With the internet providing any and all information at our fingertips, expecting parents can drown in a sea of baby naming options. Plenty of expectant families succumb to the plethora of names available and acceptable for a child today. No longer is it the age of Mary and John, and eccentric choices like Bear and Zephyr are at home in the 21st century. But so many choices can take a toll on indecisive people. On the other hand, many people can get locked inside a list of requirements impossible for a name to achieve. The percentage of children receiving a top ten name drops further each year, and the pressure to pick a name completely unique to your child keeps growing. Finding names for arriving children has never been easier, but the criteria for choosing one keeps getting more complex. That’s why I’ve combined some helpful resources with some of my own tips and tricks to give you the ultimate guide to finding and choosing the baby name that’s right for you.
Finding Names
With thousands and thousands of baby name lists out there, it’s hard to know where exactly to begin when trying to find a baby name. A good place to start, that fits the criteria of many expectant parents in 2020, is the SSA Most Popular Baby Names. SSA has been recording the name of every baby born each year since 1880, providing you with popularity charts, the popularity of a name in different states, and, my personal favorite feature, the top 1000 baby names from 1880-2018. The reason I find this so helpful is because you can use the 100 year rule to find a unique but recognizable name for your upcoming baby, a requirement on many parents’ lists. Essentially, around 100 years after a name peaks in popularity, or after most of the bearers of the name are no longer living, the name is no longer associated with any age in particular. Because of this, parents start using the name again, what we call a vintage revival. When parents choose a name, they want to picture that name on a child, not the old lady next door or their coworker. That’s why Steve and Judith aren’t as widely used for 2020 babies as, say, Evelyn, which was #10 in 1915, as well as #10 in 2018. Names such as Stella and Milo, that are wildly popular today, were revived after 100 years of “old person” status, so a great place to look for a vintage revival is the top 1000 names in 1920, or 100 years ago, and you come up with gems like Louella, Edmund, and Twila.
Another great way to narrow down your options is to find your style. If you find yourself gravitating towards unisex names like Skylar, Baker, and Shay, then looking through some gender neutral name lists would be an excellent starting point and help you sort through the many options available.
Other Helpful Resources:
Search Baby Names by Name, Meaning, Origin, Syllables- This page has a great advanced search engine that will let you specify every aspect of a name to your liking and analyze all of your criteria.
Baby Names from Nameberry | Lists & Inspiration- Nameberry has lists all over their site that focus on different styles and lengths of names, making it easy to find a whole bunch of names that you enjoy in one place.
Choosing Names
Naming a child is an incredibly monumental decision: you bestow something upon a human being that can possibly make or break their future, career options, the stereotypes placed on them, and how others perceive them. To make this process even more difficult, trends come and go in a matter of months. Hayley gives way to Harley, Miles to Milo, and Jack to Jaxon, and it’s hard to know if you're choosing last week's discarded trend or a timeless classic. However, there are some tricks and test drives to make sure the name you’re considering is right.
For one, you can test drive the name you’re considering by giving it as your own every time you make a reservation at a restaurant or give your name at the drive through, and see if it’s spelled right, confused with another name, or gets any weird looks or comments. Sometimes hearing a name in a real life situation outside of baby name books can be really helpful when choosing a name and also give you a sense of what people outside of your family’s reaction to the name is. One final test drive you can use to judge how appropriate your candidates for your child’s name are for a grown adult is the wedding test. If you can’t picture your child marching down the aisle in their mid-thirties answering to Tensleigh Princess, then the name may be too cutesy.
Other Helpful Resources:
How to Test Drive Your Baby Name- This is the perfect list of what several different test drives include, regardless of the type of name you’re choosing.
Baby Name Test Drive- This baby naming test drive from the Name Genie puts the first and last name you’re considering into several real life prompts. We suggest you read them out loud to get a feel for how the names sound together.
I hope you found some of my tips and tricks for finding and choosing the right name for your growing family helpful. Be sure to submit the form under the “About” tab with any baby naming questions you may have!
Sincerely,
~Delphina Moon
Struggling to find the right name? I will gladly help!
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