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Baby Names
ayamw
member
Curious: rules
ayamw
member
in Baby Names
I am newer to TB and have lurked for a while with out much posting. I have caught on to many naming "rules" some folks on here have, but I was curious - rational, irrational, etc.:
What is your baby naming rule YOU/DH are sticking to? I find some of them very interesting, some make me think "Great point!" and others that make me say "that rule need not apply to me." Anyone care to share?
If you are looking for Sib names - any rules that apply here?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Curious: rules
Ours, loosely applied, were:
Not in top 500 (ended up going out of the top 1,000)
Nothing trendy that will seem dated to the 2010's
Middle name must be family name
Something that means something to us
Easy to spell
I guess my "rules" are
1. legit name
2. recognizable
3. underused (this I would be willing to negotiate for the right name, though)
For sibs, my only "rule" would be that the names don't rhyme.
BFP 1- EDD 2/09/11 Missed MC DX @11 weeks D&C- 7/25/10 BFP 2- EDD 12/22/11 Natural MC @ 5w 2d BFP 3- EDD 1/25/12 DD Josephine born 1/16/12
Our goal is to use family names where possible, no naming after someone alive (faith based), we want nicknames possible, and no initials that spell something obvious.
I've never had a nickname, so that's why the nickname "rule". My initials spelled MS.T and now MS.B. My best friend got married and her initials are now EAT. oops.
We would like a name that would be compatible for future siblings.... so we are thinking future.
We also have to be careful with naming because our last name begins with "But" (long and polish) so no Richard (***-But) etc.
We may stick to first initials A and/or N. A is already common in the next generation of our families (both sides) and N is based on our boy choice.
Our lil' diva: late like her Momma: 40 weeks 5 days!
1. Has to be a real name with the original spelling.
2. Nothing trendy, not too popular, not used by any family members.
3. MN is used to honor a family member.
4. Looks and sounds like it could be professional nothing cutesy.
-Not super trendy ? probably not top 50 names ? but having a chance for a pencil with his/her name on it would be nice
-We lean towards southern sounding, (maybe even old lady)classic names
-Correctly spelled legit names( that potentially reflect family heritage would be a bonus but not required!)
-Must be 2 syllables or more to go with 1 syllable last name
-My wildcard rule: FN where the NN that are not just a short version spelling-wise of the FN are out. Michael>Mike, James>Jim, etc. bug me but Daniel >Dan is fine (for example) If I can avoid names with NN that are well recognized ? even better.
-I am hung up on how the name looks written in script ? crazy, but visual quirk of mine.
- legitimate name that's been around for a long time or has some history (not trendy)
- easy to spell and pronounce
- flows well with our last name
- grows up well
Real, established first names [no modern inventions or surnames as first names]
Spelled correctly
Given to children of the correct sex [Kelly is on the boy list]
Popular is fine with us, but not trendy names that will date the name to a particular decade.
The names have to have history - None of those modern or made up names.
Easy to pronounce and spell - I want people to be able to hear the name and know how to spell it. I want people to be able to read the name and know how it's pronounced.
Limited nicknames (if not any) - I prefer names without nicknames, but I can live with them having one. My name produced a solid 5 nicknames and I found it annoying.
Nothing obscure - DH and I prefer classic/old fashion names. Also I want my child to meet other children with their name. Not necessarily having a ton in their class, but DH and I both enjoy(ed) running into people with our names.
For us, they're more like guidelines than rules.
1. Middle names are family names from my side.
2. First name should be comprehensible in Romance languages (Italian/Spanish/Portuguese) and in English.
3. Preference given to names that have both a formal name and a cute nickname.
4. Popularity is not particularly important, but sharp trends should be avoided.
5. Etymological meaning is not important, but possible association with other people bearing that name is moderately important.
I would break all of these rules in a heartbeat to name a daughter Oona.
Baby Name Popularity by State
We have a top 10 common LN so we want a name that isn't too popular (DSs' names were in the 300s and 600s respectively) and one that hopefully doesn't create a celebrity name.
I want a saint's name, this covers ground for DH who likes classic, old fashioned names that are spelled correctly.
Family names are good, but not mandatory. We have used family surnames as the MN for both boys so far.
