranda with the nickname andi?
I like bailey & Jane too.
Others: indie, rue, Alessandra, Juliana, Eliana, Carlene, Theresa, Beatrix, June, Juno, Jayme, Jolene, Johanna, Riley, Mia, Myla, Nicole and Juliet.

Ladymouse

With DS, we went with a least objectionable alternative.  DH eventually realized I don't care for our son's name, and agreed that for subsequent kids we'd put in more effort to find a name we BOTH like.  He lightened up on his "no one we know can have the same name" thing, and his random "no names like..." list.  Cath-, Kar-, Kay-, Adel-, Anna, Gwen, Beth and nature/flower names were all vetoed first time.

JennMarie1

Good question because I'm in the same boat, don't feel alone!  I'm just assuming that whatever name we pick, even if we aren't head over heels in love with it before, will become a name we love when we give it to our baby.

Also it's kind of nice not to have a name picked out so you have plausible deniability when nosy people ask what you plan to name your little one.  I hear sharing your name is a really good way to gather tons of unsolicited negative feedback.  Good luck!!

Maladroit

I guess it's kind of like wedding dress responses.  I didn't have that OMG I LOVE IT moment for either my dress or my baby's name.  I had a couple of names I really liked, but nothing definite for sure.  When he was born, it took a day of trying out different names and one just kinda sounded better than the others after awhile.

Spin313

4N6s said:

What about Alexandra or Miranda with the nickname Andie?

I think this is a great suggestion.

Tmakes3

What about just Anne for a formal name? Then you could call her Andie.. It's simple and beautiful.