People put a lot of thought into the names they give their children, and for good reason. The baby name they decide upon will be something that follows their children for the rest of their lives. Even if someone decides to change names at some point, important documents such as a birth certificate or other legal documents will still show the original name.
There are millions of babies born every year in the U.S. (3.75 million in 2019), all of whom are blessed with names common or unique. Where would your baby’s name fall, do you think? You don’t necessarily want it to be boring. Nor may you want it to stand out to a potentially embarrassing degree.
The amount of importance you put on your child’s name may make it difficult to choose. Instead of randomly picking a name from a hat, try these tricks to find the right name for your baby:
-Choose the name of someone you love
-Change up a common name
-Keep your last name in mind
Think About Important People in Your Life
You could name your children after others who’ve made a significant impact on your lives. Whether it’s one of your parents, a recently deceased loved one, a favorite celebrity, or a very close friend, passing that name on to your child can be a beautiful way to show respect and appreciation.
If you’re going to do this, it’s important to make sure the relationship doesn’t have any chance of going sour anytime soon. After all, naming your child after your best friend may seem like a good idea. But if you have a horrible fight a few years down the road and end up hating each other, your child’s name will just remind you of that.
Choose the people you consider “important” carefully. It’s a lifelong decision, after all.
Reimagine Common Names
A number of baby names were actually created when someone just made them up. Some of those names then went on to become incredibly popular! The name Nevaeh, for example, is just “heaven” spelled backward. But in 2020, it has also become the 88th most popular girl’s name in America.
Some people also put two names together, spell existing names differently, or use words from a foreign language that they love. There’s nothing stopping you from just coming up with a baby name that you think is pretty or unique.
Before you sign that birth certificate, though, it’s probably a good idea to do a little bit of research. Make sure the name you’ve chosen doesn’t have any bad connotations attached to it. It may actually be the name of a hated politician in a foreign country, a word in a foreign language that means something negative, or a company with a shady past. To make sure your child isn’t associated with any of those things, do some homework first.
Choose a Unique Combination
Sure, the name “Sarah” may be fairly common. But if you have an extremely uncommon last name, they could make a great pair! Alternately, if your last name is something like “Smith,” choosing a very common first name could come off as altogether bland. Having a first or last name that’s at least a little unique can also stop any confusion that could result if someone in your life or neighborhood has the same exact name.
Not sure? You can use a people search site like PeopleFinders to see if that could be the case. While it can’t predict current baby name trends, using this kind of site can help you pinpoint the number and location of names for almost any adult in the United States. Just do a quick people search to check for people near you who may have your preferred baby name. Input the first name and last name you’re considering, and then the city and state in which you live.
Once you run the search, it should turn up results for any adult in that area with that name. If you come upon pages and pages of results, you may want to make a different choice. But if you don’t get anything, it could be the perfect option.
Conclusion
Unless you already have a tradition of simply passing names down in your family, choosing your baby’s name can be a stressful decision. But it can also be exciting, in that you’re already helping your child establish their identity. You want to choose carefully, but not become paralyzed with uncertainty in the process. Hopefully, the tips here can help you come to a decision quickly and happily.
For more information on baby names, births, and other family matters, be sure to check out the PeopleFinders blog.
Image attribution – Creativa Images stock.adobe.com
