It’s been almost 12 years since I was last choosing a baby name. My kids are 11 and 12 now, so our choices have definitely had time to grow on us. With that in mind, I feel I’m somewhat qualified to share some important things to consider when choosing a baby name.
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Spelling is Important
When we were choosing a baby name, we settled on Caitlyn for a girl. We both loved it and felt it fit our surname perfectly. Once we started telling people the name we’d picked, it became obvious that our choice would involve a lifetime of correcting the spelling.
We felt we’d chosen the right spelling – This variation of Caitlyn is of Irish origin and means pure. Our loved ones had other ideas though… Between them, they assumed the spelling was Caitlin, Katelyn, Kaitlin, Kaitlyn and even Catelin. That alone was enough to put us off the name.
Choosing a Baby Name That Matches the Surname
It’s important to consider the baby’s surname when you’re choosing their first and middle name. For example, if the baby will have a double barrel surname, it’s going to be a lot for them to learn to say and spell. If you choose a long first and middle name, chances are they’ll be using a nickname as soon as they realise what they are. It might be worth sticking to 5 letter baby names if you’re having a double barrel surname.
Gender Neutral Baby Names
When we chose names for our babies, gender fluidity wasn’t really a thing. That said, we managed to give them both gender neutral names by accident! When they were small, we did have a few confused looks, and people asking if they were a boy or girl, so bear that in mind if you’re considering a gender neutral baby name.
Some of my favourite gender neutral baby names are:
Jess, Sam, Sasha, Syd, Quinn, Taylor, Robin, Charlie and Grayson.
Keep it Quiet or Let Everyone Know
Once you’ve decided on your baby name, my advice would be to keep it a secret until the baby arrives. When we were expecting our eldest, we told everyone the name we’d chosen when we hit the 20 week mark. People were quick to judge and managed to put us off the name we loved. After 18 weeks of torment, arguing and frustration, we decided to ignore the haters and went back to our original name though.
Once our son arrived, not one person made a negative remark about his name. This made me realise how people think they are helping with the name choice before baby is born, but accept the name you’ve chosen once baby arrives.
Wild Card Name
When I was pregnant with our daughter, we’d picked her name before we knew she was a girl. She was going to be Alicia. Once her gender was confirmed at the 20 week scan, we started to tell people. My Mum, whose name was Alice told people that the baby was named after her. (She absolutely wasn’t). This horrified us, but because everyone else loved the name, we stuck to it.
When she was born, our daughter didn’t look like an Alicia to us, so we pulled the wild card name out of the hat, and went with that. We’d been watching Alias throughout the pregnancy, and our baby’s dark hair seemed to match her character namesake to a tee.
People were shocked when we told them her name, as they’d assumed Alicia was guaranteed. Most people accepted our reasoning that she didn’t look like an Alicia to us, but it did take a while for people to remember her name as it was so unusual.
Final Thoughts on Choosing a Baby Name
My final piece of advice is to make sure you choose a name you love, and don’t worry about what other people think. Let me know in the comments if you have any other advice on choosing a baby name you’d like to share.