For our sibset we look to have different beginning and ending sounds for each FN. I confuse my children's names with my friends' children so if my own sibset was alliterative or rhymey I'd be in big trouble.
Ours were: classic name that will age well, not too popular, family name as mn, and I hate alliteration and rhyming (so once a letter is taken, no more names with that letter, no names that start with the same letter as our ln, and no names ending in the same sound - so all names ending in "a" were out for LO #2).
TTC since 11/05...ectopic pg 4/08...early m/c 6/09...BFP 10/5/09!
Nora B...June 15, 2010...8lbs, 8oz...Med-free birth!
TTC #2 since 7/11...cycle #3 of Clomid + IUI = BFP
Malcolm...September 21, 2012...8lbs, 6oz...Another med-free birth!
Our two main rules were:
Our "rules" weren't too strict.
- The name had to be a real, correctly spelled name.
- Either the first or middle name (or both) would honor a family member, living or deceased.
- We would not use a name already used in our close circle of friends or immediate family (excluding possibly parents/grandparents if we were going to choose to honor them.)
- The name needed to "sound good" with our last name to our ears.
If we have a 2nd, we will follow the same rules. Since we used a somewhat old-fashioned name for DD1 (Elinor after DH's grandmother), we would probably use an old-fashioned name for #2 as well. Our front-runner girl name right now is Miriam.
I don't like set NN. DS's name has an obvious NN possibility but we refuse to use it and correct others that do. I really don't like one syllable NN.
Nothing one syllable for FN.
No names ending in ee sound because of our LN.
FN has to have a flow to it...its hard to explain but I like names that have different sounds throughout the name.
Our rules:
1. Nothing too popular- last time we stayed out of top 1,000. This time I think we are trying hard to stay out of top 3-500.
2. Family signifigance for middle name- whether it's after a family member or just honoring our heritage
3. Flows well
4. Legit, spelled correctly, and easy to pronounce and spell
Loss #6 2014 Loss #7 (chemical) 2014
~DS Born! 2009~
~DD Born! 2013~
I don't want it to be super popular, probably outside of the top 50.
If I write the name on a resume, I want it to look like someone you can take seriously, not something cutesy.
No unisex names. If you see the name you should know whether to address them as Mr. or Ms.
Our last name is one syllable, so the first name should be at least 2 or even 3 syllables.
I have more rules than my DH. His rule is basically "Does it sound good?" Also, he wants to avoid any names that, "remind him of old people." But that's about it as far as his rules.
MY rules, on the other hand, are a little more in-depth.
1. MN will be a family name - either surname or grandparent name, depending on gender (girl is surname, boy will be after his father/grandfather).
2. First name, for boy or girl, I would like to be a "regal" name. By that I mean a name that has been the name of someone born to royalty at some point. I want my kids, especially my girls, to be able to look up other bearers of their name and find strong female role-models, and queens are just the easiest to search.
3. I want names that have NN. My name does not have an obvious NN, so growing up, people just randomly invented some. Not always the greatest outcome. So I want my kids to be able to choose to go by something other than their full first name if they want to.
4. A name they can grow into - by this I mean, will it look decent and responsible at the top of a resume?
5. Nothing in the Top 50. My name, Molly, was fairly unusual when I was a kid. I liked being the only one in class, and it was really a special occasion when I met someone else who shared my name. As I married a fairly common last name, I would my kids to at least have some individuality in their first name, and not be one of five with the same name.
So far, my DH and I have not been able to agree on a girls name that fits all these criteria. But I am still hoping :-)
It has to be a normal name. Preferably a saint's first name and the mn will be a family name.
That's about all!
Hmm...
1. I'd prefer it to be a name that is easily written in cursive (although I broke that rule already; I stink at capital J's in cursive).
2. No "ayden" names (ie Brayden, Jayden etc)
3. No you-neek names, and nothing already in my husband's family (his family is large, and there are already multiples of some names), unless we are honoring someone (like DH's grandma is Alice, and I like that name. I wouldn't use one of his cousin's names like Daniel even though I like that name).
4. I'm going to try really hard to not use the same beginning letter, although I do like a lot of E girl names. I just don't want to look like I was lazy or that I was trying to be cute or "cool".
If I think of more I'll edit this.