Choosing a baby’s name can seem like an insurmountable task. Which is weird given that 85,000 people changed their name by deed poll in 2016. More than twice as many as a decade ago.
George and Amal Clooney named their twins Ella and Alexander. Very classic names which have bucked the trend for more unusual choices like Apple (Gwyneth Paltrow) or Buddy Bear (Jamie Oliver). Although Simon Cowell went for the old school Eric for his son. So is it better to stick to traditional names or to try to find something unique?
Research can help with baby name selection
Particularly with a first baby it can be difficult for expectant parents to know how a name might pan out. You can pick something really ‘out there’ and then have that name be used for a character in a major film so that every third child ends up sharing your ‘unusual’ name. Then there is no way to predict such results. However, by talking to other new parents, checking on name websites and looking at the annual surveys of popular names, you can find out if your shortlisted names are heading up or down the charts.
Family reactions will change
Sometimes family traditions get in the way. In The Maternity Nurse Company office we have a variety of them. In one family it’s common to use the father’s first name as a baby boy’s middle name. Another family, all firstborn boys get the family name – Robert. Often these traditions relate to boys, you’ll notice! So it can be difficult to break ranks and do what your heart suggests. However, most parents and parents-in-law adjust quite quickly to your chosen name once the baby arrives. Grandparents can be a little more obstinate but usually come around by the time a child is walking. Either that or they give them a nickname or end up calling all the grandchildren by each other’s names anyway!
But ‘name issues’ won’t
Several years ago, one of our maternity nurses was introduced to her new charge. A boy called Satran, who was named for a place in Scotland, apparently. He was an adorable child. However has been known as Satan more or less continuously, simply because his name when written down gets misread. It’s a good idea to try out any unusual name in an online forum if you don’t want to share it with friends and family. Then you can at least be aware of any problems with spelling or pronunciation that hadn’t occurred to you.
Classic or kooky?
The choice is not as obvious as you might think. Today’s Rubys and Jareds had their counterparts in the 1890s and while really classic names like Jane and John are timeless, most others have their seasons. You can generally predict the age of a Karen, a Sean, a Molly or an Ivan to within five years. So even trying to pick a classic name can lead to the discovery there are three others in your child’s first school class! Kooky rapidly becomes mainstream too. Which is probably why we see so many double names among celebs. River Rocket (the Olivers again) Kal El (Nicolas Cage) Fifi Trixibelle (Paula Yates and Bob Geldof). They are just guaranteed not to be copied that regularly.
In the end, it boils down to a name you can live with and say with affection every day of your life. Names shouldn’t try to hard. But they should be something that you can look back on and explain to your child, and something that neither you, nor your child, will live to regret!